Positive Elements in Discipleship (Contd)
The Importance of Prayer: If God is the initiator, what can we do to make disciples for Jesus? The very first thing we can and should do is to pray that enough laborers are sent into the fields which are ripe for harvesting. This makes God the initiator of His work where we are co-workers through our prayers. Prayer will help us to choose the right fields which are ready for harvest. It will prevent us from entering fields which are not yet ripe where if we enter, the effect will be like that of a bull entering a china-shop! The importance of genuine and sincere prayer for mission work cannot be overemphasized if we remember the work done by the Little Therese of Lisieu who as a nun died at the age of 24 within the confines of a convent. She is declared by the Church Patroness of the missions along with St. Francis Xavier who traversed land and sea to preach the Gospel in India and China. St. Therese is also honored as a Doctor of the Church along with Mother Teresa of Avila, a mystic and a prolific writer of spirituality. What does this show but the efficacy of prayer, recognized by the Church, even if one never leaves one's cell in a convent? It is not absolutely necessary to dash through the continents in the name of the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
The Holy Spirit constantly guides the preacher of the Gospel as we see that Paul, Silas and Timothy were prevented by the Holy Spirit from delivering the message in the province of Asia (See Acts, 16: 6-10). This shows how far the preacher of the Word is dependent on the Spirit of God not only to start but also to stop preaching! A genuine openness to the Will of God , away from self-imposed structures and strategies, resulting from the spirit of true prayer is an absolute pre-condition for proclaiming the Good News. The primary form of prayer is contemplation of God and His kingdom resulting in praise and thanksgiving. The prayer of petition, even for the noble cause of spreading the message of His Kingdom, should be overshadowed by the Will of God beyond which the disciple should have no interest at all! It is another matter to determine what would constitute the Will of God and how one would come to know of the same (Some hints on this topic may be gathered from our coming Posts dealing with the Spirit of Prayer, Relationships, the Reality of the Kingdom of Heaven etc.).
God's call: If God Himself is the initiator in choosing the disciples, what would be the responsibility of individuals seemingly not chosen by God? The first point to remember here is the fact that there are different levels of choice according to God's own purpose . In this sense all human beings are chosen by God for whom Jesus Christ died on the Cross. God is not partial to anyone and is not a respecter of persons and has provided sufficient aids for everyone to reach Him. The Gospel Proclamation is a call to enter into deeper communion with God that is the Good News. Baptism is the specific seal of contract between the humans and God to live this communion as a disciple of Christ. The second point in understanding the choice of disciples by God the Father is to try to know the mystery of God, the mystery of the human being and the mystery of evil through a study of the Bible. As they are all mysteries, we can have only approximations in understanding them which would, however, be sufficient to have suitable attitudes with regard to these matters.
The Transfiguration of Jesus: To know more about discipleship, let us consider the reactions of Peter at the Transfiguration of Jesus. Having seen the Glory of God enveloping Jesus, Peter spontaneously exclaimed that if Jesus agreed he would make three tents there: one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah (See Matthew, 17: 4). Peter gave the reason for the same as " how good it is that we are here". Mark adds that Peter was afraid and did not know what to say. Luke notes further that what Moses and Elijah were talking to Jesus was about his Passover to be accomplished in Jerusalem in a short while from then. Peter was eager as a disciple to be with Jesus in his glory while he was not sure of the passion Jesus was to undergo in Jerusalem. As human beings our nature revolts against pain and suffering, whereas pleasure, honor and glory are most welcome to us. Why is that we cannot enter into glory except through suffering and death? It is because flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God , in the language of Paul, and therefore the power of the flesh has to be muted by the power of the Spirit. That is why Jesus had to constantly instruct his disciples about the need of his passion and death. Peter, like any of us, would like to share in the glory even while he was averse to the idea of suffering and death. Yet, gradually he overcame the resistance and was crucified head down, the tradition says, as he thought he was unworthy to be crucified just like his Master. Jesus himself taught that that the flesh was useless in giving life: "The Spirit alone gives life; the flesh is of no avail; the words which I have spoken to you are both spirit and life" (See John, 6: 63).
However, Simon Peter and the other Apostles never wanted to leave Jesus even when many disciples left their company on the teaching of Jesus about eating his body and drinking his blood. It is not that Peter and the Apostles understood the words of Jesus, but they remained with him because of their faith in him.On being given an opportunity to the twelve to leave Jesus, "Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? Your words are words of eternal life' " (John, 6: 68). The transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain was but a prefiguration of the glory he would attain on his death and resurrection. The same risen Lord is present in the Eucharist through his Spirit-filled body and blood which are given to us for the transformation of our life. All kinds of crass materialistic understanding of Christ's flesh and blood are hereby excluded because of the presence of the Spirit-filled body and blood. All so-called "miracles" to the contrary are mere hallucinations of the interested parties to lead astray gullible souls! (To be Contd).
