Discipleship today is very difficult, but we do have a lot of things on our side. Miracles are still present and these should show us that Jesus is still with us and working for us. They should strengthen our faith. When we are faced with suffering, which as disciples we must endure, we should turn to our faith to guide us. There are some people who cannot accept this suffering and refuse to become a disciple of a God who can allow suffering to happen. When we receive our sacraments we are receiving the gifts to bring us closer to God. According to Robin Cooper, “Christians claim that a sacrament is a sign instituted by Jesus that gives people the grace of God”. By receiving sacraments we are strengthening our ability to become disciples of God, for example, at Confirmation we receive the gifts of courage and strength to be true disciple.
There are many factors in today’s society that I believe prevent a lot of people from becoming true disciples. These factors include money, careers, media and our materialistic society.
Christianity encourages us to be unselfish in a selfish world. Money and career can now be seen as an alternative to God, even though God should be the most important aspect in our lives. Money is seen as a sign of success and importance and it also becomes an idol, breaking the first commandment. We have become like the Rich Young Man mentioned in Mark’s Gospel, we want to follow God but we aren’t prepared to give up our possessions and at the end of the day we are only interested in rewards such as money. With discipleship, the rewards are not money but fellowship of brothers and sisters in the Christian Community and eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
The media has a great influence our thoughts and actions. The values of the media are not Christian, but they are still extremely influential. Many people worship false gods such as television and music celebrities, although these may not be bad things, they take away from our devotion to God and also break the first commandment, “Thou shalt not worship false Gods”. Other people turn to bad influences, such as drugs and alcohol, and they allow their lives to centre on these addictions, even though they are continually hurting themselves and their families. For such people it is difficult and practically impossible to follow God.
I do not believe that in today’s materialistic society discipleship is the same thing as it was in the time of Jesus. It meant so much more then, perhaps this is due to the fact that the first disciples had living evidence of God, through Jesus.
In conclusion, I would like to say that although I have said it is possible to be a disciple in the modern world, I also believe it is easier said than done. There is so much opposition and distraction. But, there are people among us that will be able to tackle these barriers and become true disciples of Jesus. If discipleship was impossible, then we wouldn’t be here today as Christians. Disciples keep our faith alive and keep the rest of us a part of the Christian community and although it may be a struggle, it is a struggle well worth pursuing.
