Spiritual Leadership

I just submitted the following for our state Knights of Columbus newsletter. I hope you enjoy :)

Just after our great State Convention, I traveled south to take care of some Air Force Reserve commitments. I first traveled to Warren Robbins AFB in Georgia for a Reserve Chaplains Conference. The following two weeks I spent at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery Alabama to attend the Intermediate Chaplain Course.

One of the topics that was discussed at the chaplain school was spiritual leadership. As Knights of Columbus, spiritual leadership should be a focal point in our lives. As fathers and husbands, we often think about our leadership within the family. Many of us are our family bread winners. Those who are fathers have many times been called upon to instill discipline in their children. Yet, these are more of the signs of material leadership.

As spiritual leaders in our families and our communities, we need to be leading by example. People need to be able to look at us and see the presence of holiness. This holiness needs to be a genuine holiness, not a show for people to see. We start developing this holiness by developing our own prayer life. I remember my godfather and his attempt to grow in holiness. As his breathing problems got worse in life, and he was unable to get around like he once did, he spent hours praying the rosary at the kitchen table. He did this out of faith and was truly and inspiration to those around. This was a sign of a spiritual leader.

While we are working on our own spiritual life, what are some ways we can show our leadership? First, we can take an active role in our parishes as leaders of prayer. How many of our parishes pray the rosary before Mass? Could you help lead your parish in this prayer? How many of us could be identified as men of prayer by those who see us on the street? There are Catholic car magnets and T-shirts available to present the Catholic faith. One can find wonderful items using Google. Do we dress modestly? Do people walking into our homes immediately realize that our home is a Catholic home?

Little things like these help remind us of our role as spiritual leaders. With these reminders in our lives, we can truly transform ourselves into spiritual leaders.

Until next time, God Bless

Fr. Leo