Standing Together for the Common Good

Moses' hands, however, grew tired; so they put a rock in place for him to sit on. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

What stays with me from this Sunday’s readings is the image of Aaron and Hur supporting Moses. I can’t get down with the violence in the rest of the passage, but I love this illustration of mutual support. Moses holds up the staff, ignoring his own discomfort, in order to serve his community. He’s human, though, and his strength is limited, so when trusted members of his community step in to support him, he accepts their help. This is what leadership looks like.

I’ve been reflecting a lot on leadership lately, maybe because we’re in election season, or maybe because following the real politics of our day feels a lot like watching Scandal. It’s easy to forget that leadership is meant to serve the common good. It’s not a popularity contest or a competition for power. It’s about using one’s gifts in service of the whole community. I wish I saw more of that kind of leadership at the national level and more political ads talking about the common good too. On the other hand, there are leaders who are intentional about serving their communities. I can think of leaders in my city and my neighborhood like that. I have a pastor like that. In religious life, in my community and in others too, we have leaders like that.

My community elected a leadership team this past summer. Our nominees didn’t campaign, and there were definitely no political ads. Rather, we discerned communally, considering how we are as a congregation now, realities in our society and Church, gifts we need in our leaders at this time, and who among our sisters may have those gifts. This discernment process took the better part of a year. It was an ongoing conversation with each other and with God. When we finally did the balloting, we did so in the context of prayer, trusting God’s Providence to guide us. Our process wasn’t perfect; after all, we brought our human selves to it, and we’re not perfect. However, what I noticed through the whole thing was our openness to the Spirit, our seeking God’s will, and our desire for the common good, both within and outside of our community. As a result, we elected a team of sisters who use their gifts for the good of our community. And I believe that each time we’ve had elections over the years, we’ve been gifted with the leaders we needed in that particular moment. God has taken good care of us. So have our leaders.

What would it be like if our civic election process invited this much discernment, and what if our candidates focused more on serving the common good? I’m not saying that everyone should be like nuns. Although that might not be a bad thing . . . 😉

No, what I am saying is that I wish our civic leadership would look to the good of the whole, including the most vulnerable, and I wish that we as citizens would reflect more often on our part in bringing about the common good. Our leaders don’t bear the burden of everything themselves. Part of membership is serving our communities too. Part of what that means is voting with an eye on the common good, as well as engagement with leaders once we elect them. Sometimes we affirm, and sometimes we challenge, calling them out or calling them in, as the case may be. And, like Moses, our leaders have to give us room to step in and participate. In religious life, we can’t expect the sisters we elect to bear all the responsibility; each of us is responsible for the good of the community. The same is true of neighborhoods, cities, churches, and countries.

We’re standing together in community, members and leaders. I continue to hold the image of Moses and Aaron and Hur in the forefront of my mind. They’re a team, holding the staff and keeping it steady till sunset, on mission together, serving the community.

My community — members and leaders together!

By Sister Leslie Keener, CDP

Sister Leslie Keener, CDP is the director of God Space, a community-building spirituality ministry in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. She’s a Sister of Divine Providence with a Masters in Ministry and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction and Retreats from Creighton University. She directs retreats, meets with people for spiritual direction, and serves as the vocation director for her community. She also serves on the Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International. She enjoys music, meaningful conversations, dancing — and Theology on Tap!