Pastor’s Corner for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Year C

The Week That Was

 

On Thursday I led a liturgy of the word at Mayfair convent for the Grade 2’s on the theme of Christ the King. The chapel was decorated with things that tried to explain what a king does, or more particularly, what OUR king does. There were posters saying things like “A king is a leader”, He teaches us”, “A king protects his people”.

 

They were wonderful insights by these little ones. Our king taught us the way of love, faith and truth. He led and taught by example,  from the front and not by driving us from behind with pain and fear. He loved us so much that he was prepared to suffer and die to protect us from the consequences of our turning away from God.

 

On the same day, in the afternoon, I led a memorial service for Andrew Moodley, someone who worked in administration at WITS and was a regular weekday mass attendee. The church was filled with colleagues and friends who had come to remember him and pay their respects. Andrew was a devout man, deeply in love with Christ and his church. According to all of the speakers, this love was evident in how Andrew lived his life.

 

I have realised that the best was to spark imitation is passion. When you care passionately about something and allow that passion to be visible and evident in your life, then you will be able to spark passion in others. According to James Mallon, author of “Divine Renovation”, a leader’s job is about sharing their vision in a contagious way. That is how we build teams and lead communities.

 

Our challenge then is two fold: building a vision, and then communicating it. Our Grade 2’s and Andrew both had a vision of what kind of king Christ is. That vision has encouraged them to imitate their master. Andrew’s journey on earth has come to end but our little ones have lifetimes ahead of them to grow in their passion for Christ, and in their desire to follow him.

 

Fr Bruce Botha SJ