Christian Discopleship in Action (Contd).

Living in the Power of the Spirit (Contd) :
Living for Empowering those we come in Contact with (The Way of Action - Karma Marg) (Contd):
Inherent Dangers:  In our attempts to empower ourselves and others, we should be conscious of a possible danger that could derail all our efforts at self-control. Those five forces of evil mentioned in the last Post do not come straight at us in the avowed forms, but may take many shapes and colors thereby diverting our attention from the real task at hand. For example, if we are ready to attack by self-control our lust in sexual relationship, our lust for power may raise its ugly head in various forms. Lust for power may be instrumental in degrading others and dehumanizing them and in the process, demonizing the wielders of power themselves. Our success in controlling lust for sex overshadows our failure in controlling the lust for power! Similarly, we may think of other vices such as anger as against hard-hardheartedness, attachment as against gluttony, greed as against sloth and ego as against envy. Being weak and unstable, we may slip up any time as we try to fight those evil forces.  
The Remedy:  What is the way out in this our peculiar situation? Jesus has prescribed the effective medicine that is the only solution to our problem. We read in Matthew 26: 41 as follows: "Stay awake, and pray that you may be spared the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." The purpose of staying awake is to watch out as a watchman is expected to do as part of his duty. Otherwise, when the master returns at an hour least expected by the watchman, he may be found wanting. Who is the master here? It depends on under whose rule we have placed ourselves. If we are under the rule of terror exerted by the vices mentioned earlier, we would be least prepared to resist those masters when they knock at our doors. We would succumb immediately to their demands, if we do not watch and pray. As long as we live here in this world these masters visit us often and we should be ready to give them a befitting reply. Then at the end our own master who has placed us in this garden of the world to tend it would be pleased on his visit to us at whatever hour he comes. Watching is against our own evil tendencies and praying is to be spared from the final test that would be launched against us by Satan himself. Our victory or failure at that vehement test depends on our success or failure in the day-to-day temptations we face in our lives. Gradually but surely with the help of the Holy Spirit, we should fortify ourselves and help build a temple for God in our heart that would be completed by God Himself at the end of time.
Self-Delusion:  We must beware of self-delusion in empowering ourselves as well as others. Self-delusion consists in thinking that we empower ourselves and others when in fact it is not so. It is equivalent to deceiving God, if that were possible. For, we in our folly secretly believe that God cannot see our innermost thoughts and intentions and that feigning and dissimulation will pass muster before God. It is true that we go on living in good faith without an express intention to be hypocrites. However, our impure and selfish intentions vitiate the nature of the actions we perform that stand in the way of really empowering ourselves and others whom we want to empower. The only antidote to this dilemma is to be real servants in the manner in which Jesus has set an example. If we do so, we would be really detached servants who would be able to rule everyone and everything we encounter.
Servanthood, not Servility:  A common difficulty that might be raised here is about the nature of service we are expected to render. Those who are better educated and with resources the people don't have should be in a position to educate them and influence their behavior so much so that we cannot just follow their orders if we should help them. The confusion here is about the difference between being a servant and being a slave. A slave has no rights and is expected to live and die for his or her master or mistress. Not so a servant who is expected to empower his or her master or mistress in a responsible manner. They should be thoroughly equipped and skilled in order to fulfill their duty. Here servanthood consists in one's capacity to empower whomever one serves. In order to empower one has to give one's own self by denying it for which there will be plenty of occasions in one's service. A slave is merely an instrument at the beck and call of the master or mistress to be used for one's selfish ends. That is servility where neither the slave nor the master is empowered. The only exception is when we become slaves to the Word of God that truly liberates and makes us free men and women.
Disempowerment:  The empowerment envisaged here occurs with our own disempowerment by checking all the vices mentioned earlier. We gain our real self by denying the fake self represented by lust, anger, attachment, greed, ego, pride,envy, sloth, gluttony, drunkenness, hardheartedness, hunger for power and fame, etc. This is the meaning of the words of Jesus about gaining life by losing it and entering the Kingdom of heaven by force as well as about entering by the narrow gate (See Luke, 9: 24; 13: 24; 16: 16). What the world considers as empowerment in in fact the ticket to our self-destruction. Thus God confounds the wisdom of the humans with His own Wisdom What builds us up or destroys us is deposited within ourselves, the former by God and the latter by ourselves in our nature. Growth as well as destruction emanate from within the innermost recesses of our heart, understood as the core of our personality. That is why ultimately we are ourselves responsible for our own happiness or unhappiness. Jesus said the Kingdom Of God is within us (See Luke, 17: 21) and that is what we have to seek and develop into an all-encompassing reality.
Practical Tips:  How do we practice this kind of empowerment by means of servanthood in our daily life? Let us start with our family where everyone should be a servant to others in the family. Thus we have a servant-father, servant-mother, servant-husband, servant-wife, and servant children. Here we practice the servanthood that empowers each and every one of us in a family. So equipped, we are ready fir empowering others in other close-knit communities like the Church, neighborhood communities, social organizations and so on. This kind of empowerment will emanate from the real spirit of service where our self is denied for the sake of the Kingdom whereby we become eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Only the sovereignty of God is acknowledged, while all of us are brothers and sisters, whereby God Himself is glorified. There will be no exploitation of others, no sham actions emanating from conspiracies and confabulations and we shall be transparent in everything before God and the humans. Thus we give space for God to act when we become weak and foolish for His sake and acknowledge His omnipotence. It is no lip service, but real faith and hope manifested through our daily lives culminating in acts of charity. This kind of life is worth more than any sacrifices and burnt offerings made to God through rituals bereft of their real content. Our self-giving is their real content. (We shall proceed in the next Posts with the 'Content of Gospel Proclamation).     

Christian Discipleship in Action (Contd).

Living in the Power of the Spirit (Contd):
Living for Empowering Those whom we come in Contact with (The Way Action - Karma Marg)   Our devotion and knowledge should issue forth in action that empowers all those who come in contact with us. A person with true devotion and knowledge, as explained in the previous Posts under 'Bhakti Marg' and 'Jnana Marg'. is supposedly suited to empower whoever comes in contact with him or her. On the contrary, those who are without true love and knowledge are likely to enslave others in and by their actions. In other words, only those who are genuinely liberated can liberate others through 'Karma Marg'. Jesus made a similar observation about the Pharisees thus: "Leave them alone; they are blind guides, and if one blind man guides another they will both fall into the ditch" (Matthew, 15: 14). Actions can be of any kind and nature. Some may be able to do wonderful things like building institutions, helping the poor and needy, contributing to the social, cultural, educational, health and various other levels. Do they empower or enslave the people whom they serve? Similarly, all of us interact with others daily one way or other. Do we empower or enslave others by our actions? A simple smile may be enough to empower someone who is in very bad shape due to various stresses and strains accumulated through the daily routines. Any unthinking word or gesture may lead to unmake a person's day resulting in a chain of calamities. Our very presence should be such that it would automatically send forth positive vibrations around us and beneficially affect the lives of other people. If we are self-centered and too self-conscious, it will not be possible for us to give ourselves to others. Without our self-giving, no amount of gifts and good work can produce the positive vibrations that empower others in a genuine manner.
Self-Denial: The Key to Empowerment:  Self-denial is the key to our own empowerment as well as that of those whom we want to empower. However, here a clarification about the self and its denial would be in order. We read in Mark 8: 34 thus: "Then he called the people to him, as well as his disciples, and said to them, 'Anyone who wishes to be a follower of mine must leave self behind; he must take up his cross, and come with me'". This injunction goes hand in hand with his commandment in Mark 12: 31: "Love your neighbor as yourself". The two senses of 'Self' should be distinguished in order to follow at the same time both of the orders given above. There is a sense of the 'Self' that is so basic to our life that it stands as the foundation of our existence and through which we understand and evaluate everything else. That is the self like which we have to love our neighbor. That is our real self we have to develop in order to become what we are meant to be. It originates from God's own creation of every human being in His own image and likeness (See Genesis, 1: 26). However, the sin of the first man, Adam, marred God's beautiful creation by disfiguring His image in him and producing a self in him that is to be left behind for becoming what we are originally meant to be.  God Himself made man to be like Himself , but man wanted to do it in his own way. Man wants to be like God not by submitting his will to the Will of God, but on his own will power. The result is a self we are endowed with that is useless in humanizing, let alone divinizing us. This is the kind of self we have to get rid of or deny in order to empower ourselves.
The Five Vices:  All world religions agree that there are five aspects of our self that stand as a veil between us and God preventing us from being divinized. They are: lust, anger, attachments, greed and ego. These five evil forces dehumanize us and makes us worse than brutes. Brute animals are guided by their instincts by which they are programmed to act and they will not cross the limits set by nature even when they harm us. On the contrary, the humans are meant to be guided by intelligence and will power and if they are degraded they would become worse than the brutes. The reason is that there is no automatic mechanism to stop the humans from evil acts as their instincts are neutralized by the superior faculty of Reason. If this very Reason is degraded by any of those five evil forces, such a person becomes worse than an animal! Those five forces blind a person to one's surroundings, to his or her own dignity and the dignity of others so much so that he or she behaves like a mad person. Even a mad person has lucid intervals when sanity returns and normal behavior is seen! A person with impaired Reason is not able to plan or act premeditatively, whereas the person under the grip of any of those five vices can do so. Often, planning and execution are done with clock-work precision to such an extent that normal human beings are baffled as well as repulsed by the inherent depravity and perversion of the perpetrators of those actions.    
Self-Control:  Unless we leave behind or deny such a self, how can we ever empower ourselves? What is the way to deny such a self before it overpowers and enslaves our real self? In one word, the answer is self-control. However, self-control is not something that we do by ourselves alone, but in co-operation with the power of God. In fact, in this venture of self-control, the major partner is God Himself through His Holy Spirit. One of the fruits of the Spirit mentioned by Paul in Galatians 5: 22-23 is self-control. It is not just a gift of the Holy Spirit, but a fruit produced by the Spirit and ourselves in co-operation with Him. We are in constant touch with the Great Architect of our life, i. e., the Holy Spirit Himself so that together with Him we may be able to build a temple worthy of His permanent presence. Thus there is no confusion between the self that is to be denied and the self that is to be developed.    
Our Possessions:  In what does the denial of self consist? It is also said that the self should be let behind. Similarly a person should part with all possessions and even hate one's father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even one's own life in order to become a disciple of Jesus (See Luke, 14: 25-33). We know , from the words of Jesus himself that we have to honor our father and mother according to the command of God and no one should disregard it (See Matthew, 15: 1-9). Therefore, hating here cannot be taken in its normal sense besides the fact that a disciple of Jesus should love everyone including one's enemies. Leaving everything behind, including one's own self , and hating everyone points to the attitude of detachment we should have in our spiritual life. We have treated about detachment in one of our previous Posts. In sum and substance, detachment is a requirement of attitude by keeping a distance from everything that attracts us and claims our allegiance. It is a call to liberation of self for being a master of oneself and a ruler of everything that comes our way. Physical separation may help in some cases, but is not necessarily a sure-shot method as our mind could still be attached even after physical separation from all that we love.
                                                         In order to obviate this difficulty, Jesus advised the rich man in the Gospels to sell all his possessions and distribute the proceeds to the poor before following him (See Matthew, 19: 21). It is a definitive act of dispossession and disempowerment where he could not think of reverting to his possessions. Selling his possessions and depositing in the Bank or leaving them for his brothers and sisters would not sever him from the temptation to revert to his old ways of living. Apart from this kind of exceptional case mentioned in the Gospel and like that of St. Francis of Assisi, it would be enough to be mentally detached from our possessions and our relations. This is evident from the way Jesus himself lived with Joseph and Mary and those who were called his brothers. When it comes to doing the Will of God, his mother becomes "woman" and Peter becomes "Satan". This is the result of complete detachment Jesus practiced, assigning at the same time very important roles to Mary and Peter in the plan of salvation executed by him. Finally, true detachment makes us servants of all out of love for God and our neighbor. (This Section shall be completed by the next Post).      

