I wasn't thinking of these reflections on Integrity under Duress and Leadership for Change as a series, but it just so happens that the Gospel for today is the scene in Luke where Jesus upsets the applecart in the Temple by driving the merchants out. For those of us who tend to reduce the Son of God to a nice guy from Nazareth, a gentle wisdom teacher and healer, this depiction of Jesus' anger and vehement, if not violent action is a bit jarring. What was going on that Jesus was moved to take a whip up and drive people and their profits out of the temple?
We know from historical research that the Temple was at the heart of the economy in Jerusalem, whereby the practices of slaughtering and sacrificing animals as ritual offerings consumed huge resources and was burdensome to observant Jews, especially the poor. There was also a Temple tax that helped to support the priests, scribes, and other functionaries. Within the Temple, there was a large precinct where people bought and sold livestock and birds for their ritual offerings, and which was no doubt a very lively place within the Temple boundaries. The Temple itself was a huge and very grand complex, awe inspiring for its grandeur and opulence.
Given what we know, it must have grieved Jesus to witness all this when his deepest desire was to bring Israel into right relationship with the Father, to restore and deepen his people's intimate relationship and dependence on the One. When three years of itinerant ministry, teaching and healing huge crowds, failed to bring about the revolutionary/evolutionary change that he was leading them toward, it seems that he went up to Jerusalem one last time for Passover with some intention to turn the heat up a notch. There is some conjecture that his dramatic action in the Temple was an event staged to bring the conflict with the religious and political authorities out into the open. While many have portrayed Jesus as a passive victim of the Roman and High Priestly officials plot to safeguard their control in Israel, this may be only a part of the puzzle.
All this to say that leading change can, at times, involve dramatic action, confrontation, and creative conflict to unfreeze the status quo and to provoke people into action.
Gospel
Lk 19:45-48
Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out
those who were selling things, saying to them,
“It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,
but you have made it a den of thieves.”
And every day he was teaching in the temple area.
The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,
were seeking to put him to death,
but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Integrity Under Duress #2
As a person attempting to exercise leadership, this issue of integrity even adverse conditions is so important to me. If you think about it, leadership often entails mobilizing resources and people to make changes, move in a new direction, or do a new thing. What happens when you try to effect change? You guessed it, resistance. Think about the last time someone tried to change your mind, or get you to do what they wanted you to do. Isn't it sometimes the case that even if you know the change would be beneficial, you resist it anyway? Think about the last time that your doctor said you should lose a few pounds, or stop eating high cholestrol foods, or sugar. You know what I'm talking about. These is this natural tendency in living systems to seek and maintain a sort of homeostasis, so it is not too far a stretch to see how it is not only our bodies that tend toward the status quo. It is also the way we maintain habits of mind, routines of behavior.
When leaders try to effect change, it would be naive to think that even the most reasonable and potentially beneficial changes will not be met with resistance, even hostility. So, leaders have to learn how to read resistance as a form of communication, not as a personal attack. Rather, underneath, people might be saying, "we're afraid," "this is hard," "I'm worried that something precious will be lost if we change," etc. In a sense, leaders need to have a sort of resiliency to criticism and hostility, remembering that its not personal-- that anyone trying to rock the boat will get the same reaction.
Leaders need to develop the ability to hold steady, maintaining their integrity even under duress, and balancing the pressure they place on others with an authentic communication of care. If this sounds resonant with you, you might be interested in the books of Ron Heifetz from the Kennedy School of Government, in particular, Leadership on the Line.
When leaders try to effect change, it would be naive to think that even the most reasonable and potentially beneficial changes will not be met with resistance, even hostility. So, leaders have to learn how to read resistance as a form of communication, not as a personal attack. Rather, underneath, people might be saying, "we're afraid," "this is hard," "I'm worried that something precious will be lost if we change," etc. In a sense, leaders need to have a sort of resiliency to criticism and hostility, remembering that its not personal-- that anyone trying to rock the boat will get the same reaction.
