Steward Leadership

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Fr. Rich Gomez's homily last Sunday, 14 June 2015, reminded me about servant leadership. At one point he emphasized the significance of having a conscious choice to serve the highest priority needs of the people with the natural desire to serve first. As he went on talking about how we supposedly live by being servant leaders in the present time, he showed us grim images of the outcome. Photos of devastations, effects of climate change, extreme dependence to non-renewable energy sources, animal extinctions and natural calamities aftermath flashed on the screen. The images were quite dismal, for a time I got upset, but then I realized, my fixation to gadgets and latest technology was not necessarily making things any better. 

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What does it really mean to be stewards of God's creation? To be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth and subdue it. To have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that move upon the earth? Are we truly living up by the image and likeness of God? In search for answers, I came across another leadership model called steward leadership. I believe that this model encompasses the best concepts of servant leadership and best addresses the unique aspects of nonprofit leadership. It could be a good exercise of good governance and accountability, as it requires all of us to anticipate changes that could affect the environment, economy and the well being of the community. 

The environmental problems Fr. Rich presented were real and are big issues that could not be handled alone. We need one another in the same manner as the environment needs us. We are no longer being called to simply serve and lead but also take into consideration our role and responsibility to God, our creator. We are merely caretakers of God's universe hence we have to be fully aware of our true purpose and duty. The homily was a wake up call for everyone to mitigate the impacts of resource management. In today's world dominated by scientific breakthrough, we are all accountable to each other and to the future generation.

Source: www.johnfharrisministries.org

*This was my reflection on the Homily delivered by Fr. Rich Gomez last June 14, 2015 at Feast Greenhills. Please visit www.feastgreenhills.com to know more about the Feast, the happiest place on earth.