Glory be to Jesus Christ!
I remember when I was young and at the orchestra for the first time being awed and amazed at the amazing music and the pomp and majesty of all the instruments playing together. It was all so magical and inspiring. The one thing that completely confused me, however, was the conductor. Why was this guy up here waving his hands around? Was he feeling the music? Couldn’t he feel it somewhere else and stop blocking the view? I really didn’t get why you need a conductor until I started singing in choirs and (very briefly) playing bass in a volunteer orchestra. It becomes very apparent very quickly that a leader is needed to keep everyone together and to keep the piece sounding as beautiful as it was meant to sound.
The conductor must turn his back to the crowd in order to conduct the orchestra. He must ignore the audience for the sake of the audience. This is what the Jewish leaders who challenge Christ in our reading today fail to do, and Christ shows them where their priorities are, in pleasing people, not in leading them. Christ, the true King of Kings shows true leadership in sacrificing Himself for the people, the same people who reject Him.
How about us brothers and sisters? Do we cling to human praise, popularity, advancement etc. at the expense of saying things which need to be said, not only out of love of God, but out of love of our neighbors?
Let us follow the True Conductor in our lives, the one who taught us that one blind man cannot lead another, and pray for the courage to continue to take our cues from Him!
Glory be to Jesus Christ!