Leaders need to develop the ability to hold steady, maintaining their integrity even under duress, and balancing the pressure they place on others with an authentic communication of care. If this sounds resonant with you, you might be interested in the books of Ron Heifetz from the Kennedy School of Government, in particular, Leadership on the Line.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Integrity under Duress
The commemoration of the El Salvadoran martyrs yesterday, especially the reminder of the way the Jesuits and their colleagues continued their work for social justice on behalf of the poor in the face of death threats, inspired me to think about the meaning of integrity. While some might think of integrity as sort of consistency between one's intentions and values and the way that that person manifests those intentions and values in action, I think there is more to it than that. It is one thing to be able to be a virtuous, upstanding, and skillful person under the best conditions, and another to be virtuous, upstanding, and skillful when the conditions don't support that kind of character at all.
I think of the way the Jesuits at the UCA in El Salvador were not supermen, but rather very human, humble men, committed to living with and serving the poor. It was not their own courage or heroism that sustained them in the face of danger, but rather a sense of purpose and commitment to something/someone beyond themselves. They lived to be in solidarity with the poor and to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus in such a way that this proclamation was not in word only. The Jesuits believed that in order for poor people to believe in a good and loving God, they themselves had to express their faith in action that promoted justice and ended exploitation and violence. Their stance was a vivid confrontation with the powers the be, and the worldly values that under-gird unjust orders.
It is easy, and maybe a bit vain, to live in the comfort of my current surroundings and imagine that I would have been as steadfast and unwavering in my commitment at they were, but I wonder.
In our first reading from the mass of the day, Eleazar demonstrates the kind of integrity under duress that confronts the values of his enemies and inspires and encourages all those of his own community.
2 Maccabbees 6:18-31
Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes,
a man of advanced age and noble appearance,
was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork.
But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement,
he spat out the meat,
and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture,
as people ought to do who have the courage to reject the food
which it is unlawful to taste even for love of life.
Those in charge of that unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately,
because of their long acquaintance with him,
and urged him to bring meat of his own providing,
such as he could legitimately eat,
and to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice
prescribed by the king;
in this way he would escape the death penalty,
and be treated kindly because of their old friendship with him.
But Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner,
worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age,
the merited distinction of his gray hair,
and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood;
and so he declared that above all
he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God.
He told them to send him at once
to the abode of the dead, explaining:
“At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense;
many young people would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar
had gone over to an alien religion.
Should I thus pretend for the sake of a brief moment of life,
they would be led astray by me,
while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age.
Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men,
I shall never, whether alive or dead,
escape the hands of the Almighty.
Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now,
I will prove myself worthy of my old age,
and I will leave to the young a noble example
of how to die willingly and generously
for the revered and holy laws.”
Eleazar spoke thus,
and went immediately to the instrument of torture.
Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed,
now became hostile toward him because what he had said
seemed to them utter madness.
When he was about to die under the blows,
he groaned and said:
“The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that,
although I could have escaped death,
I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging,
but also suffering it with joy in my soul
because of my devotion to him.”
This is how he died,
leaving in his death a model of courage
and an unforgettable example of virtue
not only for the young but for the whole nation.
I think of the way the Jesuits at the UCA in El Salvador were not supermen, but rather very human, humble men, committed to living with and serving the poor. It was not their own courage or heroism that sustained them in the face of danger, but rather a sense of purpose and commitment to something/someone beyond themselves. They lived to be in solidarity with the poor and to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus in such a way that this proclamation was not in word only. The Jesuits believed that in order for poor people to believe in a good and loving God, they themselves had to express their faith in action that promoted justice and ended exploitation and violence. Their stance was a vivid confrontation with the powers the be, and the worldly values that under-gird unjust orders.
It is easy, and maybe a bit vain, to live in the comfort of my current surroundings and imagine that I would have been as steadfast and unwavering in my commitment at they were, but I wonder.
