Fr.Joji Babu

Discipleship

Fr.Joji babu

GENERAL INTRODUCTION     

Discipleship is a long journey with the master towards the goal he has set for his disciples. Each person has his or her own individual way of following Christ on this journey. To be a disciple is the primary call and being a religious or a missionary is only different ways in which the radical discipleship and commitment to Christ is lived. In this sense, discipleship lies at the heart of all Christian thought, life and ministry. The aim of this work is to make every Christian aware of his/her challenging Vocation to witness Christ in the world. As I have been given occasions to learn more about the Gospels, especially the teachings of Christ with regard to the Calling to follow him and my own personal Vocation “I began to think on my own Christian life and more over as a priest. It caused me to pause a while and think: “What does it mean to me to be a Christian?” As a result of that, I myself began to realize how challenging it is to be a Christian and moreover, to be a Religious priest. It is quite true that it is difficult to live according to the teachings of Christ. These thoughts gave me a push to write thesis on this particular subject.

            This work consists of three chapters and each chapter has its own characteristics. The first chapter gives “the concept of Call to discipleship,” and how he/she is called to be a true disciple in Christ. The second chapter tries to give a clear exposition of the Old and NT Testament concept of Response to the Call to Discipleship. Thus, it makes an attempt to expose “What is the response of the Disciples in answering the call?”  The third chapter is an effort to project the challenges of Christian Vocation and Pastoral implications for Christian way of life. Prophetism is a gift of God. Prophets were the mediators between God and man. They played a very important role in the society. They were men of God. They fought against the evils in the society and brought in fear of God among men. Jesus is the greatest prophet that the world has ever seen. Jesus is the only prophet who brought salvation to the whole world. Jesus brings liberty to the captives, gives sight to, the blind, hearing to the deaf and good news to the poor. Today, it is the duty of every Christian disciple to carry on the prophetic mission of Jesus. Every Christian has a prophetic role to play.

            Finally, to be a Christian means to follow Christ till the end. Christian discipleship is a vocation which is not very easy to live. It is a life full of suffering and hardship. It is a call not to follow Him simply but to take up One’s own daily crosses and follow Him. Once one becomes a Christian, there is no question of turning back. It is a vocation to nail one’s own selfishness, pride, jealousy, greed, hatred etc., to the cross. It is a call to live a life entirely based on the Gospel. It is a challenging invitation to witness Christ anywhere and everywhere that he is. To ‘follow Christ’ is an invitation extended to all. Not only Religious people are called to follow Christ but every Christian is a disciple of Christ. The Christian discipleship is truly a ‘challenging vocation’.

Chapter 1

The Call to Discipleship

INTRODUCTION

 A vocation is a call from God, and anyone who has felt God's call knows that the process is anything but simple. While most people think of a vocation as what they are called to do in life, it is important to understand that the first and most important call from God is a call to be - the universal call to holiness. When we talk about vocation, we realize that it is no longer ‘what do I prefer?' but rather ‘What does God want me to be?".  For example, a person may work in retail sales because he/she has what it takes to sell a product, to establish customer relations, to follow directions and to work with a team to accomplish daily tasks. That same person's vocation may be to be a single person, a wife or a husband, to be a religious brother or sister, to be a deacon or priest.  We have to believe that God loves us more than we love ourselves and that God wants our happiness more than we want it. In other words, we have to believe that God knows more than we do about what will make us truly happy.

1.1 A brief outline of the four specific vocations

We live out the invitation ‘to be holy' differently depending on which vocation we have chosen. The four specific vocations are: single life, married life, consecrated life or the ordained ministry. Each vocation is a call to follow Christ closely. For someone who has chosen a single life, even though they have not formally taken the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, yet they make a personal commitment to put their freedom at the service of others in their work and prayer. And in doing so, they strive to follow Christ in their daily lives.

For a married Christian couple, they follow Christ by giving themselves to each other completely and without any reservation, promising to love each other faithfully for the rest of their lives, sharing their joys and sufferings in whatever circumstances life brings them. They express their love through their sexual union, which brings them together in the closest intimacy and opens them to the gift of new life.