Christian Discipleship in Action (Contd).

Living in the Power of the Spirit (Contd).
Living in the Freedom of the Children of God (The Way of Knowledge - Jnana Marg).:  Who is a child of God?  Every human being is a child of God as everyone is created by God in His own image and likeness (See Genesis, 1: 26-27). Paul certifies that even some Greek poets said the same thing by announcing that we are his offspring (See Acts, 17: 28) in whom we live and move and exist. But, the first man, Adam, failed in keeping God's image in him intact by exercising his freedom of choice wrongly and committing sin against God. Though a child of God, Adam and his descendants, i. e., all members of the human race, came under the bondage of sin and became slaves of Satan. A slave is not free and should follow the dictates of his or her master. Unless this master himself is chained by someone stronger, we have no chance of being free by being truly human in our life. This is what is achieved by Jesus Christ by his death and resurrection through which God made him judge over the whole world. From our part, we must repent and renew our lives in order to partake of the freedom of the children of God freely granted to all who believe in the one true God (See Acts, 17: 30-31).
Real Freedom:  Dwelling in the Word of God is the way to know truth and the truth will set us free. It is not enough just to hear the Word of God but we have to keep it in the manner of dwelling in a house. There we are constantly present even when we are on a journey and the protection and warmth of our home cannot be replicated anywhere else. In a similar manner, we should give ourselves over to the Word of God for protection, safety, growth and love whereby God, who is Truth itself, will set us free. We are freed from the shackles of sin and are free to live for God to whom alone we are obliged. This is what Jesus told the Jews who believed in him as we read in John 8: 31-36. Those who believed in Jesus would become his disciples if they continued to dwell in his words that will reveal the truth to them, which will set them free from the slavery of sin. Slaves are in the house not forever and have no permanent standing there. But, the son belongs forever to the household and whoever is set free by the son will indeed be free.
Be Like Children before God:  How can the grown-ups become children? A similar question was put forth by Nicodemus to Jesus when he was told about the need of being born again in order to see the Kingdom of God (See John, 3: 3). In order to become children of God we need a radical transformation of our lives that may be called a re-birth. The reason is that the flesh can give birth only to flesh, whereas the spirit gives birth to the spirit (See John, 3: 6). A spiritual regeneration is required for being like children before God. We are already children of God by being created in His image and likeness and are called to be in truth what we really are . Being in the flesh, our spirit becomes weak.That is why we need the assistance of the Holy Spirit of God Himself to strengthen our spirit to overcome our flesh. Holy Spirit being a gift of God cannot be earned, merited or bought by us. It is freely given without any restriction of religion, race, caste, creed to every human being that we need only to receive humbly like children.
The Need of being Childlike:  We have two instances in the Gospels where Jesus spells out what it takes to become like children. The one persistent problem uppermost in the minds of the Apostles was the question of greatness. It used to agitate their minds so much that they used to argue about it very often. James and John even wanted to ensure the best places at the right and left of Jesus when he comes into his Kingdom! This desire and request made to Jesus caused a sort of rift among the Apostles. Therefore, the question put to Jesus was a golden opportunity to teach the Apostles and disciples what it takes to be the first and greatest in Jesus' Kingdom and his scheme of things. "He called a child, set him in front of them, and said, ' I tell you this: unless you turn round and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Let a person humble oneself till he or she is like this child, and he or she will be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven' " (Matthew, 18: 2-4).
                                                   A child is set before us as a great model to imitate and become like one whereas usually we prefer to imitate great saints and humbly acknowledge that we are unable to follow their way if life. Therefore, we venerate them in great awe and stand back asking for favors through them! It is always good to honor great people and venerate those who have been declared saints by the Church. However, that kind of  attitude and attention should not detract from the necessity to turn our life around and become like little children in order to go to heaven. Jesus demands two things from us if we really want to become like children. First, we should declare a moratorium in our lifestyle up to now that is according to the flesh and turn around. Second, we should humble ourselves till we become like a little child in order to be truly holy and saintly in our own lives.   .
Qualities of a Child:  What are the qualities of a child that are recommended by Jesus for us to follow in order to enter the Kingdom of heaven? First and foremost, it is the complete faith and trust a child has for its father and mother. God being our Father and Mother, we should have complete trust in Him / Her and we shall not be unduly perturbed whatever happens in our life. We shall totally depend on God for everything just like a child who depends on his or her parents for everything. Secondly, we should be immune to the praises showered or insults heaped on us as we are dead to the world and its attractions. A child is so innocent that it does not react to whatever happens to it in these levels as against a grown-up person in similar situations. Jesus wants us to have a pure heart similar to the one that a child has so much so it does not even know the meaning of the word 'humiliation'!.
                                                                                   The second instance when Jesus gave preference to children over everyone and everything else was when the disciples rebuked the parents for bringing children to Jesus for his blessing. The reason given by Jesus for not stopping children coming to him was, "...for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew, 19: 14). As we parents, teachers, elders and guides try to educate the children, let us not forget that they have a lot to teach and educate us too. In order to take advantage of this God-given teacher , we should open our minds and hearts to the ways of children by observing their natural qualities and adopting them in our lives. Here we have the basics of our spiritual life. All other exercises and rituals we perform should be in conformity with these natural qualities learnt from the children. We should vehemently oppose and abandon anything that contradicts the principles learnt by us from the children. Thus would our relationship with God be truly meaningful and enriching. Let us remember that all works of the flesh in Galatians 5: 20-21 and the like are foreign to the spirit of children and the harvest of the spirit mentioned in Galatians 5: 22-23 is appropriate to the new man who is child-like.
Servanthood:  A natural tendency among us should be noted in this connection. It is to think that what Jesus meant by our becoming like children is only a metaphoric way of expression. For, after all, how can a grown-up person really become like a child? The doubt of Nicodemus about being born again is persistent in this case too. So, we easily brush aside the requirement of becoming like children as a way of speaking, and try to get along with the practical business of living in the world. As an added piece of consolation justifying our conduct, we say that, after all, we are living in this world!.
                                                          As if having foreseen this human tendency of trivializing, under one pretext or the other, the essential requirements of eternal life, Jesus made clear unambiguously what it takes for a grown-up person to become like a child. It was in the context of his disciples arguing on the way to Capernaum about who was the greatest. Jesus kept quiet till they were inside the house in Capernaum and asked them what they were discussing on the way. They were silent as they sensed that something was amiss from the way Jesus questioned them. The gravity of the situation may be gauged from the fact that all the way through Galilee to Capernaum Jesus was trying to teach his disciples about the need of his suffering , death and resurrection. Not only did they not understand what he said but also were afraid to ask him fr explanations. Their total attention was diverted by the worldly consideration of becoming the greatest of all. We read in Mark 9: 35 thus: "He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, 'If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all' ". this Jesus said after setting a child before them and identifying himself with the child as well as with his Father in heaven (See Mark, 9: 36-37).
                                                       Human ingenuity in resisting the Will and plan of God is so notorious that Jesus must have already foreseen how the very concept of 'servanthood' would be polished and made innocuous to suit our own life styles. For, it is clear that for a grown-up person to become like a child, the easiest way is to become the servant of all. As earlier the figure of speech was sought to be applied to the idea of becoming like children, now the idea of becoming a servant could not be done away with by any figure of speech. Here it is not a question of becoming like a servant, but just  becoming a real servant. No symbolic interpretation would do, for here what Jesus talks about is not about symbolic servants but about real servants. In order to scuttle the human plans of squeezing out the real content of 'servanthood', Jesus explained it by comparing our servanthood with the functions of a servant we might have (See Luke, 17: 7-10) Will anyone dare now to explain away the concept of 'servanthood' as merely symbolic or as beyond our capacity? A servant is one who listens to his or her master and carries out his orders to his entire satisfaction. Here the master has identified himself with the people for whom he died on the cross. We cannot serve the one neglecting or substituting the other! To say that one did not understand what was meant or it was understood differently is not acceptable at all. Specifically, therefore, we have to be slaves in listening with rapt attention to the Word of God and servants in understanding the people whom we are called to serve and do accordingly. Thus we become children of God. (To be Contd).                      
              

