Surrendering Leadership

Francis wished to remain in perfect humility and subjection to his death.  So, some time before his death, he said to the Minister-General, “I wish that you would place your rule over me to one of my brothers, to whom I may do obedience in your place.  In this way I might obtain the merit of obedience that I desire in life and it would remain for me in death.” So from that time forward he had one of his brothers as a warden, whom he obeyed instead of the Minister-General. 

            At one time he said to his brothers, “The Lord has granted me this grace amidst all the others—to obey as diligently the novice who enters the Order today, if he were assigned to me for a Warden, as he who is foremost and ancient in life and in the Order.  For a subject should not look upon his superior as a man, but as God for whose love he is subject to him.”  Later he said, “There is no prelate in the whole world who is to much feared as the Lord would make me to be feared, if I so wished it, by my brethren.  But the Lord has granted me this grace, that I wish to be content with all, as he that is lease in the Order.”

                        -Mirror of Perfection Section IV, Chapter 46

Of all things that Francis did, I find this to be the most amazing.  Francis surrendered his leadership of the order he founded, and the vision he developed, to another and chose to put himself under the orders of another. 

It is natural for people to want to retain what they have received.  If they have gained a regular benefit—even at the generous hand of another—they will be angry if that benefit is taken away, for it feels like an injustice to them.  If we have obtained a certain amount of power, we want to keep that power long after the retaining of it has helped others.  Francis’ humility was such that not only did he surrender leadership, but he moved his position from one of authority to one of complete subservience.  Unbelieveable.

                                                                                                                                                            

And yet, this is the kind of leadership Jesus’ requires.  “The elder shall serve the younger.”  Jesus commands His leaders to undertake whatever sacrifice necessary to act for the benefit of all.  Sometimes this will mean making commands.  Sometimes this will mean receiving commands from those underneath.  Only God can grant us the grace to do either, and to give us the wisdom to know when one should be done or the other.