Br. Daniel Hansknecht, OHC
The Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, June 30, 2026
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Almighty God, whose blessed
apostles Peter and Paul glorified you by their martyrdom: Grant that your
Church, instructed by their teaching and example, and knit together in unity by
your Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ
our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.
This prayer is a collect taken from our feast day breviary, used to conclude the proper offices for the Feast of Peter and Paul. It, to my mind, pretty succinctly describes why the Church celebrates these two figures, and how we continue to benefit from hearing their stories.
As leaders and teachers, Peter and Paul guided the first Christians through the turbulent and vulnerable early years of the Church’s existence. Their words and actions, as inspired by Jesus Christ and moved by the Holy Spirit, united the new group culturally and theologically; transforming them from a local Jewish sect into an international, multi-ethnic faith which could stand firm under its own strength. Their list of accomplishments is long, and books have literally been written to tell us about their lives, but there is one quality they both share that I would like to focus on: and that is leadership. What is the nature of leadership? How is it different today from the time of Peter and Paul? What characteristics should we look for in our leaders? And how can we act as leaders within our own spheres of influence?
I would personally say that leadership requires one to wear many hats. The first of these is to fill the role of guide and decision maker. Leaders often pick the direction a group will go as they plan for the future. The second is that of a cheerleader. Especially in small groups, leaders often need to inspire confidence, boost morale, and create a sense of unity amongst those who follow them. The third is that of a role model, exemplifying the group’s culture, values, and standards for behavior. And lastly, leaders often need to wear the hat of peacemaker, whether that be external diplomacy or internal conflict resolution.
The prophet Ezekiel showcases each of these nicely when God is said to be a shepherd: God brings the sheep to green pastures, God gathers the scattered sheep and unites them as a single flock, God exemplifies justice by strengthening the weak and destroying the strong, and God resolves the sheep’s metaphorical conflicts when binding up the injured. Way to go, God! I’d vote for you.
However, this prophetic proclamation didn’t come out of blue skies. God chose to announce this role for themself precisely because we were already failing at the job. Just a few verses earlier, Ezekiel calls out the misdoings of the false shepherds:
“The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: To the shepherds—thus says the Lord God: Woe, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat; you clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatted calves, but you do not feed the sheep. You have not strengthened the weak; you have not healed the sick; you have not bound up the injured; you have not brought back the strays; you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and scattered - they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with no one to search or seek for them.” (Ezekiel 34:1-6)
To answer the question ‘How is leadership different today from the time of Peter and Paul?’, I would say: not so different. Like the famous quote from the Book of Ecclesiastes declares:
“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
Here, ‘nothing new’ describes both the needs of the people and how people act out when those needs aren’t met. As groups, protests form and revolutions are fomented. As individuals, strongmen shore up their insecurities by seeking power and unquestioned authority. Instead of false shepherds, we can call these defensive egos false leaders, and they continue to prey upon the vulnerable in our societies.
To a degree, even Paul foreshadows the present when he says, “For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but… will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires…” That sounds to me remarkably like the effects of an echo chamber; one of the modern ways information is controlled and power is clung to.
Radically different, however, is how Jesus describes leadership: “Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26). Supposedly, Robert K. Greenleaf coined the term “servant leadership” in 1970, but I think Jesus beat him to it.
Here within the Order of the Holy Cross, we recently elected a new Superior, and — a full year before the election — we began reflecting on the question of what qualities we wanted from our leadership. I’ve streamlined the list slightly for this sermon, and its contents fall largely into two categories: universal leadership attributes and religious Christian values. For the former, we wanted our Superior to be someone who is clear, consistent, calm, inclusive, organized administratively, personally integrated, trustworthy, and able to disagree with others while remaining in relationship with them. This half of the list reminds me strongly of the Scout Law.
For the latter, we wanted our Superior to be gospel grounded, open to the Spirit, a seeker of the face of God, and to have a pastoral presence. We also wished for them to cultivate ongoing formation, conversion, and kindness by sharing the spiritual riches of our theological and monastic heritage. And, for good measure, it wouldn’t hurt if their name was Jesus Christ.