Christian Discipleship in Action (Contd).

Living in the Power of the Spirit (Contd).
Living in the Presence of God (The Way of Devotion - Bhakti Marg):  It is the easiest way to realize God by self-realization as against Jnana Marg and Karma Marg, i.e., the way of knowledge and the of action. It consists in presenting ourselves as we are, with all our weaknesses and failings, before God.  Here we are motivated by love alone and keeping the name of God constantly in our memory. One of the most common ills of present day society is forgetfulness. We are quick in forgetting the benefits received from others as well as from God and sharp in memory about hurts, insults and misfortunes that have come our way. This mental attitude keeps us away from self-realization and realization of God. It should be just the other way around. We should be quick in forgetting and forgiving any ill - treatment we may have received from others or any misfortune that may have fallen upon us in the past. Instead, try to think of all the good things that have happened to us and give thanks for the same. In this context, we see that it is God Himself whom we have to constantly thank and that is a way of living in His presence. Thanking God has to be more than verbal and has to be manifested in our daily life by our life-style! Our human tendency is to wait for miracles to happen to thank God and especially if it is connected with saving us from danger to our lives or some troubles in life. If we live in the presence of God , we shall not wait for such exceptional occasions to thank God but do it at every moment of our lives. Some might think of the impossibility of constantly living in the presence of God and thanking Him just like the perceived impossibility of always praying. They might reasonably think of the daily duties we have to perform as an obstacle to constantly living in the presence of God. It is a question here of combining our spiritual life and life in the world, that may be termed our secular life, into a wholesome unity. How can we, living in this world with all its cares, live in the power of the Spirit especially through love of God in as far as it is the same as living in the presence of God?  
The Greatest Commandment:  "One of the Pharisees who was a lawyer asked Jesus: 'Master, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' He answered. 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart; with all your soul with all your mind'' That is the greatest commandment. It comes first. The second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'. Everything in the Law and the Prophets hangs on these two commandments" (Matthew, 22: 35-40; See Deuteronomy, 6: 5). Some people would like to mix up the first and second commandments and say that loving God is the same as loving your neighbor and vice-versa. It is true that, in the Bible, love of neighbor verifies the genuineness of the love we have for God. However, it does not identify one with the other. In fact, in order to truly love our neighbor we have to first love God with our entire heart. How is it possible to love God with our entire heart and then love someone or something else at the same time? Here we have parallels in the other two problems mentioned above, namely, always praying and doing daily duties and living in the presence of God and being involved in activities in the world.
Two Senses:  How shall we be able to combine our spiritual life and life in the world into a wholesome unity is the underlying problem in all of these cases. The answer to this consists in distinguishing between two senses of the realities behind words like 'love', 'presence' and 'prayer'. The first sense of these words would consist in their use in connection with our relationship with God alone. In this sense, our love for God would be manifested as undercurrents to our entire existence. All our actions would be suffused with the spirit of love of God. Just as in a river the undercurrents guide and direct all other currents on the surface of the river, our love for God co-exists with and directs our love for our neighbor. Similarly, our prayers would be in secret and addressed to the Father in heaven. Elements of contemplation, thanksgiving and glorification of the Father would be prominent in this kind of prayers. Our prayers in public and in community would be filled with the spirit of this kind of personal prayer  Living in the presence of God would be a consequence of remembering what the Lord has done for us with a thankful heart and does not come in the way of our routine duties. It is similar to the attitude of a servant who looks after the children of his master as if they were his own. However, his mind and heart would be with his own children living in his hometown for whom he is actually working.
                                               The second sense of the words 'love', 'presence' and 'prayer' would be found in their use in relation to our activities in the world. What is the guarantee that our love of neighbor is the right kind of love? It would be the right kind of love if this second sense of 'love' is governed by its first sense. Similar is the case with 'presence' and 'prayer' too. In short, our relationship with God (spirituality - the sacred) creates the right attitudes and the spirit that should guide our life in the world (secular life). Here a possible difficulty might crop up about the diverse internal laws that govern the spiritual world and the world we live in. Unless we go by the laws of the latter we cannot be expected to to get ahead in life. To make things worse, very often the spiritual and worldly values are diametrically opposed to each other.
Detachment:  The solution to these difficulties can be found in the attitude of detachment we should have in our daily life. Detachment consists in the attitude of living in the world without being worldly, i.e., without the worldly values as opposed to spiritual values. Worldly possessions are a great drag on our spiritual nature and unless we get rid of these possessions we shall not grow spiritually. Our attitudes towards riches and possessions can either bind ourselves to them or free us from their clutches. If we are bound by the attractions of riches and possessions, the words of Jesus should awaken us: "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Mark, 10: 25). This freedom is achieved through detachment. Jesus called such people "poor in spirit" (Matthew, 5: 3), for although they may have riches and possessions they are not bound by their attractions.  Their mind and heart are free to do good and show mercy to the poor and they never think of using their riches and influence gained through them to do any evil. These are the people who lead secular lives as against those who have decisively broken their bonds with the world by selling off all their possessions and distributing them to the poor (See Matthew, 19: 21).      
                                          Detachment, in other words, is a kind of death to the world and to one's own self. Unless we get rid of the worldly values and our own selfish outlooks, we can never grow in spiritual life. This is what Paul calls the death and resurrection of the baptized whereby a new person is born (See Romans, 6: 4-8). Jesus had spoken about this kind of rebirth to Nicodemus (See John, 3: 3). A dead person is impervious to all attractions and repulsion, to all praises and insults, success and failure and thereby remains detached from this world and the self. Similarly, a detached person looks at life from a quite new perspective and his or her priorities are dictated by the new life in the Spirit. This is the secular life we mentioned earlier as opposed to mere worldly life. In the present day world of rat-race competitions for everything, unless we follow the internal rules of those competitions, how can we ever hope to excel? The requirement of detachment is not against following such rules. On the contrary, detachment, understood as 'Nishkama Karma' (Action without desire for results) of Bhagavad Gita, makes us even more efficient in attaining our goals. In such efficiency-driven actions, the only point we have to remember is that our action should be ethical, i,e., we should not opt for actions that are morally evil. A person who is ready for action without desire for results will also be ready to leave the outcome of results to God. Thus a detached person gives space to God for His action and intervention in our lives. This is another way of living in the presence of God. (To be Contd).     

Christian Discipleship in Action (Contd).

Living in the Power of the Spirit
                                                 Proclamation of the Gospel goes hand in hand with living in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Acts of the Apostles reports two unique cases of reception of the Holy Spirit that were out of the ordinary. The converts in Samaria did not receive the Holy Spirit although they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. "So, Peter and John laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit" (Acts, 8: 17). This case may be compared with the one in Ephesus where Paul found that the converts there were baptized with 'John's baptism' (See Acts, 19: 3). This must have been the contribution of Apollos before he himself was fully instructed in faith as those converts had never heard about the Holy Spirit. In any case, we see in those instances how the Apostles completed what was lacking in those communities. The second unique case of receiving the Holy Spirit is mentioned in Acts 10: 44-48. Peter was speaking in the house of Cornelius when the Holy Spirit came upon all those who were listening to the message. "Then he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts, 10: 48). This incident shows how the Holy Spirit is not bound by rules imposed by us and that was one reason the Apostles allowed the gentiles to be baptized without undergoing circumcision. "And God, who can read men's minds showed his approval of them by giving them Holy Spirit to them, as he did to us. He made no difference between them and us; for he purified their hearts by faith. Then why do you now provoke God by laying on the shoulders of these converts a yoke which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear? No, we believe that it is by the grace of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, and so are they" (Acts, 15: 8-11). This instance served as a revelation for the Apostles in steering the future of the Church without being hindered by preconceived notions of righteousness and salvation.  
The Spirit in Action:  There are many instances in the Acts of the Apostles how the Holy Spirit was leading those who proclaimed the Gospel message. The Holy Spirit took active part in directing Philip in his mission (See Acts, 8: 26: 40) of proclaiming the Gospel. Paul and Silas "... traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian region , because they were prevented by the Holy Spirit from delivering the message in the province of Asia; and when they approached the Mysian border they tried to enter Bithynia; but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them, so they skirted Mysia and reached the coast at Troas" (Acts, 16: 6-8). Thus we see how the Holy Spirit was active not only in the important moments of the lives of the Apostles, but even in their day-to-day mission of proclaiming the Gospel. This should give us lessons in our mission of proclaiming the Gospel that is not the same as just adding numbers to the Church. The first condition of a genuine proclamation of the Gospel is that the messenger be attuned to the will of the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself started his public ministry filled with the Holy Spirit received at his baptism and was sent by the Spirit into the wilderness where he was tempted by Satan (See Mark, 1: 9 -13).
                                                      However, God has given freedom to man to resist even the Holy Spirit. Stephen warns the Jews that being deaf to the truth they were heathen at heart. "How stubborn you are, heathen still at heart and deaf to the truth! You always fight against the Holy Spirit" (Acts, 7: 5!). The preachers of the Good News have to take care not to be deaf to the truth and fight against the Holy Spirit ! For, no one is immune to this danger of hard-hearted attitudes as no one is beyond the influence of the Holy Spirit. Let us consider three themes emanating from the reality of living in the power of the Holy Spirit. Anyone whose life is suffused with these three themes, mentioned below, can be reasonably certain of living in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Those themes are:
1. Living in the Presence of God (The Way of Devotion)
2. Living in the Freedom of the Children of God (The Way of Knowledge)
3. Living for Empowering Those Whom We come in Contact with (The Way of Action).
                           (We shall discuss these themes in the coming Posts)        

