FDR has always fascinated me, primarily because he shaped, to some extent, two defining times in American history: The Great Depression and World War II. He addressed immense challenges with vision, optimism, persistence and political savvy.
Today’s word of God carries us back to the wisdom literature of Ancient Israel. The Book of Sirach is a collection of advice about how to live well, how to choose between life and death, right and wrong, truth and falsehood. The choices we make will be a pathway either to salvation or damnation. But no matter how we choose, God ultimately is in control.
The author asks us to pray for God's grace to do the right thing.
Paul, in his letter to the Christian community in Corinth, Greece, writes about true wisdom, that is, Jesus Christ. The risen Christ is the revelation of God to us: everything God ever want to say or do for us, God did and said in Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit. Paul invites us to look always to Jesus and let His life and ministry be a guide for ours.
In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus describes what it means to be a disciple. Jesus employs four antitheses, opposites (“you have heard...but I say”). Jesus uses a bit of middle eastern hyperbole to emphasize the importance of attitude over legalese. Our attitudes create our behaviors. If we have bad attitudes, we surely will behave badly.
Jesus then gives four examples. One instance: “you have heard that it was said, you shall not murder; but I say to you: you shall not be angry.” Why? Because an attitude of anger or resentment can seethe into bad behavior, verbal or even physical abuse.
Discipleship with Jesus calls for a change of heart, a change of attitude, thinking and feeling positively, not negatively.
I’d like to take my cue from Paul's letter and focus on Jesus as our true wisdom. He is our exemplar, our guide, our leader about how to live well. Jesus challenges us also to be a guide, a leader for others.
For me, a leader has a sense of purpose, generates trust, communicates hope, and translates vision into results. Jesus communicated purpose in ways that galvanized, energized and excited people. He generated trust among his disciples which was the glue that bound them together in their commitments. He inspired hope in the crowds, with a clear vision of the future, life in relationship with God forever. Finally, Jesus converted vision into action through his death and resurrection.
Matthew 23:10 advises, in so many words, that there is one master, one messiah, one life-leader, one-life coach: Jesus Christ. This Jesus calls each one of us to be guides and leaders in our own situations. Yes, to be called by God to influence others -- that's leadership -- is an enormous privilege, but it carries with it great responsibility.
We have to possess two things: confidence and character. Jesus possessed these in full.
Confidence not only in ourself, but first and foremost confidence in God. The psalmists had that kind of confidence. God was their shield, their strength and their guide.
Second, we have to be men and women of character. If you look at the leadership failures in this country in the last 100 years, I will guess you'll find 99 percent were not failures in competence; they were failures in character. Greed, lying, intolerance, immorality, amorality – all character failures. And coincidentally, they are things that sell newspapers and TV commentary.
Leadership involves ethics, right and wrong, a sense of responsibility, a value system, integrity. That's why character counts. David Brooks makes that very point in his best seller The Road to Character.
The quality of our life and our soul’s destiny will be measured by our character: going the extra mile; helping a fellow human being; being faithful in our relationships and responsibilities; working for the common good; trusting in a good and compassionate God who is ever near to us and who will guide us safely to our heavenly dwelling.
More precisely, character includes four ingredients for me:
• Integrity
Practicing what we preach and making sure that we lift people up, not pull them down. A humorous example is the famous Abraham Lincoln vs. Stephen Douglas debates in 1858. Douglas accused Lincoln of being two-faced. Lincoln replied calmly, “I leave it to my audience: If I had two faces, do you think I would be wearing this one?” Integrity is the opposite of being two-faced. Shakespeare put it well: to thine own self be true.
• Authenticity
Hypocrites do everything so that others can see them. But what really matters is who we are when nobody is looking. Think about it: doing the right thing even when nobody is looking.
• Humility
Jesus warns us not to be bewitched by titles and prominent positions and public flattery. Don’t let people put us up on a pedestal. Jesus says, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
• Focus
Getting our priorities straight: faithful and responsible in our relationships with God and one another; grateful to God that we are; standing up for what's right; being generous with what we have; and always ready to lend a helping hand.
Yes, those are key attributes of character. In light of Paul's focus on Jesus as our true wisdom, our prayer might be:
Lord, help me to live a life of integrity, authenticity, humility and focus. Help me to have a similar concern for others as Jesus had for us. Give me compassion towards those who are struggling with life's problems. Help me to fix my eyes on our true wisdom, Jesus Christ. Help us to become like Him for others: men and women of confidence and character.
