My Family Home: A Place to Encounter the Living Christ Leadership

Scripture Verses: Matthew 20:25-28: But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Romans 12:9-13: Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

1 Timothy 3:1-7: The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? ...

John 13:12-15: When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

1 Corinthians 12:12: For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

Introduction: Strong, faith-filled families are the foundation of our parishes, our Church and society. The Eparchy of Saskatoon is committed to helping parents and grandparents pass on the faith to our children and youth. This is a lifelong process. It is a great responsibility, but an even greater joy.

High hopes for our kids…To use their gifts… We all have high hopes for our kids, as we want the very best for them. We put them into all kinds of artistic and sports activities to make them well-rounded and successful people. It is sometimes challenging to find a balance in life between ‘altar servers’ and soccer. It is both possible and important to find this balance. Many do not find ‘church’ relevant in their lives. However, as families we are called to humbly witness to the fact that “God has done great things” for us. We respond to His total gift to us-- His life, death and resurrection--with the gift of ourselves. We are called to do everything for His Glory—‘altar servers’ and soccer—and to witness to Him in everything we do in order that others might come to know Him.

Leadership is part of our faith tradition Patriarch Sviatoslav tells us that “…church leadership is not the fulfillment of a particular administrative office, but first of all service to God and neighbor.” It begins with “…well formed and mature co-workers who assist the priest in leading catechetical schools, church brotherhoods, charitable works, youth organizations and prayer groups.” This means we have persons and families who discern God’s will and work to put their faith into action.

Leadership (From 2014 Eparchy of Saskatoon Sobor Document) The parish is a community of faithful who, under the leadership of the bishop and their pastors, fulfill their calling to unity with God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus constantly acts in our communities through the Holy Spirit sending down His gifts for the development and growth of His Body. The Apostle Paul thus explains: “And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” (Eph. 4:11-13). The leadership of the parish community is exercised under the leadership of the bishop as head and father. Each parish should be an organized community in which, under the care of their pastor and in cooperation with him, members serve one another according to the gifts which they received from the Lord.

Therefore, church leadership is not the fulfillment of a particular administrative office, but first of all service to God and neighbor. In practice this means that for a parish to be vibrant, it must have active parish and pastoral councils. In addition, a parish must have well-formed and mature co-workers who assist the priest in leading catechetical schools, church brotherhoods, charitable works, youth organizations and prayer groups. One of the most important responsibilities of leadership in the parish community is discerning God’s will and searching for the best ways of implementing it in the life of the parish.

The Eastern Catholic Church can be described as both hierarchical and conciliar in that it has particular leadership roles for both clergy and laity. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic church is ‘apostolic’ in that through the guarantee of apostolic succession, we can make the claim that the teachings of the Church passed on by the Bishop, with and through the Church, are faithful and true. As such, however, it is also true in the words of Tertullian, one of the early Fathers of the Church “We Christians are forbidden to introduce anything on our own authority, or to choose what someone else introduces on his own authority. Our authorities are the Lord’s Apostles, and they in their turn choose to introduce nothing on their authority. They faithfully passed on to the nations the teachings which they had received from Christ.”

The laity is defined by the Second Vatican council as “all the faithful except those in holy orders and those in the state of religious life specially approved by the Church. These faithful are by baptism made one body with Christ and are constituted among the People of God; they are in their own way made sharers in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly functions of Christ; and they carry out for their own part the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world.”

The laity has ministry and administrative roles within the church structure and these are important and to be encouraged. However, the laity and in particular the family has a pivotal leadership role, particularly in evangelization. Simply put the family is ‘in’ the world—and as such brings Christ to the world. As such, formation and preparation to adequately fulfill those roles is critical.

Clergy and laity are called to work together in this great mission of evangelization. Bestowing the liturgy and sacraments upon the Church the clergy have a place of respect and responsibility and all ministries within the church are to work under the authority of the Pastor who bears the responsibility for unity. Likewise those who have chosen the religious or monastic life, have special charisms and gifts with which to serve and inspire the church.

In all aspects of leadership we are reminded to be authentic and honest about whom we are as church. St. John Chrysostom reminds us of the notion of our Church as where we all enter on equal footing as sinners. He wrote, “Enter into the Church and wash away your sins. For this is a hospital for sinners and not a court of law.” In the Divine Liturgy, he also refers to Jesus, as “the Physician of our Souls and Bodies”—a physician who is needed by all.

Catholic Leadership (From http://www.wakingupcatholic.com/catholic-teachings-and-topics/the-structure-of-the-catholic-church/catholic-church-leadership.html)

The Great Commission Since the beginning days of Christianity, courageous leaders have led people to Christ. Christ called on the Apostles to share His teachings with the world. In the Great Commission, He called them to this very task.

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." -Matthew 28:19-20

Their mission was set. The Lord commanded them to share the Gospel. He commanded them to go and baptize the nations. They were given the task of teaching His message and making disciples. That was not simply something that He wanted the first century Church fathers to carry out. That same command is just as true today as it was 2000 years ago. It applies to all of us. Some choose to devote their life to this mission, and they represent the leaders of the Church.

Some Give It All The Great Commission challenges us to share our faith with the world. There are men and women who feel called to do more. These men and women give up virtually everything to live a life devoted to God. They become our priests, nuns, and other religious leaders. They take vows of chastity and poverty. Their lives are no longer their own. Their lives belong to Christ.

The leaders of our Church go through rigorous training. Years in the seminary ensure that they have the training, knowledge, and skills needed to be leaders of the Church. They serve in various positions, and they are groomed to grow to greater positions. As they grow in faith, their position within the Church continues to elevate.

The Structure of the Church Seminarians become priests. Priests become bishops. Bishops can become the next Pope. Bishops can also serve as Archbishops (in charge of an Archdiocese) and Cardinals (advisors to the Pope). Attempting to figure out the hierarchy of the Church can be dizzying. In such a large organization, there will undoubtedly be a number of layers.

In the end, there is one thing that matters; we must trust that God has chosen our leaders for a reason. They are all men devoted to their faith and to the Catholic Church. They are dedicated to living out the Great Commission in their daily lives. It takes a special person to choose a life of chastity and poverty. Without them, the Church would not function as it does today. Few organizations would survive without someone standing up to take the lead. These brave few were willing to give up the luxuries of this world to lead us to a better life. May God bless them for that.

We Must Follow Our leaders were willing to give up everything. The task before them is great. We have but one mission: to follow our leaders. They might not always get it right, but we must follow. We may not agree with everything they say, but we must follow. At times, they may even fail us, but we must follow. In the end, they are human, just like you and me. They are going to make mistakes. When they succeed, we can share in their successes. When they fail, we need to be there to life them up. We need our leaders, and they need us.

Leadership and Family Faith Formation: Every step in our journey in faith brings us closer to Christ—even small changes can make a big difference. Begin your plan to build your ‘domestic church with this self-assessment:

1. As parents we try to model ‘joy’ in the gospel of Jesus Christ, as God’s ‘total ‘gift to us, which calls forth our ‘total’ gift of ourselves to God. a. never b. rarely c. sometimes d. frequently

2. We work to build relationships in our Church community, so that our family will grow with many faith-filled mentors and guides. a. never b. rarely c. sometimes d. frequently

3. We offer our gifts to the Church of ‘time, treasure and talent’ and expect our children will do the same. a. never b. rarely c. sometimes d. frequently

4. We look to the Church as a source of growth in virtue so that we may become more Christ-like. a. never b. rarely c. sometimes d. frequently