Christian Discipleship in Action (Contd).

Glorification of God the Father (Contd).
The Right Time:  The instance referred to in the previous Post about ascribing all glory to God the Father alone is the observation of the brothers of Jesus recorded in John, 7: 4 that reads:"Surely no one can hope to be in the public eye if he works in seclusion". It is a very valid common sense advice suffused with worldly wisdom and diametrically opposed to the wisdom of God. The Evangelist comments that even his brothers had no faith in Jesus as they urged him to show himself to the world through those things he was doing. In reply to their demand for publicity, Jesus talks about his right time as against the right time of worldly people for whom any time is the right one. People who are unwilling or unable to challenge the wicked ways of the world will easily go along with the ways of the world and would be liked for the same. They cannot be hated by the world. Rather, the world is eager to honor and reward them as one of their own. Jesus had his eyes set on the cross that was his right time where he would be publicly lifted up and revealed to the world. Since the right time for him had not yet come Jesus announced his intention not to go to the festival and stayed behind in Galilee. Here we can see how particular Jesus was about the purity of his intention in diverting all glory and honor to his Father by completely disassociating himself from the worldly world-view of his own brothers. This is an example of how one can create pure surroundings of one's actions and intentions referred to in the previous Post.    
                                            A difficulty often expressed in this context emanates from what happened later. "Later, when his brothers had gone to the festival, he went up himself, not publicly, but almost in secret" (John, 7: 10). The difficulty is seen in the seeming insincerity of Jesus' words to his brothers since he actually went to the festival against his own earlier announcement. The Evangelist himself solves this difficulty by his remark that Jesus went to the festival not publicly, but almost in secret. Actually the theme of secrecy is the whole point of this episode whereby Jesus submits himself to the right time fixed by his Father for his public exposure on the cross. Let us note here how pure is the intention of Jesus in transferring all honor and glory to God the Father even in the miracles performed by him. The same preoccupation with the right time is seen already at the wedding at Cana-in-Galilee. "The wine gave out, so Jesus' mother said to him, 'They have no wine left'.He answered, 'Your concern, woman is not mine. My hour has not yet come'" (John, 2: 3-4). Here again, Jesus is averse to publicly reveal himself before the right time fixed by his Father against the normal expectations of everybody around him. Yet he had to help the needy household and save from embarrassment all the hosts and guests on such a joyous occasion. Jesus seemingly tells his mother that she did not understand the significance of what she was asking for. The first miracle would be at the same time the first step to the cross where his mother would have a prominent part to play. In Jesus' addressing his mother as 'woman', the Evangelist saw special significance of a prominent role to his mother in the plan of God. The Book of Revelations chapter 12 and John 19: 26 speak about the role of the woman in our salvation as a counterpoint to the woman mentioned in Genesis 3: 15. The mention of "woman" at Cana is but a recapitulation by the Evangelist of this entire story in a joyous moment represented at the wedding. Here again we see how Jesus was diverting the glory and honor away from him with the help of the concept of the "right time".
Attitude of the Apostles:  The Apostles followed closely in the footsteps of Jesus by diverting attention from themselves attempting to glorify God in whatever they did. The man who had been a cripple from birth was healed by Peter in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth in such a way that the man did not feel the need of thanking Peter. Instead, "He entered the temple with them , leaping and praising God as he went" (Acts, 3: 8). However, Peter had to take care of the people who were surprised at this marvelous feat saying:: "Why stare at us as if we had made this man walk by some power of godliness of our own?" (Acts, 3: 12). There follows the proclamation of the Gospel by Peter about what God the Father accomplished in Jesus Christ whose name awakened faith in the cripple and healed him. Thus, the proclamation of the Gospel coincided with the glorification of God the Father. A similar instance is seen at the house of Cornelius, the centurion,  who prostrated before Peter when he arrived at the house. " But Peter raised him to his feet and said, "Stand up; I am a man like anyone else' "(Acts, 10: 26). Peter refused to be puffed up although humanly speaking he had sufficient reasons to think that he was someone special. God Himself ordered Cornelius to send for Peter who had a direct vision from God and had even raised Tabitha, a disciple, from the dead in Joppa. Besides, Jesus Christ himself had made Peter the chief of Apostles. What more does n man need to think that he is special before God and therefore different from others? But, Peter identifies himself with the common people and thereby gives all glory and honor to God alone.
                                                     An interesting incident of healing a crippled man at Lystra by Paul is narrated in Acts 14: 8-18. The crowds shouted that "...The gods have come down to us in human form' " (Acts,14: 12). They called Barnabas Jupiter and Paul Mercury and were going to offer sacrifices to them. "But when the Apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd shouting , 'Men, what is this that you are doing? We are only human beings, no less mortal than you. The good news we bring tells you to turn from these follies to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. In past ages he allowed all nations to go their own way; and yet he has not left you without some clue to his nature, in the kindness he shows : he sends you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons, and gives you food and good cheer in plenty'. With these words they barely managed to prevent the crowd from offering sacrifice to them" (Acts, 14: 14-18). Contrast this with what happened to Herod who was struck down by an angel of the Lord because he had usurped the honor due to God. When Herod spoke to the people , attired in his royal robes, the people shouted back that it was a god speaking and not man. Herod acquiesced in this praise and did not make any attempt to stop the people from saying so in contrast to what Paul did (See Acts, 12: 21-23). Not without reason that Jesus warned us to beware of people when they praise us because they had done the same to false prophets also (See Luke, 6: 26).  
                                                 These are classical examples of how to give glory to God by creating favorable surroundings through one's actions and words that deflect the glory and honor from oneself to be ascribed to God alone. Paul and Barnabas could easily excuse themselves for being honored thus by thinking that after all they were dealing with ignorant and superstitious people. Since they themselves were representatives of God, they could condone their actions imagining to forward all that honor and glory showered upon them to God Himself. Instead they rushed to the crowd after tearing their clothes, a Jewish gesture of showing immense grief and protest, and identified themselves with mere mortal men like those very people. Then they announced the Good News by glorifying God for what He had been doing for everyone including the people of Lystra. On the contrary, Herod was eaten up by worms and died. There are innumerable examples from Jesus. Apostles and the Church of the first three centuries to show that the right proclamation of the Gospel was but part and parcel of the glorification of God the Father.
Our Attitude:  Identification of ourselves, when we do well, with the people around us is essential for deflecting glory and honor from ourselves in order to glorify God the Father. Instead, very often, we are forced to identify ourselves with the people when we do evil and are detected by them with a simple remark like: "After all, we too are human beings!" Similarly we take extra care to do things in secret which are evil in the eyes of God and people and are ready to go to any lengths to keep them so forever. Thus we see the distance in spirituality between us and Jesus, Apostles and the early Church. It also shows not only that we are capable of keeping secrets by creating the surroundings required to keep them so as long as possible, but also that while doing good our intention may not be pure because of our secret longing for recognition and honor. If we should be light for the world, naturally we have to go out in the open and a light hidden is no light at all. Here what saves the day is our pure intention that modifies and alters the very character of a good deed acceptable to God whereby He alone is honored and glorified. From what has been said above, it must be clear that our intention can be seen not only by God but also by the people around us from the surroundings of the deed created by us! (To be Contd).
                 