For someone who has chosen the consecrated life, their path of following Christ is through their vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. They are called to live as Christ lived; to model their lives on the life of Jesus- chaste, poor and obedient - making their hearts more free for prayer and service. For those who have chosen the ordained ministry, through sacramental ordination, they share in the priesthood of Christ in a special way. Their very beings are transfigured so that they can represent Christ the Good Shepherd for God's people and Christ as the Head of the Church. They not only offer their own lives to the Father, as all Christians do, but they also stand before the Church and minister to the faithful as Christ ‘in person.' Thus, when they teach with the authority of the Church then Christ teaches; when they absolve sins in the sacrament of Penance then Christ forgives; when they offer the Sacrifice of the Mass then Christ offers that Sacrifice; when they love, support and care for God's people then Christ is present with his people.The lifestyle and demands of each particular vocation is very different but there are some similarities between them. Each vocation is a commitment to love in a certain way. The object of every vocation is God.

As Saint Pope John Paul II wrote, “Love makes us seek what is good; love makes us better persons. It is love that prompts men and women to marry and form a family, to have children. It is love that prompts others to embrace the consecrated life or become priests”.Each vocation challenges us to live our faith more deeply and to follow Christ more closely. Each vocation, if it is lived generously and faithfully, will then involve times of lasting happiness and reward but also suffering and sacrifice. Finally, it is important not to compare the value of different vocations but to appreciate the value of each one and to discover which one is right for you.

In the Bible, God does indeed call people—some people, at least—to particular work, and gives all people various kinds of guidance for their work. But in the Bible, the concept of calling goes deeper than any one aspect of life, such as work. God calls people to become united with him in every aspect of life. This can only occur as a response to God’s call to follow him. The calling to follow God lies at the root of every other calling. It is important, however, not to confuse a calling to follow God with a calling to become a professional church worker. People in every walk of life are called to follow God with equal depth and commitment.

1.2. Mysterious character of the call

God speaks to people every day through his words which has a veiled character, If God’s words are not veiled, it would no longer be the word of God, it would be one truth among many, a truth we could explore without changing our life, without conversion. If word of God were to force itself upon us, it would not respect our freedom; it would not stimulate a loving response. God is all powerful and he hides himself because it is a joy to him to be loved freely by his creatures. He wants to be wanted. It speaks God’s preferential love and about encountering a person. It is through the events of life that we slowly discover love’s demands. In the conversion of two people in love there are always unknown areas. Their interior universe remains shrouded in mystery.

1.2.1. God calls by means of the events of one’s life

There are some creatures God seems to reserve for himself alone. It is God who is calling them. At the heart of the mystery of vocation is this, that God lays his hand upon certain persons so that they shall live for him and his work alone. The nature of this call has got three general hall marks, first emphasizes strongly at the supernatural and inherently mysterious aspect of a vocation. God is the author of the vocation. He has been pleased to call us, in his son, to this or that end, and we cannot call him to account. God calls whom he will: God’s call always comes with very definite end in view. The mystery of vocation, in the holy bible, is fundamentally the vocation of Israel as the people of God. The call of God does not come accidently to the person called. It actually constitutes the very substance of his being. God calls in creating, and he creates for a definite vocation.

1.3. Call to Discipleship

Discipleship is an important theme in all four gospels. It is the core of Christian spirituality. Christian life cannot be separated from the notion of discipleship. Transformation into the image of Christ is the ultimate goal of Christian life. It is following the plan of God, through following Jesus Christ. It is a relationship to be lived with Jesus. Christian discipleship is a process that takes place within relationships over a period of time for the purpose of bringing believers to spiritual maturity in Christ. Discipleship is not information, but character formation.

