Knowledge of Self

Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.

Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:8-10

Dear friends,

We have passed the half-way mark of our journey through the desert of Lent. Some of us are weary, other have been rejuvenated at the springs of living water. Some are groping in the darkness, others have had a glimpse of the light that illumines the way.

I am just about finished with the course I began a year and a half ago with Catholic Leadership Institute called Good Leaders Good Shepherds. You may recall there was a collection to support me in this as we began. About 30 priests from the Archdiocese have been taking the course with me and it has been a great opportunity to grow in my relationships with my brother priests and to grow in knowledge of who I am and how to be a better leader. It has truly been a blessing to take part in this program. Thank you for all those who made it possible by your donations. The program was funded by you, the Archdiocese and the parish; split into three equal parts.

I have learned much about some of the best practices of leadership, but most importantly I have learned about myself and who Christ is calling me to be as your shepherd. We worked through modules on the leadership of self, one-to-one, team, organization, and we have one more left which I can’t remember off the top of my head. As you noticed, we began with the leadership of self. One cannot lead others without first knowing oneself.

As I began to read the writings of the saints, a theme that I began to notice frequently was knowledge of self. I pondered this for some time before coming to know what it means. It seems self explanatory, yet do we really know who we are. Some spend their whole life in this pursuit. Knowledge of self is a gift, a grace given by God. It begins with Him, because He created us. We can only know ourselves in relationship to Him and His creation.

The Scripture says, “The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord.” This has caused many a discussion as people say, “Why should I fear a God who is all loving?” The fear spoken of is filial fear, in the sense of a child with their parent. It is not that we are afraid of God, but that as we ponder our relationship with Him as our Heavenly Father, we are in wonder and awe at this amazing gift. Think about how awesome it will be to be in His presence. In the Scriptures when He reveals Himself to His servants through His messengers the Angels the first thing they say is, “Be not afraid.” I can only imagine what an awesome experience it is to be in His presence.

In these days God is preparing us to celebrate the great feasts of our salvation. These days of Lent, walking in the darkness and dryness of the desert, are preparing us to receive the light of the Paschal Mystery as it is revealed to us in the celebrations of Holy Week. As we walk with the Lord in these days we come to know more and more who we are; His beloved children. This truth enlightens everything. It dispels all darkness and guides us on in His most tender love for us as our Father. How wonderful this gift to us who long to know who we are.

In the Love of our Heavenly Father,

Fr. Jack D. Shrum