In his recent teaching letter “Fratelli Tutti,” Pope Francis speaks about our throw away society . But he is highlighting people, people who are regarded as dispensable. The poor, disabled and the unborn. (Paragraphs 18 – 19)

The Pandemic is having a disproportionate effect on the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly the old. The unborn and their mothers are under even more threat due to ‘do it yourself abortions’ where women have suffered serious harm and there are recorded deaths.

Each day we have the number of people who have died due to Covid and are numbed by the daily death toll.

Yet there are many who are responding with love and care, not least doctors, nurses , teachers and other numerous front line workers.

Where love is there is God.

In these times we can take stock. Everyone is valuable, priceless even. Let what is thrown away be selfish individualism and rubbish values.

All are leaders in one way or another. We give a lead in what we say, do and how we live. We may choose to give advice and offer our opinion which can make a difference.

We may have a leadership role in the family, work, community or political life. Our circumstances may have thrust this upon us for a mixture of reasons or we have chosen it.

We see leadership played out in the lives of those we know and on the world stage as in the American election for President.

Pause for thought: What does the lead we give say about us, our values, beliefs and convictions? How does the lead we give affect others? Do we see the lead we give as a responsibility?

It is clear, leadership can be self serving or spring from inner needs. On the other hand it can be altruistic. We have risen to the task we see before us.

Having accepted the challenge there may be times we would like to step back and have a quiet life like the servant in last Sunday’s gospel at Mass. He buried his master’s talent in the ground and on the master’s return when this came came to light, has the talent taken away and given to the servant who had been given five talents and who had made five more.

“For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” (Matthew 25: 14 – 30)

So leadership involves using our gifts and talents in the service or others according to the needs we see around us as the opportunity arises.

Role models are important and it is heartening to recall Pope Francis holding up Martin Luther King Jnr and Dorothy Day as great Americans when he addressed Congress on 24th September 2015 on his visit to the States. King was assassinated as we know and Dorothy Day gave her life for the downtrodden and those on the margins and was a peace campaigner.

These are challenging times and all are challenged.

As Martin Luther King said on the eve of his death, ” Like anybody I would like to live a long life. longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And he’s allowed me to go up to the Mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!