“Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness, make thy way straight before me.” Ps 5:8.
“Lead me in thy truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” Ps 25:5.
“Lead me in the way everlasting.” Ps 139: 24.
“Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. I ,Yahweh, your God, teach you what is good for you, I lead you in the way that you must go.” Isaiah 48: 17
“And lead us not into temptation.” Lk 11:4.
“Let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.” Lk 22:26.
“The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” John 3: 2-3
“The Spirit is presented as active and operating in those whose deeds are told, whether they are leaders of the community or just members of the faithful.” Pope John Paul II, Nov, 1980.
“The role of the leader is, in the first place, “to give an example of prayer in his/her own life.”
Pope John Paul II, May, 1981.
The Church’s leadership is “to acknowledge and foster the ministries, the offices, and the roles of the lay faithful that find their foundation in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation, indeed, for a good many of them in the sacrament of matrimony,” Pope John Paul II, Laity Christ’s Faithful, 23.
Priests,” should be careful to discern the charisms and strengths of the faithful who might be leaders in the community, listening to them and through dialogue encouraging their participation and co-responsibility.” Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia in America, 1997.
“America needs lay Christians able to assume roles of leadership in society.” Ibid.
Leaders, “ I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world.” Pope John Paul II, Oct, 1998.
“We are entering a period of new vitality for the Church, a period in which adult Catholic laity will play a pivotal leadership role in fulfilling the Christian mission of evangelizing and transforming society. For adults to fulfill their roles in this new era of the Church, their faith formation must be life long, just as they must continue to learn to keep up in the changing world.” USCCB Our Hearts Were Burning, 29.
“The following objectives highlight four key roles of Parish Leadership: (1) the pastor and other pastoral leaders; (2) the adult faith formation leader who becomes the lead agent in promoting and supporting this ministry in the parish; (3) the adult faith formation team who collaborate with the leader in planning and providing learning opportunities; and (4) catechists of adults. Ibid, 125.
“Through fervent prayer and pastoral work—and relying on the grace of the Holy Spirit—our efforts together will help the whole Catholic people advance in authentic discipleship and fulfill their baptismal call and mission to grow to the full maturity of Christ.” Ibid.
“Leadership and Organizational Development. Lay ecclesial ministers should cultivate leadership qualities modeled on the example of Jesus so that they can inspire and enable others to fulfil their baptismal call.” USCCB Co-Workers of the Vineyard.
Leadership
Those who are called by God to be leaders in the Church are servants of all and least of all. There are leadership positions for clergy and laity at many levels in our Church. Spiritual leaders are always willing to listen and be available to those they lead. Leaders are accountable to those they lead and they are sensitive to the faith and needs of those they serve. Leaders to remain faithful to their role must pursue a rich spiritual life and a strong faith basis. They seek to lead as Jesus did- sensitive to the goals of their ministry and the Jesus way to lead others.
Questions to share
- Which passage touches you or burns in your heart the most? Why?
- How have you exercised this gift in the past?
- How are you now exercising this gift in ministry?
- Do you see new ways you can exercise this ministry in the future?