In our churches and in our communities, we sometimes see people taking sides or factions. In some instances, a church activity, group or committee may have two or more leaders who are capable or charismatic. When this happens, there are those who may lend their support to their favourite leader, or flock to him or her because of a number of reasons. Sometimes, people do so because they think they can curry favour with the leader and gain some sort of favour or benefit from him or her. Sometimes, people are attracted to the leader’s enthusiasm, personality and so called aura of authority. But is this what Christ expects of us as his disciples? Are we not supposed to be one united body of Christ, sons and daughters of God?
In today’s reading, St. Paul admonishes us: “After all, what is Apollos and what is Paul? They are servants who brought the faith to you. Even the different ways in which they brought it were assigned to them by the Lord. I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God made things grow. Neither the planter nor the waterer matters: only God, who makes things grow. It is all one who does the planting and who does the watering, and each will duly be paid according to his share in the work. We are fellow workers with God; you are God’s farm, God’s building.” Each of us have our proper tasks and we should perform our duties as best we can, but at the end of the day, we are all fellow workers with God. We should not consider ourselves superior or greater than another, just because we have certain abilities or talents which others may not have. What matters, as St. Paul rightly reminds us, is God. Are we still insisting in being looked upon as some great or capable leader? Or have we learnt to humble ourselves to serve, not to be served?