In our first reading from the mass of the day, Eleazar demonstrates the kind of integrity under duress that confronts the values of his enemies and inspires and encourages all those of his own community.
2 Maccabbees 6:18-31
Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes,
a man of advanced age and noble appearance,
was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork.
But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement,
he spat out the meat,
and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture,
as people ought to do who have the courage to reject the food
which it is unlawful to taste even for love of life.
Those in charge of that unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately,
because of their long acquaintance with him,
and urged him to bring meat of his own providing,
such as he could legitimately eat,
and to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice
prescribed by the king;
in this way he would escape the death penalty,
and be treated kindly because of their old friendship with him.
But Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner,
worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age,
the merited distinction of his gray hair,
and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood;
and so he declared that above all
he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God.
He told them to send him at once
to the abode of the dead, explaining:
“At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense;
many young people would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar
had gone over to an alien religion.
Should I thus pretend for the sake of a brief moment of life,
they would be led astray by me,
while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age.
Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men,
I shall never, whether alive or dead,
escape the hands of the Almighty.
Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now,
I will prove myself worthy of my old age,
and I will leave to the young a noble example
of how to die willingly and generously
for the revered and holy laws.”
Eleazar spoke thus,
and went immediately to the instrument of torture.
Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed,
now became hostile toward him because what he had said
seemed to them utter madness.
When he was about to die under the blows,
he groaned and said:
“The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that,
although I could have escaped death,
I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging,
but also suffering it with joy in my soul
because of my devotion to him.”
This is how he died,
leaving in his death a model of courage
and an unforgettable example of virtue
not only for the young but for the whole nation.
Monday, November 16, 2009
20th Anniversary of the Assassination of the Six Jesuits and their friends at the UCA in El Salvador
Remembering the Martyrs of the Universidad Centroamericana, José Simeón Cañas, El Salvador
Grewen Hall at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York
Monday November 16 2009, 5-6 p.m.
A vigil will be held at dusk in solidarity with the Society of Jesus and the UCA-JSC, to mark the 20th anniversary of the massacre in El Salvador and to commemorate all who give their lives in the long struggle for justice. All are welcome: Public invited.
Click here for directions to campus or go to this web page: http://www.lemoyne.edu/VISITLEMOYNE/tabid/473/Default.aspx
Sponsored by the Le Moyne College Center for Peace and Global Studies, in cooperation with Campus Ministry, the Office of Communications, the Le Moyne College Jesuit Community, Office of Mission and Identity, President's Office, and the Sanzone Center for Catholic Studies and Theological Reflection. In addition, a Mass of Remembrance will be held Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 7 p.m. in the Chapel of Madonna dell Strada, Panasci Family Chapel, Le Moyne College campus, Syracuse, New York. For more information, please call 315.445.4558.
Intellectuals for Justice
St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, approached Pope Paul III and asked him to send the Jesuits to “wherever in the world the need is greatest.” The Jesuits understand that the greatest need is always among the poor. This transnational brotherhood is known for analytical brilliance, verbal prowess, and courage. They know that to educate the poor is the single most important action one can choose, in order to create a more just world. For speaking out against the abuse of power, Jesuits have been exiled and murdered. In the middle of the night on November 16, 1989, members of the Salvadoran army killed six Jesuits associated with the Universidad Centroamericana, their housekeeper, and her fifteen-year old daughter in a house in San Salvador during. Please join us in remembering the martyrs of UCA-JSC. For more information: http://www.lemoyne.edu/JESUITHERITAGE/tabid/482/Default.aspx.
Grewen Hall at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York
Monday November 16 2009, 5-6 p.m.
A vigil will be held at dusk in solidarity with the Society of Jesus and the UCA-JSC, to mark the 20th anniversary of the massacre in El Salvador and to commemorate all who give their lives in the long struggle for justice. All are welcome: Public invited.
