A few months ago we went away for the weekend to a little resort nestled in a ravine in Limpopo. It was the tail end of winter and so the chill of the early morning would bite, but this also meant watching the sun rise over the mountain, slowly pierce through the trees, stretching the first rays of the morning sun through the thick of the bush that had been in complete darkness through the night.
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| Bela Bela, 07:17 - 26 July 2025 |
This made for prayer inspired by the treasure of nature, free of the distractions and hustle of city life. The sight of the sun sparked the words of the Mass in the common Eucharistic prayer, which quotes Psalm 113:3: "From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the LORD is to be praised!" The sun rises and sets day after day without fail. As I sat there, I realised how small I was in the universe, a tiny insignificant dot at the tip of Africa in some random bush. However, at the same time, I felt so loved that in the immensity of the universe I, like every person created, am so dear to God. We are the children of God and He holds us in His loving arms as if we were His only child.
In that moment, I realised that despite all our worries and concerns, they are all insignificant. Without fail, God gives us the rising sun by allowing the earth to both rotate on its axis and orbit around the sun. That masterful design ensures the whole earth benefits equally. If we are guaranteed to receive the sun every morning, then surely God will provide us with all our needs. "Cast your cares upon the Lord, and he will take care of you" (Psalm 55:22).
When we feel overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of life, especially common as we enter the final stretch of the year, let's not be afraid to stop and find silence. This is an opportunity for us to rekindle any lost practices and devotions we may have started the year with so faithfully and now may have forgotten about, or maybe it's finding those ten minutes in your day to read a reflection or listen to a podcast, but we need to find something to recenter us on Our Lord.
Listening to the daily reflection a few weeks ago on the Hallow App, I would highly recommend it and rate it as an excellent prayer app. The daily reflection host, Jeff Cavins, gave an encouraging reflection on leadership which I want to borrow some broad ideas from.
1. Superficial leadership.
Our Lord gives us an example of superficial leadership. The Pharisees grew envious of the followers of John the Baptist. He compares the Pharisees to the Jewish children of the time who would play a game where they played the flute and the children would dance to the music played. Now Our Lord explains that the superficial leadership is like playing the flute but no one responds or follows in dance. They talked the big talk, but their actions were empty. They became hard and unrelatable to follow.
Jesus then explains that John the Baptist came as a real leader who attracted real followers, and he was accused of being possessed by a demon. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and he was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard and a friend of tax collectors and sinners. They judged Jesus and John the Baptist because their words attracted followers; they truly inspired the people through authentic leadership.
What was the difference? They did things but no one followed them. The men they were in the streets and synagogues were starkly different from the men they were in the home. It is easy to be pious in front of people, but far more difficult when we are in the quiet of our home where no one sees. Real leadership requires unity of life.
2. Good leaders are vindicated by their deeds.
When Saint John Paul II visited the youth in the Kiel Center in the USA on the night of 26 January 1999, the stadium resounded with life. He said, "Tonight the Pope belongs to you." The Pope then encouraged the youth to train themselves for devotion. Now this is where unity of life comes in: we train ourselves as good leaders by realising first that we are first and foremost a steward of God's kingdom. Everything we have, starting with our families, profession, business, relationships with others, talents, all comes from God. This places an immense responsibility on our shoulders. However, is it our responsibility to carry alone? No, because we know with a firm conviction that Our Lord promises us that His yoke is easy and His burden light.
So what is "unity of life"? The formal definition is the harmony of the supernatural self with the natural virtues on which it is built and which form its necessary foundation (Chapter 11, Immersed in God). The practical definition was lived out by St Josemaria. In the biography of encounters of his life, Blessed Alvaro del Portillo accounts that St Josemaria practiced virtues with ever-increasing heroism and lived out the virtues with sincerity. In summary, it could be said that he lived out unity of life in a way that was evident and constant.
We will probably live most of our life feeling like sainthood is something that is a stretch too far for us ordinary people. However, unity of life is motivated by the desire for us all, in our ordinary circumstances and mundane responsibilities, to find sanctity hidden in the ordinariness of life. When our days pass by feeling the same day in and day out, it can be hard to discover where sanctity can be unearthed. However, it is our intention of trying and beginning again that can make us saints. In fact, the only certainty in life is that we have all been called to be saints; it is the objective of being a Christian.
St Josemaria, like all the saints, was well aware of human shortcomings and weaknesses. He was convinced that the only true evil we suffer is sin, and that there is no remedy for sin other than God's grace and our participation in God's holiness (Chapter 11, Immersed in God).
3. Good leaders are good stewards of the kingdom.
Looking to St Josemaria and his example of unity of life, we can learn how to develop the harmony of the supernatural self with natural virtues. So what was he like that made him a great Saint of the Church?
a. He did everything with his thoughts fixed on Our Lord, offering to Him all his actions.
b. He was constantly immersed in prayer.
c. He faced situations, both ordinary and complicated ones, with serenity, decisiveness and energy.
d. He was aware of his own weaknesses but always counted on the strength of God.
e. He devoted his entire life to the mission of becoming a most faithful servant.
If we can try take our ordinary work, responsibilities, duties and do them with the presence of God, then unity of life can become a most pleasing sacrifice to Our Lord. When we do this, we take our work and transform it into prayer. Our prayer can then be united every Sunday or any time we go to Mass with the redemption of the Cross on Calvary. Our work done well can be our offering in the Mass, and in the Mass we give work done well back to God for His glory, not our own.
Our reward for fostering unity of life is we will be graced with being good leaders who are vindicated by their deeds and not their words. We will play the flute and the children will follow. We will radiate the light of Christ like those rays of light that pierce the tree tops and penetrate the darkness. As much as the sun has risen and set day after day for millions of years, our life here on earth is short. Death comes so suddenly and abruptly, and reminds us that our time here on earth is borrowed time. God has made us stewards of the talents He has given us, and that makes us leaders. Let us live life in a way worthy to be remembered for our good deeds and fruits.
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