Apostolic messiness

Following my doctorate in educational leadership, I said, “Good leadership is messy.”

Prior to that, I believed good leadership was tidy, systematic and eloquent. We are often challenged by the reality of the messiness of life, and we attempt to clean it up anywhere we find disorder. And yet, the muddle is often a significant aspect of the process of growth.

We know that God created order out of chaos, not once, but twice. The first two chapters of Genesis explain how God took the dishevelment he found on Earth and put it in right order.

We know families work better when there is good structure in the home and children and adolescents know what is expected of them and their compliance is part of this expectation. In their acquiescence, young people learn discipline, which then helps them manage their adult lives.

What do we do with the “apostolic messiness” described by Msgr. James Shea in his book “From Christendom to Apostolic Mission”? He writes, “when there is genuine conversion taking place, and especially when it touches the young, there is excitement, a sense of growth, and an immediacy of the power of the Gospel” (p. 59). He explains the Church must be prepared for this kind of “energetic messiness” if it wants to remain relevant and real in this culture.

Engaging in apostolic messiness is risky because we usually do not know what will be required of us. Especially if we prefer order to disorder, it may cause us to hesitate to engage. And yet, the Gospel is all about the engagement between Jesus and people who are hurting and in need of his gentle, healing touch. He did not back away but rather stepped into the complexity of the situation before him. His authentic, genuine, trustworthy demeanor drew thousands to him and frightened others into seclusion. His ministry entered into the messy.

Finding the enigmatic middle, between the messiness and the orderliness, is the key. Too much of one, at the expense of the other, leaves us either ungrounded and we have no focus, or so static that we crumble. We must be light on our feet if we are to be workers for Christ. We must be ready to act in the moment, as his hands and feet, engaging the culture with his love and compassion. This requires that our lives are rightly ordered, and we have space to see and care about the needs of others. We cannot be distracted by sin if we hope to be used by Christ.

ACTION STRATEGIES

• Open yourself to messiness this month. Allow yourself to let go of control a bit and see how God will work through you to help others.
• Take part in the sacraments this month. These are fundamental aspects of our Catholic faith and gifts to us.

All disciples of Christ are called to sacramental living. We must live true to our baptism and become messengers for Christ. We must engage in the sacrament of reconciliation and allow God to heal our souls. We must participate in the Eucharist and become who we are called to be, as St. Teresa of Avila put it, the hands and feet of Christ on Earth. We must live out our confirmation as soldiers for Christ. If we are called to the priesthood or to marriage, we must live out that commitment faithfully each day. And we will be joyful to receive the sacrament of anointing of the sick at our death.

Good leadership is messy. There must also be order, but if there is no messiness, there is often no space for the authenticity of Jesus’ miraculous touch in our lives. We will miss his perfect presence as we are attempting to make our situation pristine. Practice messiness this month and see how God can use you to further his kingdom on the Earth! In this Jubilee Year, we are called to return to our Catholic Christian roots with fervor and enthusiasm, which will allow God to work through us in miraculous ways.

Soucheray is a licensed marriage and family therapist emeritus and a member of St. Ambrose in Woodbury.