Discipleship: What & Why? - From the Desk of Todd Flowerday

What is a disciple? What does the word mean in the Christian context? We get a hint from a related word: discipline. Think about the secular world. In the realm of sport, I see committed athletes. I see discipline. They don’t just get up one morning and win meets, games, medals, and championships. They work out. They practice. They hone their abilities just like a musician. Discipline is the spine of their life. When athletes are sweaty and spent, they can stand tall because they have committed themselves in personal and team discipline to achieve great things.

Christian discipleship is no different. It advances us beyond people who see their faith as a mere membership card. They have satisfied the minimum requirements of their church. Their name is on the registration list. They can now get married or buried, and their kids can get baptized and sign up for Sunday School or VBS or youth group or whatever a church does for young people.

This is really no different from athletics. Remember how we often speak of “practicing Catholics”? Do practicing Catholics really “practice”? Do we pray every day? Do we cultivate generosity to the poor and needy? Do we read about the faith and attend Bible Study and strive to make connections between the written page and the lived life? Do we Catholics stand tall and proud of our association with Jesus and with one another, even when we are tired and discouraged and fed up with the pandemic?

The synod of our archdiocese continues this Fall. Archbishop Hebda has invited us—committed us to examine our faith. To rededicate if we have relied on that membership card. To go deeper if we are already “disciplined” as a good Catholic. Over the next few weeks in the bulletin, I’d like to lay out what this means for our parish. We have plans to help one another advance in our faith life, to put some spine into our religion and our Catholic spirituality. To be disciples.

People in our archdiocese have been carefully planning this parish stage for months. I feel personally committed to the cause of discipleship, and Fr Paul has asked me to help facilitate our process here at St Katharine Drexel. I believe in discipleship. I believe in Catholicism. I believe our circumstances today place us in position to advance the Gospel and give witness as disciples of Jesus as our Savior. I hope you believe too.