All joking aside, heavy is the head which wears the crown, and this is a lot for one person to embody and live into. Jesus himself, I think, would agree with me. Simon son of John, do you love me more than these? Simon son of John, do you love me? Simon son of John, do you love me? Three times Peter is asked if he loves Jesus, and every time he says yes, Jesus then tells him where to direct that love.
This is an intentionally repetitive preamble for Peter’s call to leadership. Intentionally repetitive because loving, caring for, and leading others is an important responsibility which Jesus doesn’t want Peter to answer lightly. Nonchalance — a casual “Yeah, sure Jesus” — will only lead to broken hearts and avoidable suffering.
Of course, there are many degrees and scales to this responsibility, and many degrees to one’s success or failure in it. After all, not everyone is called to lead nations, nor is everyone bound to fail catastrophically. However, I believe that everyone has the potential to be called to care for their neighbor, to mentor the young, to speak out for the disenfranchised, or to otherwise feed the sheep in our lives. Paul solemnly urges us to also proclaim the message, teach with patience, and do the work of an evangelist. But, it should be enough that we “seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14) as the Psalmist writes.
Our Gospel concludes with one more instruction: “Follow me.” John is the only gospeler who doesn’t explicitly quote Jesus as saying, ‘take up your cross’, but given the context of Peter’s death, I would say this line means much the same. As was mentioned in our opening prayer, the martyrdom of these two saints is the culminating way in which they have impressed themselves on history. Although the cross once symbolized death, for us it symbolizes rebirth and new life. Here in the United States, we will soon be celebrating July 4th, Independence Day, which can also be said to symbolize death and rebirth for us as a nation. To conclude things today, I’ve written a short prayer.
Let us pray:
Dear God, please look over and guide all the leaders in our lives. Let them be responsible stewards for the members of their flock. May they guide us to green pastures and clean waters. May they always be sober and help us to endure suffering. We pray for the leaders of our church, the leaders of our nation, our community organizers, our soccer coaches, our schoolteachers, and everyone in between. And should we be so called, may we too live out these prayers. In the name of your son our savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
This prayer is a collect taken from our feast day breviary, used to conclude the proper offices for the Feast of Peter and Paul. It, to my mind, pretty succinctly describes why the Church celebrates these two figures, and how we continue to benefit from hearing their stories.
As leaders and teachers, Peter and Paul guided the first Christians through the turbulent and vulnerable early years of the Church’s existence. Their words and actions, as inspired by Jesus Christ and moved by the Holy Spirit, united the new group culturally and theologically; transforming them from a local Jewish sect into an international, multi-ethnic faith which could stand firm under its own strength. Their list of accomplishments is long, and books have literally been written to tell us about their lives, but there is one quality they both share that I would like to focus on: and that is leadership. What is the nature of leadership? How is it different today from the time of Peter and Paul? What characteristics should we look for in our leaders? And how can we act as leaders within our own spheres of influence?
I would personally say that leadership requires one to wear many hats. The first of these is to fill the role of guide and decision maker. Leaders often pick the direction a group will go as they plan for the future. The second is that of a cheerleader. Especially in small groups, leaders often need to inspire confidence, boost morale, and create a sense of unity amongst those who follow them. The third is that of a role model, exemplifying the group’s culture, values, and standards for behavior. And lastly, leaders often need to wear the hat of peacemaker, whether that be external diplomacy or internal conflict resolution.
The prophet Ezekiel showcases each of these nicely when God is said to be a shepherd: God brings the sheep to green pastures, God gathers the scattered sheep and unites them as a single flock, God exemplifies justice by strengthening the weak and destroying the strong, and God resolves the sheep’s metaphorical conflicts when binding up the injured. Way to go, God! I’d vote for you.
