Transformative Discipleship

Our Lord teaches that the way of discipleship is to follow him. To the point of losing all earthly possessions, and even one’s life as He did on the Cross. “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mt 16:24) If a person keeps his vision limited to earthly things, he/she may target uppermost the attainment of pleasure and material goods, even irrespective of means used, so long as his possessions give him the feeling of power. Such a person will not be regarded by Jesus as his true disciple unless he/she goes beyond the earthly gaze, and is guided by a sense of God in making decisions, and in a way, becomes another Jesus.

It is the Holy Spirit that makes conversion happen through the sacramental gifts, and daily actual graces. The disciple realizes that no follower is alone in carrying his/her own cross, but shares this with Jesus in the journey of self-giving. “In a mysterious way, Christ himself accepts death…on the Cross, in order to eradicate from man’s heart the sins of self-sufficiency, and to manifest to the Father a complete filial obedience.” (Paul VI, Gaudete in Domino, 9 May 1975) Constant prayer with meditative reading of God’s Word, and proper reception of the sacraments will help overcome the natural aversion to suffering and sacrifice, and instill the love of Jesus as the driving force in one’s heart. Though difficult to understand, we trust that the Spirit will give us the grace we need to live out a true disciple’s love as shown by the Master. “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn 15:13)

The following calls for a constant denial of self-centered interests, and a conscious struggle to live out our Christian commitment, united with Jesus who strengthens us in moments of rejection and persecution. Let us pray for the grace to be continually transformed by the Spirit, so that as renewed disciples, we may “not be conformed to this age but…may judge what is God’s will, what is good, pleasing and perfect.” (Rom 12:2) May the example of today’s courageous witnesses, saints, and martyrs of old challenge us to go against the pitfalls of a misdirected culture that we may continue the mission of transformation that the Son of God manifested to us. In the end, may He call us to eternal glory in communion with the Trinity, and the host of holy faithful disciples gone ahead of us.