The Importance of Prayer: If God is the initiator, what can we do to make disciples for Jesus? The very first thing we can and should do is to pray that enough laborers are sent into the fields which are ripe for harvesting. This makes God the initiator of His work where we are co-workers through our prayers. Prayer will help us to choose the right fields which are ready for harvest. It will prevent us from entering fields which are not yet ripe where if we enter, the effect will be like that of a bull entering a china-shop! The importance of genuine and sincere prayer for mission work cannot be overemphasized if we remember the work done by the Little Therese of Lisieu who as a nun died at the age of 24 within the confines of a convent. She is declared by the Church Patroness of the missions along with St. Francis Xavier who traversed land and sea to preach the Gospel in India and China. St. Therese is also honored as a Doctor of the Church along with Mother Teresa of Avila, a mystic and a prolific writer of spirituality. What does this show but the efficacy of prayer, recognized by the Church, even if one never leaves one's cell in a convent? It is not absolutely necessary to dash through the continents in the name of the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
The Holy Spirit constantly guides the preacher of the Gospel as we see that Paul, Silas and Timothy were prevented by the Holy Spirit from delivering the message in the province of Asia (See Acts, 16: 6-10). This shows how far the preacher of the Word is dependent on the Spirit of God not only to start but also to stop preaching! A genuine openness to the Will of God , away from self-imposed structures and strategies, resulting from the spirit of true prayer is an absolute pre-condition for proclaiming the Good News. The primary form of prayer is contemplation of God and His kingdom resulting in praise and thanksgiving. The prayer of petition, even for the noble cause of spreading the message of His Kingdom, should be overshadowed by the Will of God beyond which the disciple should have no interest at all! It is another matter to determine what would constitute the Will of God and how one would come to know of the same (Some hints on this topic may be gathered from our coming Posts dealing with the Spirit of Prayer, Relationships, the Reality of the Kingdom of Heaven etc.).
God's call: If God Himself is the initiator in choosing the disciples, what would be the responsibility of individuals seemingly not chosen by God? The first point to remember here is the fact that there are different levels of choice according to God's own purpose . In this sense all human beings are chosen by God for whom Jesus Christ died on the Cross. God is not partial to anyone and is not a respecter of persons and has provided sufficient aids for everyone to reach Him. The Gospel Proclamation is a call to enter into deeper communion with God that is the Good News. Baptism is the specific seal of contract between the humans and God to live this communion as a disciple of Christ. The second point in understanding the choice of disciples by God the Father is to try to know the mystery of God, the mystery of the human being and the mystery of evil through a study of the Bible. As they are all mysteries, we can have only approximations in understanding them which would, however, be sufficient to have suitable attitudes with regard to these matters.
The Transfiguration of Jesus: To know more about discipleship, let us consider the reactions of Peter at the Transfiguration of Jesus. Having seen the Glory of God enveloping Jesus, Peter spontaneously exclaimed that if Jesus agreed he would make three tents there: one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah (See Matthew, 17: 4). Peter gave the reason for the same as " how good it is that we are here". Mark adds that Peter was afraid and did not know what to say. Luke notes further that what Moses and Elijah were talking to Jesus was about his Passover to be accomplished in Jerusalem in a short while from then. Peter was eager as a disciple to be with Jesus in his glory while he was not sure of the passion Jesus was to undergo in Jerusalem. As human beings our nature revolts against pain and suffering, whereas pleasure, honor and glory are most welcome to us. Why is that we cannot enter into glory except through suffering and death? It is because flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God , in the language of Paul, and therefore the power of the flesh has to be muted by the power of the Spirit. That is why Jesus had to constantly instruct his disciples about the need of his passion and death. Peter, like any of us, would like to share in the glory even while he was averse to the idea of suffering and death. Yet, gradually he overcame the resistance and was crucified head down, the tradition says, as he thought he was unworthy to be crucified just like his Master. Jesus himself taught that that the flesh was useless in giving life: "The Spirit alone gives life; the flesh is of no avail; the words which I have spoken to you are both spirit and life" (See John, 6: 63).
However, Simon Peter and the other Apostles never wanted to leave Jesus even when many disciples left their company on the teaching of Jesus about eating his body and drinking his blood. It is not that Peter and the Apostles understood the words of Jesus, but they remained with him because of their faith in him.On being given an opportunity to the twelve to leave Jesus, "Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? Your words are words of eternal life' " (John, 6: 68). The transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain was but a prefiguration of the glory he would attain on his death and resurrection. The same risen Lord is present in the Eucharist through his Spirit-filled body and blood which are given to us for the transformation of our life. All kinds of crass materialistic understanding of Christ's flesh and blood are hereby excluded because of the presence of the Spirit-filled body and blood. All so-called "miracles" to the contrary are mere hallucinations of the interested parties to lead astray gullible souls! (To be Contd).
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