The Joy of Discipleship

Picture the scene – it’s early summer and the warmth of the sun is pleasant and enjoyable, without yet having reached a level that is either oppressive or over-bearing. It’s a Sunday, and the countryside all around this small town in the south of Italy is quiet and peaceful. We’ve just finished lunch and the simple yet extensive flavours of Mediterranean food and drink linger in the mouth and the memory. As I look out from the window in my room in this monastery where I, together with a number of others, have completed a week’s retreat, I am happy. Of course! You’ve pictured the scene well, noting the variety and vibrancy of all that appeals to the senses. But it’s not that. Our retreat has been the last step in a journey of discernment and preparation and in a few weeks’ time we’ll be ordained as deacons. My joy springs from the deep peace I feel when I reflect on the call God has made to me, and the response I have made, with his help, to follow his call. The previous five years in seminary, trying to discern if God really is calling me to the priesthood, and how I can study, work and pray to prepare myself for this, have been a roller coaster of emotion, doubt, contentment, excitement, prayer and so much more. That retreat just outside Bari was in 1998 – a year later I was ordained a priest, and this year I celebrated the twentieth anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood.
As I have reflected on the last twenty years, I have thanked God for the support of so many people, practically, morally, but above all in prayer. There have been so many who have told me explicitly that they have prayed for me / do pray for me / will pray for me, and I’m sure there are many others whose prayers for me, and for all priests, are so very special because known only to God. As I promise to pray for all the people of God entrusted to my care, and especially so whenever I celebrate Mass, I know I can count on their – your – prayers for me.
We are followers of Jesus, on fire with his love, sharing that love with each other and with the world. This is simply another way of saying we are disciples, and there is great joy in discipleship. For each and every one of us, God has something in mind. Sometimes we think of that in terms of a vocation to a particular way of life, but at other times we think of that in the invitation God makes through the events of our daily life. Ordination did not mean the end of discernment, nor the end of formation! Discipleship is a daily to and fro of call and response. Each of us is called each day to be a better disciple of Christ. It may be through our friends, our family, our work colleagues, or the stranger in the street, that God invites us to resemble Jesus more and more. Jesus is our strength on this journey, especially in prayer and the sacraments, and Jesus is our joy. The Lord says to the prophet Jeremiah: For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope (Jer. 29:11) and Jesus says I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete (John 15:11). So let us rejoice, even when the roller coaster rolls most alarmingly, that Jesus has called us to be his disciples, and that he is with us to help us answer his call. Let us pray for each other, disciples on a journey together, offering support, praise, and even challenge, that sharing in his call and sharing in his life we will find ourselves sharing in joy.
Fr Chris
Parish Priest,
Bognor & Slindon RC parish
As I have reflected on the last twenty years, I have thanked God for the support of so many people, practically, morally, but above all in prayer. There have been so many who have told me explicitly that they have prayed for me / do pray for me / will pray for me, and I’m sure there are many others whose prayers for me, and for all priests, are so very special because known only to God. As I promise to pray for all the people of God entrusted to my care, and especially so whenever I celebrate Mass, I know I can count on their – your – prayers for me.
We are followers of Jesus, on fire with his love, sharing that love with each other and with the world. This is simply another way of saying we are disciples, and there is great joy in discipleship. For each and every one of us, God has something in mind. Sometimes we think of that in terms of a vocation to a particular way of life, but at other times we think of that in the invitation God makes through the events of our daily life. Ordination did not mean the end of discernment, nor the end of formation! Discipleship is a daily to and fro of call and response. Each of us is called each day to be a better disciple of Christ. It may be through our friends, our family, our work colleagues, or the stranger in the street, that God invites us to resemble Jesus more and more. Jesus is our strength on this journey, especially in prayer and the sacraments, and Jesus is our joy. The Lord says to the prophet Jeremiah: For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope (Jer. 29:11) and Jesus says I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete (John 15:11). So let us rejoice, even when the roller coaster rolls most alarmingly, that Jesus has called us to be his disciples, and that he is with us to help us answer his call. Let us pray for each other, disciples on a journey together, offering support, praise, and even challenge, that sharing in his call and sharing in his life we will find ourselves sharing in joy.
Fr Chris
Parish Priest,
Bognor & Slindon RC parish