Christian Discipleship in Action (Contd)

Glorification of God the Father:  Paul tells us that "...the same God who said, 'out of darkness let light shine', has caused his light to shine within us, to give the light of revelation - the revelation of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians, 4: 6). We must note three points here:
a) It is God the Father who created light (See Genesis, 1: 3).
b) The same God the father has created in us the light of revelation.
c) This revelation consists in letting us see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Glory of God:  It follows that proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is at the same time an announcement of the glory of God the Father. Besides, Paul tells us that the Gospel is the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the very image of God. Those who are not able to believe the Gospel are blinded by the god of this passing age and are on the way to perdition. That is why they cannot be enlightened by the light of God's revelation. The preachers do not proclaim themselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord and themselves as the servants of the people. How the preachers should conduct themselves may be seen from 2 Corinthians, 4: 1-5. Jesus himself had taught his disciples to be light for the whole world "... so that, when they see the good you do, they may give praise to your Father in heaven" (Matthew, 5:16). The art of doing good that automatically glorifies God the Father is the hallmark of a true disciple of Jesus Christ whereby his Gospel is proclaimed. Many so-called disciples might try to justify the glory and honor that accrue to them from their good deeds by saying that they never asked for it. The point to remember here is that as a result of our good deeds glory should have been automatically gone to the Father in heaven. This is what happened in the miracles of Jesus when the people glorified the God of Israel for the wonderful things done among them. If it does not happen with us, it may be because of the secretly lurking desire in us for honor and glory! The solution to this problem is suggested by Jesus himself when he said: "... when you do some act of charity, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing : your good deed must be secret, and your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you" (Matthew, 6:3-4). Even our prayers are to be done under a cloak of secrecy as the soul of prayer is contemplation of God resulting in thanksgiving and glorification of the Father in heaven (See Matthew, 6: 5-8).
                                                                     In order to reflect the glory of God, we have to deflect it from ourselves. If we allow glory and honor to percolate our selves, there will not be any reflection just like the light that passes through a transparent glass passes through it. A glass fortified by mercury is able to reflect the light back to the one who looks at it projecting an image of oneself. This is the difference between a mirror and a simple piece of glass. We are called to be mirrors of the glory of God for which we have to be fortified by His image, Jesus Christ. One may say that the analogy of the mirror does not hold good in as far as the image seen is not one's own but that of Christ who stands for mercury in the mirror. The dissonance is only superficial, in as far as the humans are  able to see their own image properly only through the image of Christ whose very life, death and glorification have defined what it is to be human. Proclamation of the Gospel has to go to the deepest level of what constitutes the reality of being human , especially in today's world of so many acts of brutalities perpetrated by so-called "humans" against other human beings.
                                                                   Where do we start to inquire for such a concept of true humanity except in the teachings of Jesus Christ corroborated and supported by his own life and death? He is the one who taught his disciples not to seek publicity and honor even when they perform some service or charity, prayer and fasting with the express warning that otherwise they would not have any reward from their Father in heaven. This he taught not only by words alone, but especially by example. In the Gospels, we see Jesus spending nights in prayer when everyone was sleeping. Fasting and penance he did in the desert for 40 days and nights. Even when miracles were performed in public, Jesus admonished the beneficiaries not to publish them.  Apart from the reason that people would not have understood the true significance of his miracles as signs of the oncoming Kingdom of God, Jesus wanted to deflect the glory and honor that would have been normally given to him. Although many of the beneficiaries of his miracles published them, Jesus succeeded in leading people to glorify God for what he had done through those miracles. How?    
Attitude of Jesus:  It is obvious from the Gospels that Jesus never wanted glory and honor for himself. His intention is clear from the actions he performed, advice given and precautions taken. If we don't want to be hypocrites in this matter, we have to closely follow the example set by Jesus himself. Unless we watch out and check our secret tendencies to invite glory and honor on ourselves, we may profess to be servants of God being in reality servants of our own selves! It is not enough to say that our intention is pure; the purity of our intention must show itself forth through our actions and the surroundings we create about them. That is why Jesus prescribed secrecy for what could be done in secret and demanded secrecy from others for what he had done in public. Apart from his admonitions of the requirement of secrecy from the beneficiaries of his miracles, there is a clear instance in the Gospels how much Jesus valued self-effacement achieved through lack of publicity for his actions. (This we shall see in the next Post).   .    .               

Christian Discipleship in Action

                                                           We shall discuss in the coming Posts the following points that play very essential roles in the proclamation of the Gospel.
Witnessing to Jesus Christ; Glorification of God the Father; Living in the power of the Spirit.
A disciple of Jesus Christ is one who would show forth the three aspects of spiritual life in one's life automatically. It means that such a person does not have to strive hard to exhibit them before others; rather, they will show forth themselves like the color, scent and beauty of a flower.
Witnessing to Jesus Christ:
                                           Witnessing is primarily by our life and not by words. However, we are expected to proclaim the Gospel by word of mouth also. A note of caution should be added here immediately that a lot of preaching the Word of God may not measure up to the standards set by God Himself. Examples may be cited not only from the history of the Church, but also from the uttering of some of the present day preachers of the Word of God. The first point to remember here is that no one is a preacher unless he or she is sent forth by God Himself (See Romans, 10: 15). The Prophets and Apostles and their successors are such preachers who should themselves make sure that they are preaching the true Word of God. This verification can be done if the preachers themselves practice what they preach by witnessing to the message through their lives. Otherwise, the people would have to be advised to "...do what they tell you, pay attention to their words. But do not follow their practice; for they say one thing and do another" (Matthew, 23: 3). All the baptized are called to bear witness to Jesus Christ through their lives thereby sharing in the royal priesthood of Christ (See 1 Peter, 2: 5-10). Those who are thus being built into a spiritual temple may be called upon to proclaim the Gospel by preaching also.
Witnessing to the Truth:  The Gospel Proclamation should essentially be one of witnessing to the truth. Jesus himself was born into the world in order to bear witness to the truth (See John, 18: 37). The occasion was the trial of Jesus by Pilate who was taken aback by the announcement of Jesus that all those who were not deaf to truth listened to his voice. Pilate saved himself from embarrassment by asking the most important question of his life "What is truth?" and going out to the Jews without waiting for a reply (See John, 18: 38). Jesus was made to stand before Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea, being accused of making himself the King of the Jews. On being interrogated by Pilate about this charge, Jesus connected his kingdom with truth. This was a claim nobody would be interested in to contest, as nobody wanted to bear witness to the truth and die for the same. Everyone would be ready to come forward to become a king of this world in order to lord it over others. Although Jesus was not given a chance by Pilate to answer the question "What is truth?" the answer was given by his very life and death. We should rather say that the Evangelist of the fourth Gospel removed Pilate from the scene, as he would not have correctly understood it if Jesus answered by words what essentially was expressed by his life and death.
                                                                                  Jesus as the light of the world expresses the same idea where the honest man comes to the light (See John, 3: 19-21). Our duty to proclaim the Gospel is the same as our obligation to be the light of the world. True light attracts and does not have to go in search of those it wants to illuminate and empower.True light stands like a bulwark of truth by which everyone is judged. This is how we would judge the world along with Jesus Christ , if only we become light of the world with him. Although Jesus was made to stand before the High Priest and Pilate, he was the true judge passing judgment on them by his very presence. This is what the disciples of Jesus have to do in order to proclaim the Gospel. He or she should be uncompromising in upholding truth and justice irrespective of the loss that might be incurred as a result of the same. In fact, we should rejoice when we are made to suffer ignominy, face loss of whatever is dear to us if we stand for a genuine cause. Let us not delude ourselves thinking that we are religious and spiritual, if we conveniently close our eyes to injustice and untruth leaving those who are affected by our apathy to fend for themselves. Let us stand up and proclaim the Gospel by standing for justice and truth, without counting the costs involved.  
What is truth?  We have seen above that bearing witness to the truth is the same as proclaiming the Gospel. Following the lead of Pilate, the immediate question that springs to our mind is "What is truth?". This question is so fundamental that our whole understanding of reality depends on the kind of answer given to this question. Jesus tells Pilate that he was born into this world in order to bear witness to the truth (See John, 18: 37). Therefore, truth is that to which Jesus bore witness. What did Jesus bear witness to? The Gospel tells us that Jesus bore witness to God, his Father. For Jesus, therefore, God is the ultimate reality and He is Truth itself. Being God's Son, Jesus is the fullest expression of God on earth and is His perfect image. Both the Father and the Son are united in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus we see that the ultimate foundation of reality is unity in diversity, realized in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. The whole universe, including the humans, is created by God under the master plan of unity in diversity. The love of God the Father, the grace of the only begotten Son and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit underlies the proclamation of the Gospel by Jesus Christ. This fundamental truth is proclaimed by Jesus through his life, death and resurrection more than by words spoken or written. In fact, the words of proclamation of the truth of the Gospel should be supported and interpreted by what Jesus did with his life and death. They were:    
a) The miracles performed by Jesus were manifestations of the glory of God, understood as signs by the Gospel of John. People testified that nothing of the sort was seen in Israel till then.
b) Even the words used by Jesus were so attractive and captivating that people agreed that they had never heard anything similar from anybody else.
c) Jesus lived, died and was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit who was active throughout his life.
                                                       These 3 points bring out in sharp relief the mystery of the Holy Trinity in action through the glory of God the Father, the Word of God the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the truth Jesus wanted Pilate to listen to. However, he was unable to do so as his ears were clogged with desire for power and position, which he had managed to obtain through the good offices of his friend and Roman Senator Sejanus who was himself a friend of Emperor Tiberius. We are ourselves handicapped by our own weaknesses and made impotent in listening to the voice of Truth constantly reverberating around our seemingly open ears. We must check and see whether our inner and spiritual ears are open to Truth irrespective of our preferences, likes and dislikes. What is that idol that rules over our hearts preventing the reign of the Kingdom of God in us? The Truth will liberate us and we shall be completely free enjoying the foretaste of heaven already on this earth. For, Truth is that ultimate reality in virtue of which things are as they are and are impervious to the manipulations of our imagination of how things should be. The truth gets in touch with reality and liberates us from our prejudices. If we are unable to enjoy the freedom of the sons and daughters of God, Truth has not taken hold of us and that demands a complete overhaul of our entire life. (To be Contd).          

