Altar Servers Reminded That Leadership is Not About Position or Honour but Doing Their Best to Serve
In this week’s celebration of the Eucharist for Altar Servers, Fr. Dom reminded the Altar Servers that they are ‘leaders and leaders to be’. It is thus important that they cultivate the traits of good leadership as exhorted by Jesus in this week’s gospel (Mk 9: 30-37).
Fr. Dom began with a short anecdote of two pastors standing by the roadside holding up a sign that read “ The end is near, turn around before it is too late”. A car that was passing by stopped and hurled an insult “You religious nuts, got nothing better to say? ” Within seconds there was a screeching sound of the car and a huge splash! What the pastors intended to say was that the ‘bridge is out’ but their sign was not simple but theological that people did not get the message!
Our approach in dealing with others must also be simple and childlike said Fr. Dom. In today’s gospel, Jesus reminds the disciples and us to be childlike instead of fighting to be the greatest. Fr. Dom said a child has five distinguishing traits- simple, innocent, straightforward, dependent and trusting. Leadership is not about position and honour but rather doing your best at that moment with all your heart and soul. Leaders must be willing to get their hands dirty- be prepared to do even the menial task to the greatest task of commanding. In illustrating an example, he said he was taught in the seminary to work from earth (to cultivate the land) to the altar. The life of a priest does not just consist of doing a good homily but rather encompasses all aspects of his day-to-day tasks. Fr. Dom reiterated that doing even the menial task, does not diminish your quality as a leader; instead, it enhances your leadership through example. – SR
