Leadership for spiritual growth

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary give us an opportunity to reflect on our experience of spiritual community and leadership as we read about the success of the community in Thessalonica which is addressed in the first reading. Friar Jude Winkler notes that the author of the text, who may not actually be Paul, lifts up the community in prayer to the Lord. This action joins our love of those for whom we pray to the Love of God which we believe will be experienced by them. These believers have fought against persecution to maintain their faith. Jesus, in the passage from the Gospel of Matthew, addresses the poor spiritual leadership offered to the people by the scribes and Pharisees who seem to have put their priority for required religious practice into rules which emphasize material concerns. This misplaced priority has the effect of reminding Eileen Wirth of a priest in her community, who in an opposite way, lived for others to open to them the riches of an intimate relationship with Jesus. We perhaps can also share an account of the spiritual leaders who have helped us understand better the life of Love through which God empowers us the be witness, like the Thessalonians, of the God working in communities.