Christian Discipleship (Contd).

Types of Discipleship (Contd).
The Disciples and the Risen Lord:  That all the disciples especially the Apostles, were a shattered lot from the time Jesus was arrested is evident from all the Gospels as they saw that nothing worked out according to their expectations. Even just before his ascension, they were worried about establishing the sovereignty of Israel (See Acts, 1: 6). According to Matthew 28: 17, even at the last moment before the ascension of Jesus, some were doubtful. The same feeling of the disciples is expressed by Luke as fear and terror thinking that they have seen a ghost when Jesus appeared before them. Jesus had to dispel their wrong notions by asking them to touch him and verify the reality of his presence. Since they were still unconvinced , Jesus asked for something to eat and being given a cooked fish, he ate it before them (See Luke, 24: 36-43) John reports about a doubtful Thomas in the resurrection of Jesus and a despondent Peter who announced that he was going out fishing  (See John, 20: 25; 21:2). We also know the mental state of the two disciples travelling to Emmaus to whom Jesus appeared and revealed his identity (See Luke, 24: 13-24).
The Discipleship of Mary, the Mother of Jesus:  We may categorize the discipleship of Mary under 5 heads and see how she is the perfect disciple of Jesus chosen by God.
1. Mary accepted the Word of God without any Precondition:  As a Jewish girl, Mary of Nazareth could think of the Word of God coming from the prophets of old, from psalms, from the books of Moses, etc. She never expected a message directly from God through the Archangel Gabriel that was beyond her comprehension. Yet, the moment it was revealed to her that the message was the Word of God for her, she completely dedicated her whole self to the service of the Word. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your Word" (Luke, 1: 38).
2. Mary took Pains to Offer her Services without Claiming Privileges:  Mary undertook a journey from Galilee to Judea in order to be of service to Elizabeth as soon as she heard from the Angel that she was with child and it was her sixth month. She stayed there as long as Elizabeth needed her, i. e., for 3 months and then quietly returned home. Mary did not have any ulterior motive in helping Elizabeth nor did she expect anything in return (See Luke, 1: 39-56).
3. Mary Interceded for the Needy without Waiting to be Asked:  At the marriage feast of Cana in Galilee, Mary asked Jesus for help as if it was her own problem. Jesus seems to distance himself from her request in order to tell her that she did not know what she was asking for. To perform a miracle would be the first step for Jesus to the cross, which was his time decided by the Father for the salvation of the world. Mary was unaware and unconcerned of her own suffering as a result of this first step of Jesus to the cross (See John, 2: 4).    
4. Mary Practiced Detachment even in her Relationship to Jesus:  Jesus always seemed to slip away from her hands, which taught her detachment needed for true attachment to Jesus. The experience in the Jerusalem Temple when Jesus was 12 years old, slightly reproaching his parents about their ignorance of his real mission: "Did you not know that I was bound to be in my Father's house?" and therefore there was no need of searching for him, was a real revelation for Mary although she did not understand what Jesus meant (See Luke, 2: 49-50). The same experience continued in later life too as, for example, when Jesus asks: "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" (Mark, 3:33). The new relationship to establish which Jesus came into the world  is contained in his solemn announcement: "Whoever does the Will of God is my brother, my sister,my mother" (Mark, 3: 35).
5. Mary Pondered over Words and Actions of Jesus She could not Understand:  This is what she did with her experience in the Temple of Jerusalem: "...his mother treasured up all these things in her heart" (Luke, 2: 51). As we have seen above, more of the same kind of experience was to follow during his public life. Above all, at the foot of the cross, a silent Mary is the epitome of the complete self-dedication before the unfathomable mystery of God (See John, 19: 26-27).
                                                      From the various types of discipleship, as we have seen, it is clear that discipleship is not something given once for all to the one called, but is a result of constant struggle. Initially the call of God through His graces is a must for discipleship. Response to the call has to come from us, which need not be static and fixed, but may be constantly fluctuating and renewing itself. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, we cannot understand the mysterious ways of God. Therefore, constant and unwavering faith emanating in unceasing prayer is an urgent requirement. The disciple becomes a transformed personality whereby the old self is dead and a new life in Christ takes its place. This new life is the light that enlightens those around the true disciple which is the same as bearing witness to Jesus and glorifying God the Father in the Spirit resulting in proclamation of the Good News, i.e., the Gospel.
                                                     From a general view of discipleship in the Posts so far, we shall now look at the concrete manifestations of discipleship in the coming Posts in as far as they are intimately connected to the proclamation of the Gospel.    

Christian Discipleship (Contd).

Types of Discipleship (Contd)
Among the many women disciples who accompanied Jesus to his crucifixion, Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of James, are singled out by the Synoptic Gospels as first witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. John, however, concentrates his attention on Mary Magdalene as the sole first witness of this great event.
Mary Magdalene, a true disciple of Jesus:  When Jesus went about proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God, along with the twelve there were many women who had been set free from evil spirits and infirmities. Seven devils had come out from Mary, known as Magdala. There were many others including Joanna, the wife of Chuza, who was a steward of Herod, and Susanna. These women provided for Jesus and his disciples out of their own resources (See Luke, 8: 1-3). Just before this report, we read in Luke 7: 36-50 an incident dealing with a woman, who was living an immoral life in the town, standing behind Jesus who was sitting at table in the house of a Pharisee. We are not sure whether we can identify this woman with Mary Magdalene or not. However, the sum and substance of the incident probably fits the character of Mary Magdalene when the seven devils were ejected out of her. Therefore, let us transpose the character of Mary Magdalene to the sinful woman standing behind Jesus at the Pharisee's house.
                                                          While Jesus was going about doing good and announcing the Good News of the Kingdom of God, this sinful woman was a captive of Satan. In her whole life, she had never met a man who was compassionate and interested in her true welfare. Everyone wanted only to exploit her for their own selfish ends and therefore she was longing for true love. She may have had occasions to listen to the words of Jesus and to see his actions, which might have kindled a yearning in her heart that grew day by day. This was already the beginning of the working of God's graces to release her from the satanic bonds of captivity she was under. And yet, she had to say "yes" to the graces of God and that moment came when she decided to visit Jesus uninvited in a stranger's house. The hawkish gazes of the lustful men did not deter her from her resolve to get away from her sinful life. There was a flask in her hand with oil of myrrh and she went straightaway to Jesus to stand behind him weeping. She had found her true love sitting at table unconcerned about her. When her tears fell on his feet, Jesus did not show any displeasure nor did he stop her wiping his feet with her hair, kissing and anointing them with the myrrh. At this moment Jesus was mentally passing judgment on the two main protagonists of the scene, namely the Pharisee and the woman at his feet. The Pharisee, being the host who invited Jesus to dinner, proudly stood at the head of the table looking at the woman with disdain and at Jesus with suspicion. His suspicion was about the prophetic ability of Jesus who was apparently not able to know the kind of woman that touched him. The woman sat at the feet of Jesus kissing and anointing them without saying a word. The Pharisee's name was Simon and it was time for Jesus to kill two birds with one stone. He addressed Simon posing a simple problem before him about two debtors. Simon passed the test by giving the correct answer. Then Jesus applied the situation to the current scene where Simon was found wanting and the woman at Jesus' feet won hands down. It was a judgment of the one who reads the hearts of human beings and does not go by outward appearances. Words were not necessary for the woman to be truly repentant because her actions were louder than any number of words. Mary Magdalene was a changed person from that moment onward and she followed Jesus till the end.  
                                                     Thereafter the Gospels report the presence of Mary Magdalene at the cross of Jesus and at the empty tomb. There we see the prominence given to her by the Gospels. According to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, she is the one leading the group of women who followed Jesus from Galilee. According to the Gospel of John, the three women at the foot of the cross are:  the mother of Jesus, her sister and wife of Clopas, also named Mary and Mary Magdalene. John also says that early on the Sunday morning, it was Mary Magdalene who went to the tomb of Jesus. Mark reports that it was to Mary Magdalene that Jesus appeared first after his resurrection (See Mark, 16: 9). As soon as she saw that the stone at the entrance of the tomb was moved out, she ran to the Apostles announcing that the body of Jesus had been taken away by someone. Along with Peter and John, she ran back to the tomb where the risen Lord Himself met her. She was sent back by Jesus to the disciples to announce the good news of his ascension to the heavenly Father (See John, 20: 1-18).  
                                                    From the little we know about her from the Gospels, we see how Mary Magdalene was a transformed person out of love for Jesus. A sinner was turned into a proclaimer of the Good News of God's love and mercy experienced by her through the compassion showered on her by Jesus All of us are called in the same manner, if only we don't harden our hearts to the promptings of divine graces. (To be Contd).    
                                                       

Christian Discipleship (Contd).

