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[Jesus said] “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt.  But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant….     Mark 10:42-43.

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Among the most criticized and ridiculed expressions is the DYKWIA response in any situation, in words, “Do You Know Who I Am?”. It would seem to be the easy way of dealing with a delicate situation, but it almost inevitably gets peoples’ backs up, and makes the situation (whatever it is) much worse. It is also risky, because most times the answer is going to be “No, and it serves you (whoever you are) right!” I mention this because of the phrase in today’s gospel when Jesus says, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt”. It is very easy to put a leader into a position where he or she is temped to use the DYOWIA. One imagines that things have never changed when it come to such things. So Jesus clearly and unequivocally states, “It shall not be so among you”. Then what should it be Lord? The answer: Whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. Why Lord? The Answer: For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. And there you have it; pretty clear, concise and to the point. Christians are never to play the DYKWIA game! We are to be servants, doing our best for those around us, for we are their servants.

Sounds very nice, but can it work in practice? Doesn’t someone have to rule? Is it even possible for every living Christian to rank him/herself a servant? And so we arrive at the theory of servant leadership. Now that has a modern ring to it. Indeed the theory of servant leadership as a scholarly concept was born not in the Age of Enlightenment (when Christianity was more often a target rather than an inspiration) but in a scholarly article by Robert Greenleaf in 1970 who worked for AT&T! From such a beginning have grown courses taught by the Center for Servant Leadership at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, at the Harvard Law School, the Milwaukee School of Engineering, among other disparate educational institutions, showing a broad level of support. The key elements of this style of leadership are listening, persuasion, intuition, foresight, use of language and pragmatic measurements of outcome.

But we are talking about Jesus’ teaching in today’s gospel rather than sitting in a tutorial situation with a polymathic professor! What is clear though is this: once again, Jesus, teaching 2000 years ago, is as modern today as it is possible to be! And one thing more: his teaching applies to each and every one of us. In a multitude of different ways, we are all leaders at certain times in certain places. We could be chatting in a group, and suddenly become the focus, the leader. We could be directing a family gathering, or pointing something out at work, or helping a stranger who is lost, or taking care of a neighbor’s children, any situation where, perhaps even momentarily, we are called to lead. At such times, Jesus’ teaching comes into play, and those qualities listed above might become very handy. That must not be a DYKWIA moment, to say the least. Even if it is a provocative situation at the check-in desk at the airport, for example, when the choice seems to be an convulsive eruption of incandescent anger or, better, a moment for trying to look for options. All these situations are opportunities, even if brief, to display patience, care and discretion as best we can. In other words, to reflect what the Lord would do and say. 

I am reminded of the famous story concerning the funeral of the well-known actor David Niven, the biggest wreath, worthy of a Mafia Godfather’s funeral, was delivered from the porters at London’s Heathrow Airport, along with a card that read: ‘To the finest gentleman who ever walked through these halls. He made a porter feel like a king’. A quiet, understated example of leadership. Generous, uncalled for and kind. The story is telling us that we can all exercise that kind of leadership whatever the situation. When we are shopping, and at the register, how we react will display leadership quality – or not. Patience, demeanor, even humility are all possible qualities in such a situation. In any line or queue, where impatience is not unknown, how we act can set the tone and the mood. Of course it is easier to lose all patience and begin to grumble, or worse. But a true leader will try to intervene and defuse such a situation. Even a little humor will go a very long way. And any one of us might well be in the middle of such a moment. For example, when in the middle of Mass, it might happen that a baby has lost it and starts to make a great noise. The tension will rise very quickly, even to the point of turning round and glaring angrily at the desperate mother. The priest, at such a moment, needs only to say: “Ah, the wonderful sound of life; thank you Lord!” or something similar, and the tension will immediately vanish, like magic. So you don’t have to be a Churchill at such moments; just a little common sense, and the knowledge that we can all grab the moment as a Christian and things will improve. And that can happen to any of us. So Jesus’ teaching today is really a call to common sense, humility and a little courage, and the Christian message will come through even if disguised as peacemaking or gentleness. Let us hope that any one of us is able to rise to such a challenge!

Lord, Where Are you Going? Learning from the Past, Fr. John Harris.

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