Recently I had a chance to reconnect with a college friend. We can easily pick up where we leave off, even though we rarely see each other. Our friendship has not always been this way, though. During college we were student leaders of our campus ministry student association. I was the president, and she, the vice president. During that year I would often run into our campus minister, and decisions were typically made without input from my friend.
One day, my friend had enough courage to confront me. I had mistaken her negativity for little or no interest in our programming. In reality she felt slighted and questioned her role in the group. After many tears and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, our friendship deepened. I came to understand that leadership is more about being one with our peers, and less about being right. I learned about humility that day.
In today’s reading Paul tells of his own lesson in humility. Once a persecutor of Christians, he now found himself among them. His self worth was no longer through upholding the religious law or associating with the right people. It was through the love and always forgiving Christ.
—JoEllen Windau-Cattapan is the Atlanta area director for the Contemplative Leaders in Action, a program of the Office of Ignatian Spirituality, USA Northeast Province.