The Manila Bulletin is publishing our column today during what is perhaps one of the “holiest” days in the world.

Many Christian churches today celebrate Ash Wednesday, the start of the 40-day Lenten Season, which ends on the Sunday commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our Muslim brethren, meanwhile, marked last midnight the commencement of Ramadan, the 30-day period of dawn-to-sunset fasting, spiritual reflection, and the practice of charity. In a way, today is truly a sacred Wednesday.

This also means that the world’s two largest religions will embark on their respective annual spiritual journeys at the same time of year. Considering the fact that there are 8.2 billion people in the world today, and that 2.4 billion of them are Christians while 1.9 billion are Muslims, this means that over one-half of the world’s population will be involved in one form or another of spiritual search, deeper conversion, and soul cleansing.

I recall being asked by a number of our constituents this question: Do politicians like yourself also observe the holy seasons? This is the rough translation into English of that classic question in Tagalog, “Nangingilin din po ba kayo?”

I asked why the answer to the question mattered to them. They said they thought that “leaders have little need for God” since they exercise “vast powers” and have no lack of the material goods necessary to enjoy life. While I had no ready answer to the question, it made me reflect on the spiritual side of leadership.

The reflection brought me to one important conclusion: positions of leadership make us realize in a deeper way our need for God.

That people in positions of political or economic power have little or no need for God is a myth, and a big lie. The burden of leadership positions makes one even more dependent and reliant on his or her faith in a loving and merciful God who continues to intervene in the affairs of Man.

The reasons are obvious as they are compelling.

Here are a few.

First, leaders face demands from their service and the people they serve, which oftentimes require near-superhuman physical and emotional strengths.

Second, the work of leaders summons an extraordinary sense of selflessness – the ability and commitment to put others first, the willingness to make sacrifices.

Third, the leadership role demands that one be willing to deal with hate, lies, unjust accusations, and attempts at the destruction of one’s honor and reputation, which may sometimes even succeed.

Fourth, there are instances when the leadership role may put one in harm’s way, even at the crosshairs of a would-be assassin’s rifle, which requires the readiness to give up one’s life, literally.

From a spiritual perspective, the leadership role requires two things: a model and a source of extraordinary inner strength. In Christian language, the latter is called “grace.” In the Christian’s faith life, the model is Christ himself. In many ways, leadership in the public service sector provides one with the opportunity to follow the example of Christ and to learn to count on the power of Grace.

So, back to the question: “Nangingilin din ba ang mga punong-bayan”? Do leaders in the public service sector take time to pause and reflect on the meaning of the Lenten season? Our view is this: if there are people who should make this meaningful pause and reflection, it would be those who serve others, including people in leadership positions in government.

While my personal religious convictions do not require me to participate in the symbolic rituals of this day, I will join other Christians in meditating on its meaning. I will remember that the ashes crossed in many believers’ foreheads today is a reminder that “we are dust and unto dust we shall return”.

For me, this is a call to humility and a reminder that the public service mission we have been entrusted with is not separate from our vocation to follow in the footsteps of Christ. One who follows Christ must expect that he or she is not to be spared from the same sacrifice and humiliation that the Master had been subjected to as He pursued his own mission.

The ashes also remind us that our public service mission is really not just our own – it is a mission entrusted to us and the performance of which we must answer and account for. We are merely “stewards.” And as stewards, we can depend and rely on the unbending support of the source of all Grace.

I wish our Christian countrymen a blessed start to the Lenten Season. I wish our Muslim brothers and sisters a meaningful observance of the period of Ramadan.