Being a Disciple of Christ
The question has recently been posed in the comments section of this blog of how one becomes a disciple of Christ. I can’t think of a question of greater importance. The word disciple means one who is a follower or student of a great teacher. We as Christians should always see ourselves as students of Christ, as those who long to learn more from him about how to best live our lives and thus to become better human beings.
Here are a few of my suggestions to someone who is seeking to be a disciple of Christ.
1. Spend time in prayer, both communal prayer with other Christians and private prayer alone in your room. This prayer can take many forms, but the main goal is to begin a relationship with God and to continually deepen it.
2. Read the Bible every day. Even if there is only time for one verse each day, the Bible is a central way of learning more about the man we seek to follow. St. Jerome is said to have taught, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”
3. Have a regular practice of fasting. Fasting in its best sense is meant to empty ourselves of our own ego, so that Christ has room to fill us with Himself.
4. Practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
The corporal works of mercy are:
- To feed the hungry;
- To give drink to the thirsty;
- To clothe the naked;
- To welcome the stranger;
- To visit the sick;
- To ransom the captive;
- To bury the dead.
The spiritual works of mercy are:
- To instruct the ignorant
- To counsel the doubtful;
- To admonish the sinner;
- To bear wrongs patiently;
- To forgive offences willingly;
- To comfort the afflicted;
- To pray for the living and the dead.
These may seem like simple suggestions, but in my experience with attempting to live the Christian life the more we can keep things simple, the more likely we are to succeed.
What are your suggestions for those seeking to be disciples of Christ?
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