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Jesus
answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground
and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces
much fruit."
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When
Coach Jack Lengyel took the job of head coach of the new Thundering
Herd of Marshall University, he knew that "winning" was out of the
question. All he wanted to do was set a foundation. At the beginning of
the season,
he led his team to the cemetery in which the bodies of their fellow
players were buried. He said, "One day, not today, not tomorrow, not
this season, probably not next season either, but one day, you and I
are gonna wake up and suddenly we're gonna be like every other team in
every other sport where winning is everything and nothing else matters.
And when that day comes, well, that's when we'll honor them." The honor
would return to Marshall University as the movie shows, and the men
responsible for it should be remembered for all time because of what
they accomplished. They should be remembered not only for beginning the
football program of Marshall University again, but for the selfless
leadership they showed in doing things for the future of others when
they themselves would not enjoy the final glory.
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Jesus
knew the meaning of sacrifice. He knew that if he was to accomplish
what he wanted for the people of the world, he would have to die to
bring it about. It would be difficult, of course, and there would be
the obvious pain, but he understood that it had to be done. As a man,
he would not see the consequences, but he would freely accept his fate
so that others could enjoy what his followers have come to call
"redemption."
Coach Jack Lengyel took the field with the conviction that he could begin a program again. He would not see any immediate result except defeat and pain. He understood well the pain of the people of Huntington, West Virginia; he knew the pain of his fellow coach, Red Dawson, who had been part of the original coaching staff, but had not been on the ill-fated plane trip. He probably knew that some people connected with the tragedy never would grow out of the pain. But he saw the possibility. He saw that "redemption" could be a result of his conviction, and he set out to do it no matter what it would cost him. One of the marks of leadership is the ability to see the possibility. Leaders will recognize all of the pain and even that they may never see the immediate consequences of their actions, but they will do it anyway. They see what could happen and they allow such a vision to direct their efforts. Any leadership must be selfless leadership because the leader must never care about the praise or the immediate result of success; he/she will only care about the good that can be accomplished. |
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THOUGHT
What
is your definition of "selfless leadership"?
PRAYER Good
and gracious God, your Son redeemed us. He gave us the chance to have
eternal life. As he accomplished it, he understood what had to be done,
and he went about it with conviction. May we be thankful, but may we
also learn the qualities of his leadership. Be with us, we pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |