16 March 2022
Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent
Every mother wants their children to succeed, and today’s gospel has the mother of the sons of Zebedee asking Jesus to give her boys preferential treatment. Although a bit pushy, we at least can credit the woman for seeing that Jesus was someone important. Importance for Jesus takes on a different image than what we imagine today. Leadership has become a cottage industry these days, with piles of books written to inform readers of all the skills needed to be a leader. Christian leadership adds a twist to the leadership rhetoric by noting that good Christian leaders serve others and follow Christ which would ultimately make them followers. Even under the understanding of servant leadership, there still lurks the temptation to running one’s own show. Perhaps that is why the Jesuits were so strong in the promotion of their motto: “All for the greater honor and glory of God.” This motto placed their leader front and center and perhaps helped the Jesuits lead so many men and women towards God.