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Whoever wishes to be great

(Mt 20:26)

           When the Blessed Virgin appeared to Sister Catherine Laboure of the Daughters of Charity in 1830 and asked her to have a medal struck which later became known as the Miraculous Medal, she instructed her not to tell anyone about it except her confessor Father Aladel. Without revealing the source, Father Aladel discussed this subject with Archbishop de Quelan of Paris who authorized the medal to be struck and widely distributed. For the remaining years of her life, Sister Catherine kept this secret to herself and revealed it to her Superior only just before her death in 1876.

            For forty-six years, despite the extraordinary privilege she received from the Blessed Virgin, Sister Catherine lived a life of complete obscurity. Shortly after the apparitions, she was assigned to the Hospice d'Enghien where she served, first as a cook, then as a laundress, and for forty years until her death, as a nursemaid taking care of sick, old men who were inmates of the hospice. Sister Catherine never occupied a position of authority in her community. She just prayed, she obeyed, she served, and she submitted without comment.

            Pope Pius XI beatified St. Catherine in 1933 and Pope Pius XII raised her to the honors of the altar in 1947 and named her as the Saint of Silence. Her incorrupt body lies beneath an altar built on the spot where a century earlier the Blessed Virgin appeared to her with the message: Have a medal struck after this model. All who wear it will receive great graces; they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound for those who wear it with confidence.

            The life of St. Catherine is one of obedience to the teaching of Jesus: Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many (Mt 20:26-28). Notwithstanding the special gifts given to her by God, she never aspired for any position of authority in her community. She never even gave any thought to aiming to become the Superior of the Daughters of Charity.

            In this pericope from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches his disciples the lofty ideal of service. He makes it clear that, in the community of his disciples, leadership must be modeled on the paradox of the cross. This means an inversion of all values and ambitions. While Jesus does not reject all forms of personal ambition, he however makes it very clear that the path to greatness and leadership in the community dips into the valley of humble service. Only the disciple who freely puts himself at the disposition of others, who claims no rights or existence of his own and who exists solely for others deserves a position of leadership. Only the generous denial of oneself for the sake of others, and not personal ambition, can effectively win mankind to the gospel. Any other way would be a betrayal of the gospel of Jesus. This is the most fundamental rule of order in the community of the disciples of Christ.

            Similarly, in the community of Couples for Christ there is no place for personal ambition and there can be no justification for styles and trappings and exercise of authority patterned after the powers of this world. As a community of persons and an organization composed of individuals, there is of course need for leadership and authority. There must be leaders and authority must be exercised in order to have order and discipline. The principle of authority must prevail but the manner of its exercise must be characterized as service. It is the service of setting others free to achieve their full potential in Christ. Unlike worldly leaders who are concerned with power and glory, the leaders in Couples for Christ must be concerned with service without pomp or display.     

            The Marriage Enrichment Retreat held a couple of weeks ago was our most successful retreat so far. The service team worked very hard with no pomp or display. Like true servants they just served and obeyed. They also prayed very hard. Because the team adopted a very prayerful attitude, the Lord blessed the retreat beyond expectation. But the greatest blessings must have gone to the members of the team who took care of the children because they were the “invisible” ones. Like St. Catherine, they served in silence and obscurity.  St. Augustine, who became the Bishop of Hippo and a Doctor of the Church, expressed beautifully the right attitude of one charged with leadership. He said: What I am for you terrifies me; what I am with you consoles me. For you I am a bishop, but with you I am a Christian. The former is a duty; the latter a grace. The former is a danger; the latter, salvation.

            In Couples for Christ, we are asked to heed the words of St. Augustine while following the example of St. Catherine. Like St. Augustine, we should recognize that leadership is a “duty” that is fraught with “danger”. Like St. Catherine, we should be willing to serve wherever and whenever we are called to serve.  Like St. Augustine, the call to leadership should “terrify” us. And like St. Catherine, we should welcome the call to service even as a “cook”, “laundress” or “nursemaid” as an occasion for grace and our path to salvation.    

           My brothers and sisters, if we wish to be great, we must have the wisdom and attitude of St. Augustine and the humility and obedience of St. Catherine. This may seem impossible. But with God’s grace, anything is possible!

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