7th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C
Discipleship is one of the most important things that we need to defend and pay attention to in our world today because it has been consistently misinterpreted and misunderstood by many. When you say you are a disciple of Christ, you are attacked almost immediately because of your beliefs as a Catholic Christian. It is not just our society that is seriously fighting us or trying to destroy our Catholic faith, some of us Catholic Christians are culpable as well because we have failed to live up to the standards and values of what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ. Who is a disciple of Christ, and what does it mean to be a disciple of Christ?
The word “Disciple” is the primary term used in the Gospels to refer to Jesus' followers and is a common referent for those known in the early church as believers, Christians, and brothers and sisters who follow the Way. So a disciple is a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ, who is changed by Jesus, and who is committed to Jesus’s mission. Hence, discipleship connotes a relationship with Jesus, following Him, and adhering to His way of life because His teaching shapes our lives. Ask yourself today, am I a disciple of Christ who truly adheres to His teachings and follows Him? Am I really a changed person because of Christ and because of His blessings, graces and mercies upon me? Am I committed to Jesus’s mission of evangelizing the world? What exactly are the qualities or characteristics of a true disciple of Christ?
Jesus in today’s gospel reading gives us the qualities and characteristics of a true disciple. According to Jesus in today’s gospel reading, a disciple is one who loves his or her enemies; one who does good to those who hate them; one who blesses those who curse them; one who prays for those who mistreat them; one who when struck on one cheek, offers the other one as well; one who when someone takes his or her cloak, does not withhold even his or her tunic; one who gives to everyone who asks of them; one who does not demand back what is taken away from them; one who does to others as they would have others do to them; one who lends without expecting nothing back; one who is merciful; one who does not judge or condemn others; one who forgives others; and one who is charitable.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, all these characteristics of a true disciple as enumerated by Jesus in today’s gospel reading might sound outrageous and unattainable to us human beings, but they are all actually doable as Jesus Himself did all of them and has shown us in the Scriptures what it means to truly serve God and to be faithful to Him. So let us work harder today to become better disciples of Christ by modeling our lives after Jesus’s example; by serving and helping others; by living a sacrificial life for the sake of others; by being loving, patient, kind, and gentle to others as God is to us; by living our lives in total submission to God's will; and by working diligently, because our reward will be great in heaven and we will be true children of the Most High as stated by Jesus in today’s gospel reading.
