Fr Antonio Pineda
hey say that some are born leaders while the rest are destined to be followers. It’s just the way of the world … or is it? Perhaps it doesn’t have to be always either/or. We can be leaders in certain situations, and followers in others. From a Christian perspective, every single one of us is called by Christ to be a leader, in some way or another.
We are all called to have a positive influence on others, on those around us. Maybe some of us can have a wider influence because a special God-given talent or an important position in society gives us a wider reach. But every one of us has some kind of reach: within our family, with our friends, classmates, and co-workers, within our parish community and country…
We are not just isolated, single-cell organisms. No: we are all involved in a unique, complex network of relationships—every one of us. And Jesus is reminding us in this Sunday’s Gospel that we are called to be salt and light in every one of those relationships —to share with others the meaning, the hope, the forgiveness, the goodness we ourselves have received from the Lord.
This is every Christian’s job, because the Sermon on the Mount—from which this Sunday’s Gospel passage is taken—is meant for every Christian.
So how do we do it? How do we exercise this Christian leadership, this influence of salt and light? Jesus makes it clear that the first and foremost way of being the leaders we are called to be is through our personal example. “Your light must shine in the sight of men,” he explains, “so that seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.”
Like they say in the corporate world, a good leader will never ask a team member to do something he isn’t prepared to do himself.