Click here for directions to campus or go to this web page: http://www.lemoyne.edu/VISITLEMOYNE/tabid/473/Default.aspx
Sponsored by the Le Moyne College Center for Peace and Global Studies, in cooperation with Campus Ministry, the Office of Communications, the Le Moyne College Jesuit Community, Office of Mission and Identity, President's Office, and the Sanzone Center for Catholic Studies and Theological Reflection. In addition, a Mass of Remembrance will be held Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 7 p.m. in the Chapel of Madonna dell Strada, Panasci Family Chapel, Le Moyne College campus, Syracuse, New York. For more information, please call 315.445.4558.
Intellectuals for Justice
St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, approached Pope Paul III and asked him to send the Jesuits to “wherever in the world the need is greatest.” The Jesuits understand that the greatest need is always among the poor. This transnational brotherhood is known for analytical brilliance, verbal prowess, and courage. They know that to educate the poor is the single most important action one can choose, in order to create a more just world. For speaking out against the abuse of power, Jesuits have been exiled and murdered. In the middle of the night on November 16, 1989, members of the Salvadoran army killed six Jesuits associated with the Universidad Centroamericana, their housekeeper, and her fifteen-year old daughter in a house in San Salvador during. Please join us in remembering the martyrs of UCA-JSC. For more information: http://www.lemoyne.edu/JESUITHERITAGE/tabid/482/Default.aspx.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wisdom and Her Inspiration...
It is hard to deny that wisdom is a rare virtue... just think of a few people, family, friends, or public figures who would qualify as wise. And perhaps we should define terms first, right? What is wisdom in your eyes?
In the Old Testament Scriptures, there is a whole body of writing known as the Wisdom literature. It includes Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Job, and the Wisdom of Solomon. In this literature, Wisdom is often personified in the figure of Lady Wisdom, a divine figure who originated with God, yet is also distinct and associated with Creation. What follows is a lovely, poetic description of Lady Wisdom and her attributes... may we all be inspired by her, that we grow not only in knowledge, but also insight, intuition, equanimity, sagacity, skillfulness, and compassion.
Wis 7:22b–8:1
In Wisdom is a spirit
intelligent, holy, unique,
Manifold, subtle, agile,
clear, unstained, certain,
Not baneful, loving the good, keen,
unhampered, beneficent, kindly,
Firm, secure, tranquil,
all-powerful, all-seeing,
And pervading all spirits,
though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle.
For Wisdom is mobile beyond all motion,
and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity.
For she is an aura of the might of God
and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty;
therefore nought that is sullied enters into her.
For she is the refulgence of eternal light,
the spotless mirror of the power of God,
the image of his goodness.
And she, who is one, can do all things,
and renews everything while herself perduring;
And passing into holy souls from age to age,
she produces friends of God and prophets.
For there is nought God loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom.
For she is fairer than the sun
and surpasses every constellation of the stars.
Compared to light, she takes precedence;
for that, indeed, night supplants,
but wickedness prevails not over Wisdom.
Indeed, she reaches from end to end mightily
and governs all things well.
In the Old Testament Scriptures, there is a whole body of writing known as the Wisdom literature. It includes Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Job, and the Wisdom of Solomon. In this literature, Wisdom is often personified in the figure of Lady Wisdom, a divine figure who originated with God, yet is also distinct and associated with Creation. What follows is a lovely, poetic description of Lady Wisdom and her attributes... may we all be inspired by her, that we grow not only in knowledge, but also insight, intuition, equanimity, sagacity, skillfulness, and compassion.
Wis 7:22b–8:1
In Wisdom is a spirit
intelligent, holy, unique,
Manifold, subtle, agile,
clear, unstained, certain,
Not baneful, loving the good, keen,
unhampered, beneficent, kindly,
Firm, secure, tranquil,
all-powerful, all-seeing,
And pervading all spirits,
though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle.
For Wisdom is mobile beyond all motion,
and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity.
