Originally Published on OMIWORLD.ORG

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By Charles RENSBURG, OMI, Treasurer General

Not every sign given by God is a ‘miracle’: sometimes the only sign given us, is the prophet Jonah!

Leadership within the Congregation requires us to interpret those signs which we receive, not only from ‘what is happening in the world’ but also from ‘what we are doing’- signs which emerge from our behavior, our quality of life, the way in which we interact with others; our theological approach; how we work in collaboration with others.  We are constantly receiving feedback within this interactive process by which signs are given to us.  And these signs either affirm that what we are doing is congruent with God’s Will, or these signs challenge us towards conversion and renewal.

One of the challenges we see in leadership today, is the struggle of leaders to make hard decisions in relation to clear and visible signs which challenge us to act.  The result of such indecisiveness, is that problems perpetuate; negative behaviors are not challenged; weak solutions are not resolved and prolonged patterns of behavior translate into cultural mindsets which become difficult to change.

When Jesus gave the sign in the cleansing of the Temple, as ‘he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables,’ (John 2: 15,16) He challenged a culture which was not only unable to interpret the signs of the times, but also unwilling to act upon them.

The restructuring of the Oblate Congregation at this time is a genuine intention to read the signs that have been given to us, to make hard decisions for the renewal of the Congregation, and to qualify our witness that we might become a sign to the world that ‘grace has changed us’.  In other words, that we might become the sign of the prophet Jonah.  Signs are given to us, that we might become a sign of grace for others.