“Compassion” by Colleen O’Sullivan
For the
lowly may be pardoned out of mercy, but the mighty shall be mightily put to the
test. For the Lord of all shows no
partiality, nor does he fear greatness, because he himself made the great as
well as the small, and he provides for all alike; but for those in power, a
rigorous scrutiny impends. (Wisdom 6:6-8)
Defend the
lowly and the fatherless; render justice to the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue
the lowly and the poor; from the hand of the wicked deliver them. (Psalm 82:3-4)
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria
and Galilee. As he was entering a village,
ten lepers met him. They stood at a
distance from him and raised their voice, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have
pity on us!" And when he saw them,
he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were going,
they were cleansed. (Luke 17:11-14)
Piety
Lord, may I be a servant to
those who regard me as their leader in any sphere of life.
Study
In our first reading today, kings are exhorted
to seek wisdom. A wise ruler doesn’t
lord it over those under him or her. A
wise ruler is one who, in the words of the psalmist, defends the lowly and the
poor and looks out for the interests of those who are orphaned. A wise ruler seeks justice for the suffering
and the down and out in society.
Maybe you’re wondering what this has to do
with us since we’ve never had a king in the United States. Even though that is the case, there’s still something
to be gained from studying this passage.
It’s a reminder that power and high position are often corrupting. They go to people’s heads. You think you know someone, and then a little
authority transforms them, and not for the better. Today’s passage from the Book of Wisdom addresses
to people who fit that description – kings.
Not just the kings of Israel, but kings everywhere. The writer accuses them of dealing arrogantly
with their subjects. They don’t try to
live according to God’s will. They don’t
even seem to realize that they are rulers only because God has put them in
positions of authority.
There is also wisdom and truth in these words
that apply to you and me. We are all
leaders in some context or another. We
may not feel particularly privileged or wealthy, but middle-class Americans look
like millionaires to people in many other parts of the world. The psalmist’s words remind us to look with eyes
of compassion upon and reach out to our needy brothers and sisters around the
globe. There is no shortage of need for
food, for clothing, for freedom, as well as for a place to call home.
Some of us are leaders in our jobs. Many of us are parents, the leaders in our
families. Some of us take the lead in
volunteer organizations.
Action
In the Gospel reading,
Jesus, the King of kings, heals ten lepers.
They were suffering, physically and socially. Their disease prohibited them from associating
with family or anyone else. They were
outcasts. Jesus didn’t ask for their ID
cards. He knew they weren’t all Jews and
he didn’t care. They were hurting
people. He took pity on them and told
them to show themselves to the priests.
As they went on their way, they realized that Jesus healed them! Jesus
is a King who knew where his power came from and felt no need to exhibit
arrogance of any sort. Compassion flowed
forth from him in the form of physical healing, which would also mean the
lepers’ restoration to the community.
If any of us are
interested in leadership, look to Jesus as the model to follow. Where are you a leader, and how Christlike is
your leadership style?
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