In order to embrace both the faith and strength that can only come from Jesus and God, one must experience them in their daily lives. One of the main ways in which disciples can experience Jesus and God is through the sacraments. In baptism a disciple is initiated into the Church and called to have a vocation, parents and godparents accept this calling on the child's behalf. In Confirmation this vocation is re-instated by the disciple him/herself and the disciple states his personal devotion to God. During the sacrament of Confirmation a disciple receives both the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Sacrament of Reconciliation helps disciples to become aware of his/her failures and encourages them to re-start the rest of their lives free from sin, and devoted to God.
Reconciliation increases our awareness when we, as disciples, lacked disciple-like qualities. The failure in ourselves does not necessarily make us bad disciples as even Jesus experienced fear and doubt, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani?” (Mk 15:42), as well as anger (Jesus Clears the Temple and Curses a fig tree- Mk 11:12-19). Peter, the apostle who would later become leader of the Church, denied Jesus three times (Mk 14:66-72). I believe that instead of cowering away from the demands which being a disciple places on us we should embrace the experience and strive to be a better disciple.
By increasing knowledge of Jesus’ teaching as well as experiencing Jesus in our daily lives we become better disciples, thus showing that it is possible to be a disciple in the modern world. In increasing our knowledge of Jesus and his teachings we improve our relationship with him. I believe that a relationship with Jesus (and God) is an essential aspect of being discipleship. Prayer is an extremely important part in improving our relationship with Jesus and God as it provides disciples with an opportunity to communicate on both a personal and spiritual level with Jesus and God. The Eucharist and Mass also provides disciples with an opportunity in which to improve our relationship as it is a method of communication to God and Jesus. The Eucharist itself reminds us of the sacrifice in which Jesus made for us on the cross; this alone increases a disciples love for him.
As God and Jesus love everyone, as disciple must thus follow the greatest commandment of love of God and love of neighbour. This love is existent in the modern world through many charities such as St. Vincent de Paul and De La Salle Brothers etc… These charities alone show that it is possible to be a disciple of Jesus in the modern world. Charity (love) is one of the three theological virtues alongside hope and faith. Through these theological virtues, as well as the four cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance), a disciple will know what actions to take in order to remain true to God and Jesus. Priests who take the call of the Holy Orders and nuns who take the three fold vow of obedience, poverty and chastity, thus devote their entire life to God and are living proof that disciples exist in today’s society, saints also show that life devotion to God is possible.
However there is diversity in people’s views and some believe that to be a disciple is not possible. There is an increasing lack of faith as to whether Jesus did rise form the dead. This doubt is not a new thought among Christians and indeed it originates from the first disciples who also shared this doubt. The materialistic society of today is one of the largest reasons why people are unable to become a true disciple.
Jesus and God have begun to decrease in importance for Christians as fame, money and power has begun to take priority. These ideals of fame etc… are fuelled by the ambitions and the idea of self-prioritising. In the eyes of many Christians, worldly values have become more important than the Christian virtues. Due to this newfound emphasis on materialism our relationship with Jesus has begun to lose its importance, thus there is has become a declining practice in praying. Sacraments have also begun to lose their relevance and they too are practised less and less in the modern society.
The idea that a disciple must be willing to suffer and have to ‘carry his cross’ may put many possible disciples off becoming a true and devoted disciple of Jesus. Many Christians have begun to only turn to God when it suits them, often in times of hardship when they pray to God for support and guidance. In times of joy God is often overlooked and is not offered praise for the good in the world. Young people have began to worship God less and place their faith unto the ‘false gods of fame, power and wealth.’ People may be fearful and unwilling to fight of evil, as is required of disciples.
A common believe held by many Christians in the modern society is that the beliefs and ideals of Jesus and discipleship are no longer relevant for Christians. This is due to the changing emphasis placed on different sections of society, such as money. Due to this some feel that to be a disciple is irrelevant and as such do not become disciples.
In conclusion it is of my opinion that it is possible to become a disciple in the modern world. In the words of Jesus to the father of the epileptic boy, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” (Mk 9:23). The main problem faced in the modern society is temptation to prioritise money over Jesus. In the days of the first Christians this temptation was not as great, however they had to be willing to face persecution for their beliefs. In modern society it is uncommon to have to face persecution for one’s religion so as such faith is not needed in the same extent in this society as the early Christians. People do not feel that faith is required; as they do not believe that they are going to die any time soon so as such they do not feel any great need to go to mass every week. Overall I believe that it is possible to be a disciple in the modern world and as long as any individual possesses the gift of faith, he will be able to find the strength to overcome any obstacles preventing him from becoming a true disciple of Jesus.