A good king seeks to unite his people, knowing that there is strength in togetherness. When united, a community can resist external threats and achieve great progress. This is a wisdom we also see in nature-among ants, bees, turkeys, and buffaloes-who survive and thrive through cooperation and solidarity.
In contrast, a bad leader focuses solely on personal gain. Anything that does not serve their interest is seen as a threat, even if it benefits the group. Such self-centered leadership is destructive.
Among the Igala people of Nigeria, there is a touching story of Princess Inikpi, the daughter of the Attah of Igala. She was a selfless young woman who offered herself in sacrifice to save her people from an impending Fulani invasion. Though her father, the Attah, was initially unwilling to let her go, he eventually consented for the sake of the kingdom’s survival.
According to legend, after her sacrifice, smoke rose from her body and enveloped the entire Igala land. When the Fulani warriors arrived, they believed the kingdom was already destroyed by fire, and so they turned back. Her heroic act preserved her people.
In the Gospel of John (11:52), we see a similar spirit in Jesus Christ, who, even at the risk of his life, worked to gather into one the scattered children of God. And in the first reading, God the Father speaks through the prophet Ezekiel of his desire to reunite his people:
“Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone… and I will make them one nation… they shall no longer be two nations or divided into two kingdoms.” (Ezekiel 37:21-22)
Dear friends in Christ, let us look around and ask: are our leaders working to unite us or divide us? If they are not gathering us together, then we, like our Lord Jesus Christ, must take up the mission ourselves-to work for the good of others.
May Jesus Christ grant us the grace, courage, and wisdom to do so.
Amen. Shalom!
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