Brief synopsis of the readings: Speaking through the Old Testament prophet Malachi, God warns priests who don’t glorify God’s name that they will be cursed. God accuses them of turning away from the way and causing others to falter; they also show partiality in their decisions. God ends with this question: “Why then do we break faith with one another, violating the covenant of our fathers?” In Matthew’s Gospel we see Jesus speaking equally harshly to the scribes and Pharisees because they have taken “their chair of Moses.” Jesus tells his disciples to follow their words but not their actions. Jesus describes how the scribes and Pharisees tie up heavy burdens for others to carry and offer no help. Instead they attract attention to themselves by what they wear and where they sit. Jesus warns his disciples to avoid being called Rabbi (teacher) or Father as that title is reserved for God. He ends with: “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Say what you will about the Catholic Church, we know how to do hierarchies. Ever since Jesus selected Peter as the rock on which the Church will be built, and ever since we recognized him as our first Pope, we’ve seen the necessity of leadership, and indeed multiple levels of leaders.

Other Christians have seen the need for reform and have eschewed formal leadership. They call themselves elders or brothers and sisters and feel their calling comes directly from God, not from seminary. I have to confess my bias, though, as I sometimes see that congregations that become cult of the personality of the leader. When their leader dies, retires, or falls out of favor their congregations falter and some disappear.

And while all Christians worship God and Jesus Christ, we’ve always needed leadership. Frankly, we also have 2000 years of hierarchies. At the time of Jesus he dealt with scribes and Pharisees and we have Popes, bishops, priests, etc.

So if the idea of leaderless community doesn’t work, where does that leave us? We are well aware of the perils of leadership and in the words of the 19th Century philosopher Lord John Acton: “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Frankly our history has shown countless times when people we expected would serve God well became victims of their own success and served only themselves. Or more commonly, people who instead serve the darkness in their own souls; leaders who justify intolerance because of past trauma. They serve themselves because they’ve never achieved enough healing in their own lives to serve others.

We can all look at countless examples of antisemitism, to say nothing of the Crusades. Unfortunately most of us have experienced modern day Pharisees. Catholics of my generation and older remember the intolerance faced by married couples who deeply loved each other but needed to limit the number of their children. I remember speaking to a man who was newly wedded in the 1950s; he confessed to a priest his struggle with birth control only to have the priest scream at him that he would not be forgiven unless he (right then and right there) promised never to use artificial birth control. He told me the story 30 years later and I could still see the pain he felt.

OK enough of the horror stories. We can also celebrate the times where we’ve seen exactly what Jesus wanted from his disciples. In 2013 Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires was elected to the Papacy and took the name Francis after St. Francis of Assisi. When cardinals who elected him boarded a bus to return to their hotel, the new pope waved off the limousine designated for him and boarded the bus. Once back at the hotel he paid his bill before beginning his duties. It was a simple gesture but it spoke volumes on how he viewed his new position. In the years since then his papacy has been marked by his insistence that the church be open and welcoming to all.

But if we look at these readings and think they only apply to clergy in leadership roles we miss a great deal. As a matter of fact this sermon would serve well for a convocation of priests and almost nowhere else. We find leadership and authority in many other places. In my mid 20s, as a layperson, I was the Director of Religious Education (DRE) of a parish. We had classes for ages 4 to 18; 1000 students and 100 teachers. I’m still a little stunned by the authority I was given at such a young age but if there is anywhere I observed the best and the worst of what I could be it was there.

You’ll have to speak to others to measure my success or failure there but I learned that most of the mistakes I made were made out of fear. Fear of losing my job, fear of looking foolish, fear of being called out for my inexperience. Conversely I’m grateful for several decisions I made when I asked which decision would best serve the parish and the students. I did eventually lose my job but it was time for me to move on and it was an “I quit/you’re fired” experience.

We all find ourselves in positions of authority, when decisions we make affect others. And while we all want the respect of those we lead, be they students, coworkers, or our own children, we stray when we see that respect as a goal. That places the spotlight on us. But when we shift our goal to best interest of the other, when we enhance that person’s dignity and worth it becomes a win/win.

When Jesus spoke about the burdens the scribes and Pharisees tied up there was nothing wrong with the burdens; we all face them. They erred when they then passed them off to others. Leaders are disciples of Jesus Christ, no more and no less than those they lead. True leaders advance themselves by advancing others. It’s what makes us whole.

So don’t read about leadership or opine on it: live it, and live it like we are called to do.