The meaning of discipleship today is very much the same as it was in the times of Jesus

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              Christian discipleship is a concept that was born when Jesus Christ hand selected his first twelve followers. A disciple, by definition, is a convinced believer of a school or individual. In the case of Jesus, the disciples where those who followed him while he was here on Earth, as well as those who continue to follow him and his teachings today in the modern world. The meaning of discipleship today is very much the same as it was in the times of Jesus. It is all about battling against injustice, sickness and homelessness. A disciple today is expected to follow Jesus’ example.

    “If anyone wants to come with me, he must forget self, carry his cross and follow me”

      Following this path takes a great amount of courage and self-discipline. In today’s society, this can be very hard. The self-sacrifice involved in discipleship in the modern world could be considered to be greater than that of biblical times. In Jesus’ day, the following was only beginning to grow, but seemed to do so even when the road was hard. However, in today’s world, becoming less important to Christians, with many simply too involved in their own pursuits of self-interest to consider helping others who may be in difficulty. Today’s Christians not only have to deal with disbelief, but also with indifference and ridicule.

     There are five ways in which discipleship might affect the lives of Christians today. They are Vocation, Service, Faith, Prayer and worship. Vocation is the main way. 

        Vocation comes from the Latin word ‘voca’ meaning an inclination, as if in response to a summons, to undertake a certain kind of work, especially a religious career; a calling. We use the word ‘vocation’ to describe a call from God to follow his Son in the way of life he shows us in the gospels. For some people, this call is to devote their entire lives to serving God in such a drastic way as to become a member of a religious order, whereas for others, it can have a more personal meaning. In both cases however, discipleship means making Jesus’ way of live the model and pattern of their own lives. We are called to discipleship to trace our lives in the life of Jesus, in whichever way we choose to interoperate this.

        However, we often miss this essential point in our vocation to Christian discipleship. We are often like the disciples described in today’s gospel account: missing the point of Jesus’ teaching. For instance, while Jesus was telling them about his mission- “the son of man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise” instead of listening and understanding the meaning of this statement, they were arguing among themselves about who was the greatest disciple. They may have missed the point of Jesus’ teaching, but we must not be too hard in our judgement, as we often do the same.

           It is not easy to follow Jesus and to be his disciples. If he had to endure suffering and death, then so must we. If he had to be the servant of all, then so must be too. Indeed, he tells us quite clearly today: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all, and the servant of all.” Like the disciples, we do not always understand, and are often afraid to question Jesus’ teachings. Hence, we need to help one another discover vocations in which more will be made of us, enabling us to find fulfillment, even as we also recognize the significant sacrifice involved in faithful Christian discipleship. In this way, we seek to discern and live out vocations that enable people to match their gifts and talents with fidelity to the God of Jesus Christ and particular communities of people.

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            A vocation is God’s unique invitation, addressed to individual persons in which a free response is expected. This response is not a single act, but a life-long process, a journey of faith. As baptised Christians, each of us is called to assist others in discovering their vocation, like we have been helped to discover our own. Each of us is called to help make others aware of their personal richness, talents and human value, opening their eyes to the variety of lifestyles and then ministries within the Church.

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