A former teacher of my school (Lismore Comprehensive) Helen Moorhead recently went out to Africa in search for making the children out there have a better life. Helen gave all her money into creating the perfect teaching school for the deaf and recently she received a donation from friends and family so this brought her to build another room. Helen still carries on today showing an amazing Christian Example.
If you think of a homeless person giving the tiny amount they possess to charity, it is just totally different. Who is giving more? Is a million pounds more than an envelope full of coppers? No it's not. The poor person who has next to nothing and who is giving that small amount is giving the most. This modern day scenario can seen in Marks Gospel, it is like "The Widow's Offering", where many rich men give much to the temple treasury, and a poor old widow gives two copper coins. Similarities can also be seen in parables such as "The Rich Man", where a rich man has to leave his riches behind to follow Jesus and receive eternal life, and so he doesn't. Many thousands of people get together frequently to raise money for the poor, or to celebrate the achievements of the less privileged. I think that situations like this can be in some way connected to "The Feeding of the Five-Thousand", as, from very little bread and fish, there was enough to feed five thousand people. Likewise, with nothing to start with, much money, or much happiness occurs as results in my examples above. In our everyday lives as children, adults, workers and families we can, of course, communicate with God; we can listen and respond to the call of Jesus even today. Through church, prayer and by fulfilling the sacraments we can be at one with God at any time. To get the call to become a modern day disciple is something I haven't experienced, but to get such a call would be to have such a strong faith that you want to drop everything to follow it. Nowadays, to do as the first disciples did today people who wish to dedicate their lives to God to go and do so. Disciples today can put into practice the "Greatest Commandment". This is that of "Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with your entire mind, and with all your strength", and the second part being "Love your neighbour as you love yourself". It is much harder for Christians to put into practice this commandment, though loving the Lord, yourself and your neighbour is obviously a good aim and something everybody should try to do. Although loving God with all your mind, soul and strength isn't possible for Christians all of the time, taking a certain amount of time a day or a week to dedicate to God would be making great use of such a commandment. To "take up and carry the cross" you need to live your life according to God and treat him as another human being, as a companion. To be a modern day disciple, you need to, as the first disciples did, suffer. There are costs and rewards, and the costs of dropping everything to follow your faith.
The costs for everyday Christians would simply be lost time, but I am positive that what you get from prayer and Eucharist and charity are certainly worth it. The rewards are clear; the satisfaction from helping others, changing others lives, communicating with God, preaching to your parish. All of the above are high points of the different aspects of modern day discipleship. Eternal life, happiness and a faith. If you are as determined, dedicated and committed enough, you can have all three of those wonders. Just follow Jesus' example, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, The Lord our God is the only Lord".
