13 August 2015
Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s first reading recounts the story of the Hebrew people crossing the river Jordan which Moses was unable to cross. Joshua is designated to take over the position of leading the people of Israel. Moses had been 125 when he died and had held the position for some time. It was time for the authority to be transferred.
Handing over positions of power to the next generation is perhaps one of the most difficult actions we can do. Obviously, the next generation is not as intelligent as persons who have held the job for decades. Often times, institutions identify a virtue that is necessary for the incumbent leader to possess.
Theories of organizational management have identified successful organizations as those that have clear goals, clear means taught to its members on how to achieve these goals, and leaders who facilitate the process. These same theories identify the rotation of the offices within the system as an indicator of vitality. Frequent change is not the key indicator. What appears as fundamental to success is the clear grasp of an organization’s goal and the desire for this goal to be advanced.
Today’s reading reminds us that we always must strike a balance between experienced leadership, the clear transference of goals of the church to those being raised in the church. Furthermore, faith is necessary to trust that future leaders will cooperate with God’s grace and they must have their place in leadership as well.