Types of Discipleship (Contd).
The Secret Disciples:  According to the Gospels, Jesus was buried by two of his secret disciples and it was witnessed by two women disciples, according to Mark and Mathew, while according to Luke by those women who followed Jesus from Galilee. John does not say anything about women witnesses at Jesus' burial (See Mark, 15: 42-47; Matthew, 27: 57-61; Luke, 23: 50-56; John: 19: 38-42)
Joseph and Nicodemus:  Who were the two secret disciples who showed extraordinary courage in the face of contempt and threats from the Jewish authorities? One was Joseph of Arimethea who was a rich man and had become a disciple of Jesus, according to Mathew. Two important qualifications of Joseph recorded by Mark were left out by Matthew who had used the Gospel of Mark as a source for his own. The two qualifications were: Joseph was a respected member of the Council and he was a man who looked forward to the Kingdom of God.. Here we see that in spite of having all the trappings of power like wealth and influence, Joseph was found to be worthy of becoming a disciple of Jesus. One reason for this may be seen in the second qualification of the man looking forward to the Kingdom of God. Although Joseph lived among the riches of this world and even exercised power through the religious Council, his mind was dissatisfied and that is why he was looking forward to the Kingdom of God. That Joseph of Arimethea was a man of conscience is attested by Luke when he reports that Joseph had dissented from the policy of the Council and the action they had taken against Jesus. Luke calls him a good and upright man although he was a member of the Jewish Council as he kept himself away from all the political intrigues and selfish machinations of the Council members. John clearly mentions that Joseph was a secret disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews. All the same, he came out in public with full courage and dedication when even his closest disciples and Apostles fled in fear! This shows that the secrecy of his discipleship was a matter of prudence which Joseph wanted to utilize to boldly witness to Jesus at the appropriate time. Joseph being an influential Council member, Pilate had no second thoughts in handing over the body of Jesus to him.
                                                    The other secret disciple at the burial site was Nicodemus whom John identifies as the man who had first visited Jesus by night. John alone reports the appearance of Nicodemus and that too at the beginning (See John chapter 3) and at the end (See John, 19: 39) of his Gospel. He too was a member of the Jewish Council like Joseph of Arimethea, and visited Jesus at night in Jerusalem. Although Nicodemus was a teacher of Israel , he was completely stunned and bowled over by the teaching of Jesus on the Kingdom of God. Until then Nicodemus thought that he was an authority on matters pertaining to religion and God and that he could teach anyone in Israel. But, when Jesus started elaborating over the simple requirement of being born again to enter the Kingdom of God it was news to Nicodemus. He could not believe his ears and sought clarification of the position again and again. Jesus was dismayed that a teacher of Israel could not understand such simple things and still claimed to be a teacher!
Two World-Views:  What we witness in the dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus in John, ch. 3 is the unfolding of two world-views completely opposed to each other. One is from here below and the other is from above. One is about life here on earth and the other is about eternal life from above. The two perspectives could never meet unless the one from below is born again by the Spirit of God. Being a sincere and honest man, Nicodemus was forced to keep these things in his heart which bore fruit by the time Jesus was to be buried. He was himself a rich man and powerful too, like Joseph of Arimethea, and so he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about hundred pounds for the burial of Jesus. At this juncture of the evolution of his personality through the new life of the Spirit of God (which was given sporadically and as though by exception since the believers could not receive the Spirit before the glorification of Jesus, according to John, 7: 39), Nicodemus was a changed man. He did not care for his wealth, position, authority, etc., and boldly faced the world, consisting of the Jewish authorities and the Roman power, to take sides with Jesus at the last moment  Not that it was a haphazard event in the life of Nicodemus especially as a Jewish Council Member. We read in John, 7: 51 thus: " 'Does our law ', he asked them, 'permit us to pass judgment on a man unless we have first given him a hearing and learned the facts?'" Here Nicodemus proved that he was a real teacher to the members of the Council who tried to wriggle out of the awkward situation by a lame excuse in John, 7: 52. The reality of the faith of these two disciples in Jesus is all the more evident as they came forward when even his closest disciples and Apostles fled in fear and they had nothing to gain except losing their standing in society.  
Marks of Discipleship:  From the instance of these two secret disciples of Jesus who rose to the occasion as and when it demanded , we can see the true nature of discipleship. It does not necessarily consist in making a lot of unnecessary noise, showing off one's authority and power with pompousness inherited from the antics of some bygone ages and identifying oneself with the political dispensation of the times in the name of influencing the society in the name of Christ. Very often what happens is just the opposite where the influence is felt the other way around! When Jesus mixed with the rich and the powerful , he knew where to keep quiet and when to open his mouth. Look at how he criticized the Pharisee while sitting at his table (See Luke, 7: 36-50) and how he kept quiet at his trial before Herod Antipas, King of Galilee, who was a rogue and uncouth person. Even before Pilate his silence was telling, opening his mouth only to teach him a lesson or two! On the contrary, we are afraid to antagonize people whose support we crave for. Truth and justice can wait, whereas our good name and comfort cannot be compromised!! How can we be true disciples of Jesus Christ? Many of us want to be practical people in which process if Gospel values are given a short shrift, we should be looking for some interpretations to suit our present needs. (To be Contd).

Christian Discipleship (Contd).

Types of Discipleship (Contd).
Remembrance is Salutary:  A cock turned out to be instrumental in the case of Peter for being pulled out of the edge of a great abyss he was about to fall into. See how God uses all creatures for our benefit, even for eternal salvation! However, the crucial point here is that Peter remembered what the Lord had earlier said , whereas Judas could not remember anything of the past. He was irrevocably caught up within the mess of his own life without daring to think back on his life with Jesus. He could not remember anything that could have saved him from his own folly by repentance and return to Jesus. The end-result was self-destruction borne out of desperation and fear of consequences of his actions.
                                                         Remembrance is salutary and has redeeming power as can be seen from the Bible. God Himself takes the initiative to remember His covenant with Noah by setting up a sign in the form of a rainbow. "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between myself and all that lives on earth" (Genesis, 9: 17).  It is understood that if the Creator Himself takes on the obligation to remember the covenant , all the more should the creature remember it for its own salvation. All covenants were made for the purpose of remembrance of what had happened earlier which was salutary in the past and also will be salutary in the future. The parable of the Prodigal Son in the New Testament (See Luke: 15: 11-32) is a classical example of how remembrance is life-transforming! The New Covenant instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper and enacted on the cross followed by resurrection was meant to be remembered till his second coming. This is accomplished in the Eucharistic Celebration throughout the world. In our daily lives we should remember what has been accomplished by our Savior Jesus Christ and join our daily little sacrifices to the sacrifice of Christ represented in the Holy Mass.  
Conversion of Peter:  The reaction of Peter on remembering the words of Christ about his denial at the cock crow was deep sorrow for what he had done. He took the responsibility of his denial and confronted the fact that all throughout he was presumptuous and careless. The response was manifested by Peter's going out and weeping bitterly. In weeping bitterly a childish peter was turned into a childlike follower of Christ. Here is a lesson for the true follower of Christ who wants to be his disciple: weep bitterly for your sins. It is no sham sorrow or any action meant to be exhibited before others. Peter himself went out of the gates of the chief priest's house and wept wholeheartedly before the spiritual presence of his Master.  Although the Master was physically present before Peter, it was the spiritual presence of Jesus that helped him to weep and return to him. It was an experience Peter could never forget in his life and that steered forward his life from then on.
True Discipleship:  When Jesus was condemned, Judas was seized with remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders and confessed to them saying: "I have sinned" (Matthew, 27: 3). Thus we can see the contrast between the two disciples Peter and Judas . Both of them returned to their masters in their hour of need; Peter to Jesus and Judas to the chief priests and elders. Although outwardly Judas too was a disciple of Jesus, inwardly and spiritually he was a disciple of chief priests and elders who plotted the death of Jesus. Here again we see an important mark of discipleship: that it should be internally and spiritually a discipleship of Jesus irrespective of its outward manifestations. Mere outward show and pretense will not be counted as true discipleship. The new masters of Judas were not going to help him in any way and they dissociated themselves from the fate that awaited him. "So he thew the money down in the temple and left them, and went and hanged himself" (Matthew, 27: 5). The desperation and helplessness of Judas led him to his utter destruction because he could not remember the goodness of Jesus. It is a lesson meant for us also when we are overwhelmed by our ambitions, greed, selfishness,insincerity, crookedness, etc., leading us away from remembering Jesus and what he has done for us.  
Disciples by Chance:  Some become disciples of Jesus as they are forced to follow him , so to say, because there is no other choice for them. Even they can become true disciples of Christ as was the case with Simon of Cyrene. He did not ask for the cross of Christ, but it was thrust upon him by the Roman soldiers. We read in Matthew 27: 32 thus " Then they led him away to be crucified. On their way out they met a man from Cyrene, Simon by name,and pressed him into service to carry his cross". In Mark there is a reference to the sons of Simon the Cyrene, namely, Alexander and Rufus which was omitted by both Matthew and Luke.(Mark, 15:21). It was probably because both Alexander and Rufus were well known disciples in the primitive Church of Rome from where the Gospel according to Mark was written. It shows how much the originally reluctant Simon to carry the cross of Jesus became a committed follower of Jesus by introducing also his sons to discipleship. It indicates to us that a true follower of Jesus will dedicate everyone and everything one has to the service of the Master. The circumstances or the past of a follower of Christ are of no consequence, whereas the future is all important. There is nothing to be proud of or ashamed of in becoming a disciple of Jesus. It is open to one and all without any prejudice to religion, caste, creed, language, sex, race, culture, etc.
                                                    There is a brief touching description of the women disciples of Jesus in Matthew, 27: 55-57: "A number of women were also present , watching from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and waited on him. Among them were Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee". From this account, the nature of the women followers is evident. They left everything to be with Jesus serving him and followed him to his cross. They did not serve Jesus for obtaining some benefits and that is why they were not disheartened even when he was arrested and crucified. Their faith in Jesus knew no measure, which made them brave enough to follow Jesus to the cross. (To be Contd).
   
     

Christian Discipleship (Contd).

