I’ve been thinking a bit lately about leadership: the kind of leaders I admire and the kind of leader I hope to be. There’s any number of lessons to draw on – from my time in the Boy Scouts as a child & young man, being the son of a naval officer, and growing up and now serving with a great diversity of faithful clergy. Even the fandoms I grew up with have provided models – albeit fictional! – I hope to aspire to. I remember a particular scene from an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (part two of ‘Gambit’), where Commander Data – in command of the ship while the captain and first officer were away on a mission – pulls aside Lieutenant Worf to read him what I still consider to be one of the most effective and charitable dressing-downs in television.
When he discerned that we were old enough, my father showed my and my siblings the 1954 movie The Caine Mutiny. Like many others, my favorite part is the closing scene, in which the only truly honorable character – Lieutenant Greenwald – lays bare that the true failure was not in the leadership of the broken Captain Queeg, but in the refusal of his crew to support him, to help him overcome his shortcomings. Queeg’s endangering of the USS Caine can be directly traced back to their undermining of his authority, of his self-confidence.
There are other sources of inspiration, of course. Aragorn, Gandalf, Ender, Bean, Westley, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, and the Pevensies, to name a few of my favorites. And there is no shortage of folks here in the world: Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Peter, Saint Thomas Moore, Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict, and of course, our Lord. We are blessed with a diversity of examples imagined and real – truly proof that there is room for every one of us among the ranks of saints and heros.
When considering the virtues of those characters and figures I admire, one that I most treasure – and struggle with – is humility. As much as I want to believe I would be Commander Data in that scene from Star Trek, I know that I am more likely to be the friend that he has to rebuke. Though I would prefer to think of myself standing alongside the righteous Greenwald (or even the pitiable Queeg), my heart has far more strains of his petty and passive-aggressive crew than I like to admit.
The humility of these characters and all the saints is most inspiring. “Mr. Worf, I am sorry if I have ended our friendship” never fails to bring a bit of a lump to my throat – but it is Worf’s recognition of and apology for what he has required his friend to do that I find truly laudable. Likewise, though realized too late, the silent acknowledgement by the crew of the USS Caine of their guilt in all that went before is both sobering and convicting.
Despite their unique role in the life of the Church, clergy do not hold a monopoly on leadership. On the contrary, every baptized Christian shares in Christ’s three-fold ministry of priest, prophet, and king. Jesus not only entrusts us with great responsibility, but He gives us great power – His! – so that we need not fear taking on the mantle He has left to us. Especially as we celebrate the Blessed Mother – the most humble of leaders – may we consider the kind of leaders we want, that the world needs, and that the Lord calls us to be.
We trust that if we are willing to work humbly with Him, He will not only make us great but bring about great things through us. May we pray for the graces & gifts we need to live into the greatness to which the Lord calls us – today and every day of our lives.
August 14 – Today is the memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe – called by Pope John Paul II as a “martyr of charity”. In many ways his death outshines his life – a life that included a deep dedication to Mary, the founding of the Immaculata, embracing new technology for the proclamation of the Gospel, and theological writing. His willingness to take the place of another in Auschwitz was perhaps the culmination of a wholehearted self-giving that marked now only how he died but how he lived. Read more him at the Vatican News website.
August 15 – Thanks to an extraordinarily generous endowment, seminarians at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake (also called Mundelein seminary, after the cardinal who founded it) have the opportunity to study abroad for a semester during their third year there. Along with my classmates, I was blessed to be able to study in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Nazareth for two and a half months. Among the many places we visited was the Abbey of the Dormition, where Mary died or fell asleep. This Thursday we celebrate the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – it is a great opportunity to learn about this mystery of our faith. Read about it at the Pillar website. (and if you’re a parishioner on the Olympic Peninsula, click here for the schedule of Masses across our parish family)
August 11 – For most of us, monastic life is something apart from our regular experience – as it is intended! The life of the Poor Clares adds an additional ascetic value: poverty. Their founder, Saint Clare of Assisi – whose memorial is today – embraced the idea of dependence on the generosity of the local community, writing the first rule for religious life that was formally approved (just days before her death, at that). Read more at the Vatican News website.
August 12 – Unlike her fellow saint above, Saint Jane Frances de Chantal – whose feast day is today – embraced a vocation of marriage. Tragically, her husband was killed in a hunting accident. Though he forgave the man before he died (“don’t commit the sin of hating yourself when you have done nothing wrong”), it was a long while before Jane could do the same – though she not only did but eventually became godmother to his child. Later in life she founded the Visitation order, specifically for women rejected by other communities due to their age or poor health – exemplifying her conviction that all should have second chances. Read more at Franciscan Media.
Priests celebrating their anniversaries this week
- Rev. Dominic Chikankheni (August 11, 2007)
- Rev. David A. Rogerson (August 13, 1977)
- Rev. Ronald Maag (August 14, 1978)
Remembering our deceased priests
- Fr. Thomas Lane (August 11, 1997)
- Fr. Matthew Naumes (August 13, 2018)
Fr., scoot over on the “teach me humility” couch! You’re in good company.
Thank you for your blogs, Father,
Your time and efforts are so appreciated.
I believe you are very talented when it comes to writing and putting these together.
Nancy Dahll
That’s very kind – thank you! I really enjoy being able to write out and share my reflections.
Fr. Maurer, your blog is a delight to read and offers me a way to get to know you. For this I am grateful. The quote from the Chronicles of Narnia is food for thought, as I struggle to practice humility daily.
May Our Lord bless you in the many challenges facing you with multiple parishes and a Catholic school.
I believe along with humility, another virtue to practice-especially for those of us being led-is obedience. Our Lord had a lot to say through St. Faustina about this virtue. Sometimes we just need to say, “Yes Lord.”