For she is an aura of the might of God
and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty;
therefore nought that is sullied enters into her.
For she is the refulgence of eternal light,
the spotless mirror of the power of God,
the image of his goodness.
And she, who is one, can do all things,
and renews everything while herself perduring;
And passing into holy souls from age to age,
she produces friends of God and prophets.
For there is nought God loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom.
For she is fairer than the sun
and surpasses every constellation of the stars.
Compared to light, she takes precedence;
for that, indeed, night supplants,
but wickedness prevails not over Wisdom.
Indeed, she reaches from end to end mightily
and governs all things well.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Veteran's Day and the Prospect of Peace
I am reminded today of my brothers and sisters around the world who over the ages have been enlisted by their governments into acts of both aggression and of defense, and of the terrible bloodshed and cost of war on all sides. The scope and scale of war even now in the early 21st Century is still staggering, even after the two World Wars when national leaders swore that armed conflict was no longer seen as a viable, let alone morally justifiable means of guaranteeing freedom, land, rights...
Knowing so many remarkable men and women who have answered a call to the service and defense of their countries, and appreciative of their courage and commitment to their nations, I at the same time pray for an end to war, an end to the arms race and the military industrial complex that drives us into aggression for the sake of its own profits.
In the Gospel for the day today, Jesus shares foreboding words of prophecy regarding the impeding doom of Jerusalem, which was overtaken by Rome at the end of the First Century A.D. Jesus is not condemning Jerusalem so much as commenting on the blindness and collective egotism that leads to war. His question is just as salient to us today: Do we know what makes for peace?
Lk 19:41-44
As Jesus drew near Jerusalem,
he saw the city and wept over it, saying,
“If this day you only knew what makes for peace–
but now it is hidden from your eyes.
For the days are coming upon you
when your enemies will raise a palisade against you;
they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.
They will smash you to the ground and your children within you,
and they will not leave one stone upon another within you
because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
Knowing so many remarkable men and women who have answered a call to the service and defense of their countries, and appreciative of their courage and commitment to their nations, I at the same time pray for an end to war, an end to the arms race and the military industrial complex that drives us into aggression for the sake of its own profits.
In the Gospel for the day today, Jesus shares foreboding words of prophecy regarding the impeding doom of Jerusalem, which was overtaken by Rome at the end of the First Century A.D. Jesus is not condemning Jerusalem so much as commenting on the blindness and collective egotism that leads to war. His question is just as salient to us today: Do we know what makes for peace?
Lk 19:41-44
As Jesus drew near Jerusalem,
he saw the city and wept over it, saying,
“If this day you only knew what makes for peace–
but now it is hidden from your eyes.
For the days are coming upon you
when your enemies will raise a palisade against you;
they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.
They will smash you to the ground and your children within you,
and they will not leave one stone upon another within you
because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Indifference, Entitlement, & Gratitude
In the gospel passage that follows, it might seem like Jesus is a bit harsh to his apostles, apparently reprimanding them for expecting thanks or reward for their discipleship and service. I believe that the essence of what he is teaching them is that if we desire to be happy in the work we do, we need to be motivated from within rather than without. By this I mean, we find joy when we act/serve/labor with inner purpose, passion, and commitment... and a sort of indifference to whether our service is recognized or rewarded by others. If by contrast, we act/serve/labor motivated by desire for praise, recognition or reward, or even more problematically, if we live with a sense of expectancy and entitlement, we set ourselves up for disappointment. The paradox of course is that for as helpful as it is to act/serve/labor with a sort of indifferent freedom from the need for recognition, it is at the same time a real virtue to be able to express gratitude and praise of others. Does this make sense?
Lk 17:7-10
Jesus said to the Apostles:
“Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’?
Would he not rather say to him,
‘Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished’?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded, say,
‘We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.’”
Lk 17:7-10
Jesus said to the Apostles:
“Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’?
Would he not rather say to him,
‘Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished’?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded, say,
‘We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.’”
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