However, this prophetic proclamation didn’t come out of blue skies. God chose to announce this role for themself precisely because we were already failing at the job. Just a few verses earlier, Ezekiel calls out the misdoings of the false shepherds:
“The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: To the shepherds—thus says the Lord God: Woe, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat; you clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatted calves, but you do not feed the sheep. You have not strengthened the weak; you have not healed the sick; you have not bound up the injured; you have not brought back the strays; you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and scattered - they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with no one to search or seek for them.” (Ezekiel 34:1-6)
To answer the question ‘How is leadership different today from the time of Peter and Paul?’, I would say: not so different. Like the famous quote from the Book of Ecclesiastes declares:
“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
Here, ‘nothing new’ describes both the needs of the people and how people act out when those needs aren’t met. As groups, protests form and revolutions are fomented. As individuals, strongmen shore up their insecurities by seeking power and unquestioned authority. Instead of false shepherds, we can call these defensive egos false leaders, and they continue to prey upon the vulnerable in our societies.
To a degree, even Paul foreshadows the present when he says, “For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but… will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires…” That sounds to me remarkably like the effects of an echo chamber; one of the modern ways information is controlled and power is clung to.
Radically different, however, is how Jesus describes leadership: “Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26). Supposedly, Robert K. Greenleaf coined the term “servant leadership” in 1970, but I think Jesus beat him to it.
Here within the Order of the Holy Cross, we recently elected a new Superior, and — a full year before the election — we began reflecting on the question of what qualities we wanted from our leadership. I’ve streamlined the list slightly for this sermon, and its contents fall largely into two categories: universal leadership attributes and religious Christian values. For the former, we wanted our Superior to be someone who is clear, consistent, calm, inclusive, organized administratively, personally integrated, trustworthy, and able to disagree with others while remaining in relationship with them. This half of the list reminds me strongly of the Scout Law.
For the latter, we wanted our Superior to be gospel grounded, open to the Spirit, a seeker of the face of God, and to have a pastoral presence. We also wished for them to cultivate ongoing formation, conversion, and kindness by sharing the spiritual riches of our theological and monastic heritage. And, for good measure, it wouldn’t hurt if their name was Jesus Christ.
All joking aside, heavy is the head which wears the crown, and this is a lot for one person to embody and live into. Jesus himself, I think, would agree with me. Simon son of John, do you love me more than these? Simon son of John, do you love me? Simon son of John, do you love me? Three times Peter is asked if he loves Jesus, and every time he says yes, Jesus then tells him where to direct that love.
This is an intentionally repetitive preamble for Peter’s call to leadership. Intentionally repetitive because loving, caring for, and leading others is an important responsibility which Jesus doesn’t want Peter to answer lightly. Nonchalance — a casual “Yeah, sure Jesus” — will only lead to broken hearts and avoidable suffering.
Of course, there are many degrees and scales to this responsibility, and many degrees to one’s success or failure in it. After all, not everyone is called to lead nations, nor is everyone bound to fail catastrophically. However, I believe that everyone has the potential to be called to care for their neighbor, to mentor the young, to speak out for the disenfranchised, or to otherwise feed the sheep in our lives. Paul solemnly urges us to also proclaim the message, teach with patience, and do the work of an evangelist. But, it should be enough that we “seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14) as the Psalmist writes.
Our Gospel concludes with one more instruction: “Follow me.” John is the only gospeler who doesn’t explicitly quote Jesus as saying, ‘take up your cross’, but given the context of Peter’s death, I would say this line means much the same. As was mentioned in our opening prayer, the martyrdom of these two saints is the culminating way in which they have impressed themselves on history. Although the cross once symbolized death, for us it symbolizes rebirth and new life. Here in the United States, we will soon be celebrating July 4th, Independence Day, which can also be said to symbolize death and rebirth for us as a nation. To conclude things today, I’ve written a short prayer.
Let us pray:
Dear God, please look over and guide all the leaders in our lives. Let them be responsible stewards for the members of their flock. May they guide us to green pastures and clean waters. May they always be sober and help us to endure suffering. We pray for the leaders of our church, the leaders of our nation, our community organizers, our soccer coaches, our schoolteachers, and everyone in between. And should we be so called, may we too live out these prayers. In the name of your son our savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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