Leadership and the Common Good: Insights from Ezekiel
August 21, 2024 - Wednesday, Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope
Ezekiel 34:1-11
The shepherds of Judea were tough men, protecting their flocks from wild animals and thieves. Three qualities characterized these shepherds: constant vigilance, fearless courage, and patient love for the flock. There are stories where the ancient shepherds of Judea gave their lives for their flocks while defending their sheep from robbers. Since Moses' time, the image of the shepherd was applied to the leaders of Israel. Unfortunately, unlike Moses and the shepherds of Judea, most of Israel's kings failed miserably in carrying out their responsibility of shepherding the citizens of their country.
Ezekiel, like other prophets, blames Israel's leadership for the national disasters that befell the nation. This was later echoed in the Gospels when the Jewish leadership chose Barabbas over Jesus, opting for a national uprising against the Romans over love and nonviolence. Whether it was a revolt against Babylonian or Roman rule, the outcomes were similar: the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, the loss of innocent lives, and exile.
But Ezekiel also highlights the social failures of Israel's leadership. The shepherds failed to care for the people by enriching themselves and not paying attention to the needs of ordinary citizens. In the social teaching of the Catholic Church, there is a concept known as the common good. It refers to conditions in society that enable individual people and communities to live dignified lives. It includes three essential components: respect for the person, social well-being and development of the group, and peace (see CCC, 1907-1909). Unfortunately, all three components were missing from Jewish society at the time of the prophets, leading to the national disasters of 721 BC (the fall of Samaria) and 586 BC (the fall of Jerusalem).
The concept of the common good is not confined to a nation-state. Long before the idea of the nation-state emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries and began to dominate our thinking, the Church had existed for nearly two millennia and taught the concept of the common good embracing the whole world and every person within it. Unfortunately, the notion of the nation-state often leads to nationalism that misunderstands the concept of the common good by turning it into a selfish good. Thus, we live in a world where a few powerful and rich nations dominate others and set up rules that prevent the implementation of the common good for everyone.
Globalization has made us realize what is, in fact, obvious: as people of different cultures, races, and languages, we are one big family. Before we divide ourselves into various religious affiliations, different ethnic groups, and national identities, we must realize that first and foremost, we are all human beings created in God's image, possessing equal dignity and rights. Thus, the Church also speaks about a universal common good, in which respect for the person, social well-being, the development of different communities, and peace apply to every person living and yet to live on planet Earth.
To make this universal common good a reality, we need good shepherds who do not think about their interests but about the good of the sheep they have been chosen to pasture.