In the Gospels, Jesus tells us that whoever wants to be a leader must be the servant, even the slave, of all (Mt 20:26-27; Mk 10:43-44; Lk 22:26).
Servant leadership requires the highest standard of behavior because it strikes at the foundation of sin, which is the human tendency to serve ourselves first rather than others. To overcome this dynamic, we must receive the grace God offers us — through prayer and the sacraments — to overcome our sin.
Second, we must cooperate with God’s grace to develop the morally excellent habits necessary to conquer sin. Overcoming the temptation to first serve ourselves involves building up key virtues. Faith, hope, love, courage, integrity, humility and more are needed to live a life of self-sacrificial leadership.
Jesus teaches us that service reaches its height when we are able to lay down our life for our friends (Jn 15:13). If we develop and practice virtue, and we truly lay down our lives for others in service, there’s no telling how many followers we will attract to the Lord and his Church.
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JOSEPH MCINERNEY is vice president of leadership and ethics education for the Knights of Columbus.