Types of Discipleship:  Here we want to stress the point that discipleship is not of a uniform nature, but can take different forms acceptable to the Master.
The Ambivalent Attitude of Peter:  When Jesus was arrested, as a loyal disciple Peter wielded the sword and cut off the right ear of Malchus, the servant of the High Priest. Even at this late stage of his training by Jesus, Peter could not grasp the meaning of the mission of Jesus nor its nature. He behaved like a faithful servant of a leader with political and worldly ambitions. In order to correct this misguided sense of loyalty Jesus had to sternly warn Peter by saying: " Put up your sword. All who take the sword die by the sword" (Matthew, 26: 52). Stunned by the harsh tone of an otherwise gentle Jesus, Peter obeyed and withdrew to the point of running away leaving Jesus to his fate. Yet his loving heart could not be reconciled to the thought of running away from the Master and this is why when Jesus was led off to the house of Caiaphas the High Priest, Peter followed at a distance (See Matthew, 26: 58). There again Peter did not want to stand out like the odd man and so he joined the attendants hoping to see the end of it all. Let us just imagine the mental agony of the head of the Apostles who was both courageous and cowardlike, both loyal and unfaithful, both obedient and violent, both hopeful and disappointed. In this terrible state of mind how could any human being do the right thing at the right moment? The person whom he trusted, loved and depended on for everything was standing bound for trial before the High Priest. Peter just saw how Jesus was judged aided by false witnesses and how he was mistreated by the people standing around the High Priest. Weak as he was already, Peter heard a sound like a bolt from from the blue when a maid-servant said: " You were there too with Jesus the Galilean" (Matthew, 26: 29).      
Peer's Denial:  Peter denied Jesus by throwing out the accusation against him in questioning the very meaning of the words uttered by the maid, by saying: " I do not know what you mean" (Matthew, 26: 70). It was a complete separation of his self from Jesus the Galilean with whom he had walked the length and breadth of Galilee, Samaria and Judea. Peter was with Jesus throughout the period only in "body" and not in "spirit". He could not understand the import of Jesus in God's salvific plan and therefore it was easy for him to deny Jesus at the least provocation. He didn't want a second questioning about his involvement with Jesus and therefore the categorical and unhesitating reply invoking his complete ignorance about Jesus! In a vain attempt to escape from this tricky scene, Peter walked to the gate where he was confronted by another girl who told the people standing around: "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth" (Matthew, 26: 71). Immediately Peter sensed the gravity of the situation and came out with a stronger denial than the first one, adding an oath for the credibility of what he said: " I do not know the man" (Matthew, 26: 72) was the second form of his denial of Jesus . In a flash Peter must have seen the futility of beating around the bush by discussing the meaning of words in a situation where his very life was threatened. So he decided to take the bull by its horns and went straight to the point of disassociating himself from Jesus in a very fundamental manner. Any reasonable person should be satisfied by his clever move, so thought Peter, and to ward off any lingering doubt in the firmness of his denial, Peter added an oath to establish the veracity of his statements.
                                                    A little relieved, Peter was about to heave a sigh of relief when people came up to him accusing : "Surely you are another of them; your accent gives you away!" (Matthew, 26: 73). At this unexpected discovery of his origin from Galilee, from where Jesus too hailed, Peter became childish breaking into curses and declaring with an oath: " I do not know the man" (Matthew, 26: 74). The vehemence of Peter's protest and its urgency may be compared to the theatrics of a shoplifter caught red-handed by the shop owner. To the assembled onlookers the thief would appeal for sympathy and understanding by using methods similar to the ones used by Peter. He saw that dissociating himself from  the company of Jesus was vital for his survival at the moment. In order to achieve it , he had to go against the teachings of his Master about eschewing curses and oaths on any occasion. Paradoxically, however, Peter was to use those forbidden items for the very purpose of denying his Master! What a fall for the one who was presumptuous and one who slept instead of watching and praying!! Good intention alone did not serve Peter in this test. By now Peter had reached the end of his wits and the nadir of his patience to the point of being beside himself. A mere flick would have been enough to tip the balance of his mental state to take a beating and Peter would have gone mad! Exactly at that moment a cock crew which transformed Peter who was on the brink of insanity into a new person. The reason of this sudden change was his remembrance of the words of Jesus foretold just before his arrest. "At that moment a cock crew ; and Peter remembered how Jesus had said, 'Before the cock crows you will disown me three times". He went outside, and wept bitterly." (Matthew, 26: 75). (To be Contd). 

Christian Discipleship (Contd)

Negative Elements in Discipleship
                                                        These elements are both external and internal to us. By their nature they are disruptive and unless we watch out and attack them, they will get the better of us and destroy our lives.
Temptation or Vehement Test:  Jesus asks us to watch and pray so that we may not enter into temptation or vehement test. There are many occasions for temptations and sins in our daily lives which cannot be avoided. God's graces and our efforts of co-operation with them are enough to ward them off or to fight them. However, here we are to watch and pray so that we may not enter into the vehement test launched by evil forces personified by Satan. We have no chance to come out of it with any degree of success and that is why we may not be allowed to enter such a vehement test. This will happen in eschatological times at the end of the world and at the end of our own life, that is, our death. In small measures it happens in our daily lives resisting which will fortify us against the final assault by the evil forces. Jesus wants us to watch and pray for escaping from such an assault which will be better than fighting it head on with our meager resources. What are the temptations in our lives that add up to a reservoir of negative energy leading us to final vehement test? In general we may say that whatever persuades us to conform ourselves to the spirit of this world serves as a drag on our nature making us incapable of fighting temptations. We are weakened day by day to the extent that the things of the Spirit become unpalatable to us. If we are governed by the Spirit of God, our nature becomes transformed and we are able to discern the Will of God (See Romans, 12: 2).  
The Sprint of the World:   Power is the one word that captures the worldly spirit in a nutshell. Money power, domination over others, knowledge-power, power from fame, physical power etc., are various forms of the worldly spirit which can corrupt and dehumanize not only the beneficiaries of such power, but also those who improperly exercise them. The saying "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely is applicable to everyone using power whether it is civil or religious. Authority is different from power by the fact that authority is always service like the authority of a mother over her children.While power tends to enslave the subordinates and in the process enslaves the power-wielder too, authority always liberates the holder of  authority as well as the beneficiary of the service rendered by the authority.  
                                                  The world cannot hate its own product and it hates anyone who does not conform to its spirit. How is it possible for a truly religious person to feel at home in the ways of the world? How can he or she take honor from those who are shaped by the spirit of the world? Interaction with the rich and mighty of this world by religious people should be to influence them and make them see God's ways. They should not be allowed to dictate terms in the spiritual realm which is usually alien to them. Jesus accepted the pharisee's invitation to dinner as he was ready to take him head on by exposing his hypocrisy (See Luke, 11: 37-51). When we keep quiet where we have to speak, we are guilty of complicity with the worldly, the cunning and the exploiter. Our standard attitude is not to alienate people by our reactions. In the process, we who are supposed to lead the people are being led by the crooks, the crafty and the worldly people to the detriment of our mission.  
The Weakness of the Disciples:  "Then the disciples all deserted him and ran away" (Matthew, 26: 56). All the Gospels describe how the disciples of Jesus, and especially the Apostles, were weak human beings like any of us. In spite of their direct interaction with Jesus for a period of 2 or 3 years, all of them were found wanting at the crucial time, i.e., the hour fixed by the Father to hand over the Son to the sinners. And yet, except for Judas Iscariot, who was a son of perdition, everyone else returned to the soothing and salvific love of Jesus, ready to offer their very lives to the mission of Jesus. This experience was specially relevant to the first century Christians who had to face daily persecutions on account of their faith in Jesus. The message here was that even those who had fallen away from faith could return to the fold where they would be received like prodigal sons. Weaknesses and failures should not lead us into desperation and self-destruction, but rather they should be turned into occasions of grace. Such experiences teach us a lot about ourselves and how presumptuous we are by nature. The grace of God is waiting to transform us by working on our nature if only we co-operate with Him. Little by little we learn to be fools for Christ's sake and weak for love of God and the humans. At this stage we are ready to proclaim the Gospel which cannot be done unless we become foolish and weak in the manner of God Himself ( See 1 Corinthians, 1: 18-25).
                                              What is the root cause of this weakness? In one word we may say that it resides in the flesh as against the Spirit. Flesh stands for not merely our body, but our nature composed of body and soul which is vitiated because of the original sin committed by Adam. Our own sins add up to the weakness of our nature forcing us to live in accordance with the spirit of the world.  The only antidote to this situation is supplied by the Holy Spirit who was sent to help us after and because of the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. One may legitimately ask a question here about the fall of angels led by Lucifer immediately after their creation, if flesh is the root cause of weakness and evil. Being angels they have no body , but are pure spirits and therefore were able to foresee all the consequences of their action in a flash. They were to enjoy heavenly bliss for all eternity, but as they were creatures, they had no choice but to serve God, the Creator. However, Lucifer and his followers were unwilling to serve anyone and as a result they fell like thunder into hell. Although angels are incorporeal, they have their own selves which they didn't want to submit to God, and in that sense their weakness was in their own selves. Self-denial and service to others are most repellent to all creatures and yet the Creator Himself decided to empty Himself, becoming a servant unto death. Therefore, anyone on the side of God has to deny himself or herself and be willing to serve which alone redeems us. We are not alone in this, but are prompted and assisted by the Spirit of God Himself. (Next few Posts will discuss 'Types of Discipleship')