Dare Great Things For Christ

By our baptism we are called to lead. We are called to bring the influence of Christ into our families, into our relationships, and into our world. But in what does this leadership principally consist - especially for those of us who have been entrusted with communities, in our families, in our businesses, what are we supposed to do? St. Thomas Aquinas offers us concise and insightful guidance in his work, De Regno, On The King, his letter to the King of Cyprus.

When all things are said and done, the goal of leadership ought to be simple. Thomas Aquinas provides us with a wonderful summary in chapter sixteen of his work, On The King, he gives us a final goal - three things. By focusing on these three things we can find the direction we need as we apply leadership to our home, our business, and our world.

In business as in life, success is largely a function of focus. Knowing what our priorities are allows us to hit them correctly allows us to be successful. What’s the proper focus for leadership? What is it supposed to be all about? Aquinas’ De Regno, offers us an amazing lesson in leadership, allowing us to see that the true end goal of leadership is in the ultimate perfection of those that we lead.

We all know the temptation to glory, power, and fame. We all know the power of its allure and how desirable it seems to be. So what’s the downside? If in fact we don’t live as soldiers of Christ and followers of the King of Kings but become tyrants ourselves, benefitting ourselves at the expense of our flock, what’s the downside? What could possible go wrong? Listen in to my commentary on chapters 10 and 11 of Thomas Aquinas’ De Regno.

Choosing to lead is choosing a kind of solitude, a way of life that few people understand. Leadership has its own crosses and its own blessings, and its own rewards. St. Thomas Aquinas in his book, De Regno, in chapter 10, lays out for us the uncommon rewards for the uncommon sacrifices that a leader has to endure for the sake of God.

For all the effort that goes into leadership what shall be our reward? Afterall considering all the things that we sacrifice and do in order to make great things happen, what does God have laid up for us who have labored so hard for Him? Is it earthly glory? Is it power and prestige? What should it be? St. Thomas Aquinas offers us an amazing insight in his letter, De Regno.

In Chapter 9 of De Regno, Thomas Aquinas makes a startling discovery. He speaks about the reward that God is offering for the leader. And he ends by saying that the reward of the leader is to have God himself. This strikes me as important for us to understand the true nature of happiness – the true reason of why we are doing what we are doing.

Without a doubt our life as leaders can propose challenges. And yet, what is its reward? What are we in this for after all? And as a Christian leader, what is it proper to be in it for? What is the proper reward for a follower of Christ who takes upon himself or herself the mantle of leadership? Is it right to look for anything at all? What does our Lord teach us about leadership and its rewards?

Everybody is tempted sometimes to question the value of leading by virtue. Afterall, wouldn’t we make more money, be more profitable, find power quicker by mitigating our leadership into a life of power seeking or pleasure seeking? Sometimes it seems like people who don’t follow God’s law even flourish the quicker. Thomas Aquinas gives us a different perspective and underlines the essential importance that virtue plays in leadership.

When I first began these leadership lessons on De Regno by Aquinas, I never anticipated finding some of the greatest jewels about leadership in the chapter on tyranny. But in fact, that is just what happened. Sometimes you see most clearly what a thing is by looking at it’s opposite. And Aquinas shows us most clearly what good Christian leadership looks like by looking at it’s opposition - tyranny.

In today’s world it can be very confusing to figure out exactly what it is we’re supposed to do as leaders. Many people will have many opinions. Leaders bringing concord, leaders charging from the front, leaders supporting all with compassion. St. Thomas Aquinas actually has a very clear vision for leaders. He calls it unity. But what exactly does he mean?

We all know that leaders have authority and that that authority has an impact on those that they lead. But the question is, “How does that leader make that authority felt with strength while at the same time effectively build up the people that are under him with gentleness?” In his work, De Regno, written to the King of Cyprus, St. Thomas Aquinas offers a valuable lesson on this subject.

The work of St. Thomas Aquinas remains at the center of Catholic tradition. In his many writings Thomas treats of leadership in many different ways. But nowhere is his treatment as concise or condensed as in his letter to the King of Cyprus in his book De Regno. I’d like to continue lessons that I’ve given on this book about leadership. This is lesson number two on Leaders of the Common Good.

St. Thomas Aquinas is one of the greatest minds in the history of the world. He wrote about authority and leadership in many different ways and in many places. Today, I’d like to begin a series studying his thoughts on leadership and the impact that that can make directly on our modern-day leaders. Join me on this exciting adventure as we begin a ten part series on the leadership lessons of Aquinas.

Leaders lead in their own way. Saints are the same. Although most of us have preconceptions about Saints, describing them in terms of prayer and piety, Pier Giorgio Frassati shows us a different look. He was full of life, energy, and activism. He was a courageous leader for his age, his peers, and for us today.

