Leaders and the Divine Design

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of the interplay between our work, our free will, and the blessing and graces in God’s design for our life.

Leadership and Culture

The author of the Second Letter to Timothy reminds us that redemption is not won by personal deeds.

* [1:9–10] Redemption from sin and the call to holiness of life are not won by personal deeds but are freely and graciously bestowed according to God’s eternal plan; cf. Eph 1:4.

Jesus vanquishes his adversaries on the question of the resurrection in the Gospel of Mark.

* [12:13–34] In the ensuing conflicts (cf. also Mk 2:1–3:6) Jesus vanquishes his adversaries by his responses to their questions and reduces them to silence (Mk 12:34).

Angela Maynard shares that today’s reading make her think about being called to a holy life, not according to her works, but according to His own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began, but now made manifest through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 1.9-10).

What is my purpose? What are gifts and graces that I have received to help me carry out the plan God has just for me?  Above all, how can my gifts be used to serve others, ultimately fulfilling a major message from the gospel?

Augustine writing “On the Spirit and the Letter” is presented by the New Advent website.

A man's free-will, indeed, avails for nothing except to sin, if he knows not the way of truth; and even after his duty and his proper aim shall begin to become known to him, unless he also take delight in and feel a love for it, he neither does his duty, nor sets about it, nor lives rightly. Now, in order that such a course may engage our affections, God's love is shed abroad in our hearts, not through the free-will which arises from ourselves, but through the Holy Ghost, which is given to us. Romans 5:5

Don Schwager also quotes Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D on “No marriage in the resurrection.”

The Lord passed through the usual stages of growth, from infancy to adult manhood, because he was bearing the substance of flesh that still was mortal. After he had risen again at the age at which he was buried, are we to imagine that he is growing old in heaven? He says, 'They will be equal to the angels of God.' He eliminated the assumption of the Jews and refuted the objection of the Sadducees, because the Jews did indeed believe the dead would rise again, but they had crude, fleshly ideas about the state of humanity after resurrection. He said, 'They will be equal to the angels of God.' ... It has already been stated that we are to rise again. We have heard from the Lord that we rise again to the life of the angels. In his own resurrection, he has shown us in what specific form we are to rise again." (excerpt from SERMON 362.18–19.30)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that 2 Timothy, one of the pastoral epistles is Pauline but the ecclesiology is much more advanced leading to the conclusion that it was written by a disciple of Paul. Jesus asserts to the Sadducees that the wife is not property and Love, in the resurrection, is not possessive. The Sadducees are confronted with the cognitive dissonance that the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob must somehow be in existence.

The blog of Chris Massey, who is working through the cognitive dissonance that comes with a search for authentic faith, shares some insight into the authorship of the Letter to Timothy based on the difficulty of Greco-Roman culture with the role of women in the early Church.

There are several clues throughout the Pastorals that the author is motivated by a desire to reduce tensions with those outside the church, such that Christians might enjoy “peaceful and quiet lives” (1 Tim. 2:1-3). We know from ancient sources that the early church was criticized for the prominent role afforded to women and for teachings that were seen as disruptive to the household.

The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12 writes that Paul reminded Timothy that God stands ready to fill him with spiritual blessings and to give him peace and assurance of his love.

Look more specifically at the words Paul used. Grace is God’s unmerited favor. Mercy is his gift of unlimited forgiveness. And peace is the gift that flows when we are open to receiving God’s grace and mercy (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 2:11; Hebrews 4:16; Ephesians 2:4-5; John 14:27). There is a sense of fullness to these words—God isn’t stingy with these gifts, and Paul wants Timothy to embrace them more and more deeply. This “more deeply” that Paul wants for him is less a matter of asking God to give Timothy more blessings and more about Timothy realizing just how much God is offering him every day.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, observes that some of Christianity’s great mystics, such as Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), and Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582), were also first-rate leaders, motivators of others, and creative reformers of institutions. He summarizes insights into what every good, servant-hearted, nondual leader practices.

In short, good leaders must have a certain capacity for thinking beyond polarities and tapping into full, embodied knowing (prayer). They have a tolerance for ambiguity (faith), an ability to hold creative tensions (hope), and an ability to care (love) beyond their own personal advantage.

Our assumptions about our mission and the boundaries we place around it sometimes ignore the mysterious plan of God and the grace we receive to live in accord with that plan.

References


(n.d.). 2 Timothy, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 6, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2timothy/1

(n.d.). Mark, chapter 12 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 6, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/12

(n.d.). CHURCH FATHERS: On the Spirit and the Letter (St. Augustine). Retrieved June 6, 2018, from http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1502.htm

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 6, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(2011, December 13). Did Paul Write the Pastoral Epistles? Part IV | Cognitive Discopants. Retrieved June 6, 2018, from https://cognitivediscopants.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/did-paul-write-the-pastoral-epistles-part-iv/

(n.d.). Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved June 6, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 6, 2018, from https://cac.org/richard-rohr/daily-meditations/daily-meditations-archive/