I've been thinking about what it means to be a disciple. What is a Disciple? I asked one person and they told me very quickly, "follower of Christ". What does that mean?

Here are some of my thoughts.

Sometimes we might define disciple, follower of Christ, with a feeling we have in our heart, but our action might be out of step with that feeling. Think about the action of the Disciples.

Sometimes we hear the word disciple and think of the Twelve. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine Jesus and the fishermen: Simon (Peter) and Andrew, James and John. They were out fishing all day with nothing to show for it, their nets were empty. When Jesus told Simon to cast their nets again, they obeyed and this time pulled up so many fish, their boat was in jepordy of sinking. Amazed by what He had done for them, they abandonded their gear and followed Him. When God calls us to do something, how do we respond? And when we see evidence of His divine providence, how do we react?

I also think of Bartimaeus when I think of disciple, follower of Christ. Remember when he kept calling out, "Son of David, have pity on me." He just kept calling and calling and no one could silence him. "Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see."

What strikes me is how Bartimaeus just kept calling and how this relates to prayer in our daily lives. He just kept calling out. Just keep calling out. Pray always.

But then all the more, how Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Imagine how one, in the year 2007, might respond to Christ saying 'go your way'. Sometimes just looking back on the days events gives evidence to this. Does todays action make manifest our faith? How could todays action be used as tomorrows guide to increase our faith and to follow Him on the way?

http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/luke/luke5.htm
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew4.htm
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/mark/mark10.htm

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts

Go To Jail

The outcast, the poor, the little ones always come before the Church and
before each one of us holding a gift. It's the gift of those things we
hate: insecurity, disability, a not-so-smart mind, a sexual problem or
addiction. We shun anyone who isn't like us who hasn't succeeded in our
system---like people in jail.
We need the corporal works of mercy. Go to jail, we are told. Why? We
thought to help others or to be a 'good' Christian, but those aren't the
reasons. We need to go to jail to get converted ourselves. We must go to
the edges and discover what the questions really are, what true success
is, and we must face our own failure.
I was able to live with my illusions as long as I stayed out of the
jail. I mistakenly thought prisoners were the bad people.

from: Breathing Under Water:Spirituality and the 12 Steps (Fr. Richard Rohr)
thanks to Marti Flemming for the contribution