I’d like to tell you of St. Margaret Clitherow, the patron saint of Catholic businesswomen and entrepreneurs. This incredible woman left a legacy of courage as she gave up her life harboring priests and inspired her children to dedicating their lives to God as well. Listen in to this amazing tale of leadership from the inside.

When most people speak about leadership today, they mean it in the context of business. And there are ample examples of great leadership in the world of business, and ample examples of Catholics who have typified that same leadership in the world of business. But I’d like to focus us today on the reflection of a great Saint who was not a business leader but in fact the Pope, Pope St. John Paul II, and see how his life teaches us about Catholic leadership.

Today, leadership requires courage. In times like ours it’s easier to stop rather than to keep going. But what’s the secret to courage? In the lives of the saints we find many examples of courageous leadership. But in the life of St. Stanislaus, Bishop of Krakow, there is a special lesson that speaks to each one of us: the strength of consistent integrity.

I think that most of us feel that when you do something heroic you should be recognized for it. Almost like, “Good heroes usually win.” In the story of St. John Bosco, however, this was not the case. He had to defend himself, work hard, be under appreciated, and make his case boldly in a situation where people did not believe in him, or make it easy for him. His is a story of true heroism.

Courageous leadership requires courageous leaders. And that’s what we find in the lives of many Saints, but few saints excel in the areas of zeal and apostolic labors like Saint Junipero Serra. I’d like to look at his life in particular because it reminds us of the urgency to both spread the Gospel and the willingness to lay down our lives in order to make this happen. Obviously this is something that we can apply to all the calls of God in our lives.

All of us are inspired by the lives of Saints. I think it is important that we remember, though, that Saints come in all different stripes. Some are poor and destitute and others come from lives of affluence. What makes Saints great is not their background but how they use it for the love of God. In today’s Saint, St. Catherine Drexel we learn the surprising story of a young woman of wealth who becomes holy for others.

When you read the lives of the Saints you can get the impression that things were pretty easy for them. Afterall, they’re the Saints! It looks like their lives just kind of roll along and they do wonderful things for God. A far cry from what we have to go through. When you read the life of Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini that impression can change. This was a woman of terrific courage who faced amazing hardships and endured.

Heroes come in all sizes and stripes. We are well versed in the lives of heroic priests and bishops in the Catholic church. But not many of realize the heroism intrinsic in America women saints. One of the most amazing of them is St. Marianne Cope. I want to tell you about her life and her example of courageous leadership.

Fr. Nathan's series on courageous leaders to inspire us during difficult times! Part 1 discusses the courage of St. Damien of Molokai.

There are many things that make us stop as leaders. Things that keep us from doing that job that we’re here to do. One of those biggest things is our fear of death. How amazing then to follow Jesus Christ who came in order to die and to save us through His death. What lessons does that hold for you and me today

I think all of us agree that preaching the Gospel is a good thing. I think all of us actually understand that that forms the heart of our faith. But I don’ think all of us understand how we who are engaged in the world in secular business and in professions can actually be expected to preach the Gospel. What does it look like for a Catholic business leader or professional to preach the Gospel?

It goes without saying that leadership’s greatest problem doesn’t come from outside conditions but rather from working with people. From ourselves and our own inadequacies to the various ways that the people we work with can perform well – or not. If we could learn how to master the human heart, then everything else would fall into place. The good news is that’s exactly what Christ came to do.

Most people dread conflict. It’s a simple fact. In the life of a leader, however, conflict is necessary. As a matter of fact many leadership organizational models teach you to mine for conflict – try to find it out and flush it out. But is this really the role that Christ wants us to play as Christians? When can conflict be healthy? When is it to be avoided at all costs? What does Christ have to say about this?

Of all the sayings of Christ, His prohibition against judgement is one that has perplexed many for a long time. Judging essential for leadership. It is essential for living. Then why would Christ forbid it? What does this mean for us today?

For many Christians today, obedience is one of the hardest things to master. Afterall, what exactly is its value? Why should we try and inculcate a spirit of obedience? How do we keep from being obedient and servile at the same time? Christ speaks in John 6 of how He came to do the will of the Father and how this will of the Father is a good thing. Let’s listen to His word.

Christians are called to live the life of Christ on Earth and to continue his saving mission in their businesses, in their families, and in their communities. Christ’s mission as he puts it in John 10 is to come to bring us life and in fact and abundant life. How do we implement that in our families, in our businesses, and in our world?

