The Phlegmatic Disciple

This past week we celebrated the feast day of St. John Neumann. I read on my Laudate app (great app by the way if you don’t have it…) that when the Bishop who was supposed to ordain him fell sick in wake of an overabundance (must be nice) of priests in Bohemia, he decided to go to America to seek ordination. 

He walked most of the way to France, got on a boat to America where he was ordained, and then became one of 37 priests serving 200,000 Catholics. 

St. John Neumann had a growth mindset. He did not say to himself…well, I guess the bishop falling sick is a sign I shouldn’t be a priest…and then start drifting about in search of a new destiny. Rather, he was confident in God’s call. Every obstacle gave him even more conviction to meet his goal, rather than shying away from it or being paralyzed by doubt. 

The devil wants us to be paralyzed by doubt. He will put roadblocks in place to try and stop you. The more you are on the path to God’s will in your life and leading others to Him as well, the more obstacles you’ll face. A strong prayer life will keep you steady. Those road blocks come in many forms; distraction, doubt, fear, and anxiety to just name a few. 

In this post, we are going to focus for a moment on the phlegmatic temperament.  A phlegmatic is a servant leader. They are peace makers often crippled by conflict. Phlegmatics are empathic, easygoing, agreeable, and great listeners. They struggle to make difficult decisions for the sake of the mission. 

Teacher to Teacher (Peer to Peer): Your phlegmatic colleagues have a knack for diffusing tense situations. They are comforting to you and always there to listen. Sometimes their perspective and valuable ideas get overlooked because they don’t want to rock the boat if strong opinions have been unleashed. 

Principal to Teacher (Supervisor to Employee): Your phlegmatic teachers and staff are clear, concise, dutiful, dependable, and thoughtful. They are in tune with others and your true school climate. 

Be sure in faculty meetings to use techniques that create a safe environment for their thoughts to be heard. For example, have every person say a star and a wish at the beginning of the meeting or on a controversial talking point. Use tools such as sticky notes and anonymous ways to communicate. Come to their aide if others pounce quickly, so they do not feel shut down in the future. Your phlegmatics really want to please you. Be careful not to take advantage of their unwavering “yes.”

Teacher to Student (Mentor to Apprentice): Your phlegmatic students won’t draw attention to themselves. Because of their often mild disposition, they can often get overlooked or needs go unaddressed. Use strategies such as think-pair-share to make sure their voice is heard. They might not raise their hand often and will get mortified if you put them on the spot - especially in group activities that they feel they could let someone down. Be empathic. 

Help your phlegmatic students by frontloading them and coaching them. Perhaps let them know in advance you plan on calling on them to read a certain section or share an answer so they have time to read it over a few times. This will encourage participation. During group work, give students specific roles.

Parent to child: Art and Laraine Bennett write, “Your phlegmatic child can be so cooperative that you may realize after living with him for ten to twelve years that you really don’t have a clue about what he really thinks or feels” (131). He may be the one who takes all the blame just to avoid problems. Things get busy. Make a concerted effort to engage  your phlegmatic child in activities that are structured and safe and that he likes. Be sure to teach your phlegmatic child how to stand up for himself in a Christlike way.

Self: Pray for perseverance in all you do! Be strong and confident in your faith and ask God to be your voice in situations that you have an opinion, but feel anxious speaking up. Strive not to passively agree with others in matters of your faith or let others take advantage of your amiability. Know God's destiny for you and cling to it. Continue to use your gifts to bring peace and joy to all you encounter. 

Who knows if St. John Neumann was phlegmatic. Let’s presume for a moment that he was. If so, his growth mindset allowed him to be fixed on God and grow in virtue beyond imagination through a deep prayer life and unwavering faith. First of all, he would have had to find the motivation within himself to leave when it would have been much easier to stay behind. He would have had to fight the fear of disappointing others when he left Bohemia and the anxiety of the unknown as he traveled by foot to France. 

Yet, St. John Neumann chose to serve in a rural area where he built himself a small log cabin rather than a populous city. Surely this would be the preferred setting for the reserved nature of a phlegmatic saint. I can just see St. John Neumann, the servant leader, as he walked miles from remote farm to remote farm to minister to his people. 

St. John Neumann knew the “vital necessity of his personal contribution (Bennett 42)” and that helped him to persevere in his baptismal call rather than falling victim to a natural sense of detachment or laziness. He eventually built fifty churches, opened 100 schools, and Catholic school students in his diocese grew from 500 to 9,000. 

Don’t be intimidated! Let’s take baby steps together. I’d be happy if I could just get my laundry in drawers and the baby’s “next size up” bin of clothes out of the closet and washed. I have long desired this to be done to live out my marriage vocation more dutifully!

This week let us together pray for and encourage those we love and serve who are phlegmatic. May you be aroused this week to achieve a goal you have long desired in your heart. 

St. John Neumann, Pray for us.