A disciple of Jesus is a follower of Jesus Christ. Discipleship needs great discipline; one must intentionally abandon oneself completely to follow the master. Discipleship demands complete submission to the will of God. Discipleship requires forsaking everyone else to become truly united with God. Discipleship invites us to be alone only with God, and this invitation is for everyone who desires to become a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Being a disciple is tough; it involves many sufferings. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:27). For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11). A disciple is a lifelong student, he trains, he learns. Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid (Proverb 12:1). I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:27). Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. So, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him (Deuteronomy 8:5-6).

The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it: “All however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the Cross, amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks.” Service of and witness to the faith are necessary for salvation: “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (CCC, 1816).

A disciple not only learns from his master but imitates him. To imitate a thrice Holy God, requires grace which God gives us all abundantly, it also requires developing virtues. A disciple must preach the gospel not just with words but live the gospel. “Christian faith is not only a matter of believing that certain things are true, but above all a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” -Pope Benedict XVI

(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)