Christianity means that we belong to Christ as members of His body and that means that we extend his mission through our own body, our own space, and time. What is the mission of Christ. One of the reasons He says He came to this world was to seek and to save what is lost. If we are to be faithful to our mission we need to do the same.

Serving others is a bit of a paradox. To some it is an exaggerated title of glory, to others it is the worst of things – being demoted in the eyes of others. What does it mean to serve as a Christian? How did our Lord serve us? If we understand how Christ served us we can find the dignity in serving others.

We all know that Christianity is a religion of peace. We long for that peace and we long to bring that peace to the world. What then could Our Lords have meant when he spoke in Matthew 10:25 of His mission to bring a sword? What does that mean for you and I in our own Christian lives? How is it that our leadership brings both peace and a sword?

We’re looking at the moments when our Lord reveals what His mission is. By seeing His mission we better understand our own. In John 18:33-38, our Lord speaks with Pontius Pilate about His mission.

Everybody wants to be authentic, but are we willing to pay the price? What does authenticity really look like from leadership today? Will people even respect it? In the fourth of our series on the speeches of St. Paul in the Acts of The Apostles, we look at St. Paul’s speech in Jerusalem before the crowd that will eventually imprison him. It is a speech in which he bears witness to the truth of his faith.

To know our mission as leaders we need to understand the mission of Christ. To know Christ’s mission we have no better place to look that sacred scripture where He tells us why He came to this Earth. In this first of our series I look at His proclamation that He came to cast a fire on this Earth.

The secret of every great leader lies in their heart. St. Paul shows us what is in his heart during four great speeches that he gives throughout the Acts of The Apostles. Let’s listen to the speech he gives in front of the Areopagus in Athens and hear more of the heart of this great leader.

There’s no better way to know about a leader than to listen them give their witness. In Acts 26, St. Paul gives the witness of why he does what he does and why he does it the way he does. Let’s listen in and hear the lessons that St. Paul can teach us about our own leadership.

When it comes to leadership, few Apostles could match the leadership of St. Paul. Where do we see that leadership? In his actions, obviously, in his choices, but nowhere more clearly than when he shows his heart in his speeches. I’d like to begin this first of four treatments of the speeches of Paul in Acts of The Apostles – speeches that gives us a window into the heart of his leadership.

If I were to take a poll, most of my listeners would say they want inner peace. Being aligned from the inside to the outside - from your motivations to your actions – it’s truly one of the great keys to success. St. Paul shows us a very special way to find the inner peace and I would like to share that with you today.

Many books have been written about leadership, looking to know what it is. The Bible has its own opinion. For St. Paul, leadership comes from the inside and is destined to changing the inside of those who listen. This idea of leadership is revolutionary for how we conduct ourselves in our own world and sphere of influence.

For many Christians business is a challenge. After all it is about making a profit. It’s driven by coefficients of productivity and therefore moves much more according to justice than to mercy. And yet at the same time business is an essential part of life as is the world of work. How did St. Paul interrelate with the world of business and what does that teach us about our own way of looking at it?

We’ve been looking at St. Paul‘s life and the lessons his life gives us about leadership for some time. But now we need to speak about what’s at the heart of his leadership. The heart of his leadership is Jesus and his relationship with Him.

None of us like conflict. And to be honest a lot of see conflict as a sign of failure. When we read the life of St. Paul, however, we see him constantly in conflict and sometimes in very violent situations. How did he handle it? What is God asking of us?

Anyone involved in sales knows that the customer is always right. If this is the case then why did St. Paul seem to bother his customers so profoundly and irk them so regularly? What was it that St. Paul was proposing that was so earth shattering to his customers?

Leading our families and leading our businesses entails taking our people to places that are new. When we do that conflict almost always ensues. New ideas, new relationships force us to confront old ways of thinking and bring about change. A lot of people don’t like that. St. Paul the apostle also dealt with conflict – and here is how he overcame it.

I don’t think any of us have any doubt that leadership can be lonely. It’s like they say, “It’s lonely at the top.” St. Paul knew this from the inside and at times in his writings even mentions how hard it was for him to be alone. And at the same time St. Paul cultivated friendships and had deep and profound relationships. This becomes a model for us – the lonely, befriended leader.

Nobody doubts that leadership can be lonely at times. And yet even the greatest of leaders had friends. In the story of St. Paul and his leadership in Acts, St. Barnabas plays an essential role. Why would God have wanted St. Paul to have a friend like St. Barnabas? What role does God want our friendships to play in our lives as leaders?

All of us like to lead when we know what we are doing. But when foundations are shaken or assumptions that we hold are questioned, it can be difficult and challenging to persevere in leadership. St. Paul had the same challenge. In today’s talk I would like to examine with you how we can persevere in leadership even in uncertain times.