What are the demands of Discipleship?

THE DEMANDS OF DISCIPLESHIP

1 Kgs. 19:16, 19-21 & Lk. 9:51-62

A disciple is one who is taught by his master.  A fitting image of discipleship is that of a journey, where the disciple follows his master on his journey.  Through our Baptism, we become disciples of Christ.  This discipleship is further lived out by each of us in our own particular state of life:  marriage, single state, priesthood and religious life.  No matter what specific form it may take, discipleship of Christ has several common elements.  Today’s readings put before us the stark consequences of being a disciple of Christ. 

The First Reading refers to the prophet Elisha who was called to follow the great prophet Elijah.  The call to discipleship came when Elijah threw his mantle over him.  Elisha accepted the call, went back and wished goodbye to his parents, killed his oxen, gave a farewell meal to his friends, and left to follow Elijah as his disciple.  After Elijah was taken up to heaven, Elisha continued the prophetic ministry of Elijah in Israel.

In the Gospel episode, we have, instead of Elijah and Elisha, Christ and His disciples.  Christ teaches us very clearly, by His word and example, what it means to follow Him and what price we must be prepared to pay.

The first is giving up our security.  After survival, the next most basic physiological need for us is security.  The most obvious type is material security.  For example, we feel secure when we have a lucrative job, plenty of money in the bank and a roof over our heads.  In a special way, the home is a symbol of security.  No matter what dangers we may face in the world outside, once we have come into our homes and locked the door, we feel secure.  Hence the old saying, “An Englishman’s home is his castle.”  By contrast, Jesus emphasises insecurity as the first condition of discipleship.  Jesus, Himself, lived an itinerant life without a fixed home.  His disciples are likewise asked, not so much to become homeless, as to be ready to give up every form of security when the occasion arises – be it home, or job or our money, or even relationships.  The paradox of Christian discipleship is that, when we have surrendered all our securities, Christ Himself becomes our security.

The call to discipleship brooks no delay.  We cannot afford to be distracted or delayed by other factors, however important they may be.  Jesus gives us an exaggerated example to demonstrate His point when he does not give permission to the man even to bury his father.  Now, burying the dead is certainly an important corporal act of mercy and, in the case of burying one’s own parents, it was even a holy duty.  These were actions which needed to be performed urgently.  Our Lord was by no means denying this.  However, the point He was making was that answering the call to discipleship was even more urgent than that.  When the Lord calls us to follow Him, we cannot make excuses to postpone it to another day, but must follow His will now, immediately.

The third, and perhaps most challenging, condition for discipleship is that of commitment.  “Once the hand is laid on the plough, there should be no looking back.”  In other words, once we have committed ourselves to discipleship, there can be no turning back.  Our word is irrevocable.  Sadly, permanent life-long commitments seem to be lacking in today’s culture.  The prevalent philosophy seems to be, “Try it out for a period, and if after that it doesn’t feel good, then move on to something else.”  This phenomenon is found right across the spectrum of society:  marriage, priesthood, religious life.  The Media often portrays the breach of commitment as something normal, or even fashionable.  Against such a mentality, Jesus reminds us of the need to maintain a single-minded commitment, come hell or high water!  The moment we allow ourselves to be in two minds, doubt creeps in and undermines our commitment.  It is wrong for a priest to fall in love with a woman or a married man to fail in love with a woman who is not his wife.  Persons who are single-minded in their commitment, will never allow another person to come between their marriage or priesthood.  In other words, when we commit ourselves to one option, we forgo all other choices.   

Lord Jesus, we ask for the grace to respond to Your call as a disciple, surrendering our security, acting with urgency and committing ourselves with single-mindedness.

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