What shall we ponder about servant leadership? In the first reading, prophet Isaiah spoke about how God our Father had made him to be his servant so that he will be light to the nations. He wrote, “he who formed me in the womb to be his servant”. God knew right from the beginning, even before Isaiah was born, that he was destined for something great as long as he obeyed Him. One of the traits a good servant leader has, is to do what the Lord wants with perfect obedience. We just trust the process, knowing that we have done all that we can, according to His will and it is the Lord who determines how things work out in the end.
A servant leader focuses primarily on the growth of his people and the communities in which they belong. This is highlighted in the second reading where St. Paul addresses the people of Corinth, calling them the ‘holy people of Jesus Christ’. St. Paul seeks the Corinthians’ effort to pray to Jesus Christ while reaffirming them that ‘their Lord is no less than ours’. This shows that St. Paul cared deeply about his community. In our daily lives, how can we build our community based on our Lord’s teachings and examples? The straightforward way is to be active in our own ministry; celebrating each other’s uniqueness and strengths and coming together as a community to glorify God our Father.
As John spoke about his witnessing in the gospel, he called Jesus the ‘Chosen One of God’. Reflecting on the first reading, we realise that both Jesus and Isaiah were already ‘chosen’ before they were formed in the womb to be His servant. What is different is Jesus did not need baptism while all of us need to baptised. Jesus endured all the sufferings of mankind so that we can have salvation in and through Him.
“Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!”
Written by: Edith Tan
Ministry of Lectors