The English word disciple is derived from the Latin word ‘Discipulus’ which means pupil or learner. The word disciple’ literally means a learner’ (Mathetes in Greek). He is the one who lives with a commitment to the master, a commitment that makes a difference to the life and relationships of that person. Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ. It remains an abstract idea, a myth.A disciple continues in the Word, loves others, bears fruit, and puts Christ first.  It is not only a calling by Jesus, but also it is how one seeks Jesus, follows Him, abides with Him and expresses one’s faith in Him. The primary demand of Jesus according to John’s Gospel is for faith in Jesus and love for one another.

The two words ‘discipleship’ and ‘following’ are closely related. Following is not just walking aimlessly. “Discipleship is a way of life that must involve significant risk, hope, and willingness to speak the message and value of Jesus Christ.”  By responding to the call of Jesus “follow me,” consecrated people leave everything behind, and put themselves at the service of the Kingdom of God, imitating Jesus’ way of life. As a sign of their consecration to God, the Religious profess vows of obedience, chastity and poverty. A Disciple is one who lives with a commitment to Christ, a commitment that makes a difference to the life and relationships and goal of that person. All of us are disciples; in that sense we strive to follow Christ in all our ways.

1.3.1. Discipleship in Old Testament

The word “Disciple” is very seldom used in Old Testament. There are other terms and expressions which denote the idea of disciple. In the Old Testament, union with God is expressed in a dynamic sense by walking before God, walking after God, and walking with God.  The most important term is ‘walk.’ Life is considered a walk (Deut.30:16, Ps.101:2, 6) a metaphor which expresses continuity. The above mentioned three phrases together tell us the three different ways in which we ought to be related to God intimately in our life. “To walk before God” (Gen.17:1, 24:30, 1Kg.2:4) means an upright life - a sincere and God-pleasing life. To “Walk after Lord” (Deut.13:4, 2Kg.23:3) means to live in complete submission to His will. To “Walk with God” (Gen.5:24, 6:9) means a life of communion and oneness with God.

1.3.2. Discipleship in New Testament

A Disciple literally means one who learns-a Shishya. It also means a ‘follower’. The technical expression denoting discipleship in the Gospels is the ‘following’ of Jesus. The disciples of Jesus are the followers of Jesus. What makes a disciple of Jesus is the forsaking of all ties with the world, family and possessions and following Jesus wholeheartedly. Jesus said that a disciple ‘when fully trained will be like his master’ (Lk.6:40). “If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (Lk.14:26-27)”. New Testament Discipleship includes following Jesus in a path of suffering, expressed in denying oneself and taking up one’s cross. Following Jesus is the Centre of discipleship.  Discipleship is a situation that is never complete but requires dedication, denial, and a need to comprehend the significance of Jesus’ teaching.

1.4. Characteristics of Discipleship:

Following

Throughout the Gospel the word ‘follow’ is used almost exclusively of disciples of Jesus. Discipleship is a personal relationship and attachment to Jesus himself. The verb to “follow” is used to designate this intimacy with Jesus. One of the scribes then came up and said to him” Master, I will follow you wherever you go”. Jesus replied: “son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another one said to him, “sir, let me go and bury my father first”, But Jesus replied, “follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead” (Mt.8:20).

Discipleship emphasizes walking, abiding in the teachings, the immediacy or the ‘here and now’ of following Jesus. If one wants to be a faithful follower of Christ, he has to take the yoke of the Divine Master and follow, go after, learn from him (Mt.11:29), especially the ‘teachings’ (Mt.5-7), which summarizes the spiritual vision of Jesus. The person who abides in Christ’s word is a true disciple. Jesus said “If you abide in my word, you are my disciple indeed.” “Follow me” is a general command, which especially links discipleship with Jesus. Following can be a Christian way of life; following irrespective of time and place. “Following Jesus implies a continuous and sustained effort on the part of the disciple. It is a call to journey with Jesus. This following of Christ is to be the rule of life for all Christians.”  Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mk.8:34).

Listening

Listening to God and to human persons has much in common. First of all we must be ready to listen. Just as in a human conversation, we cannot hear the other person if we are talking or if our mind is distracted/pre-occupied so also we cannot hear God if we are distracted. We must be focused on what He is saying. We live in a world of noise. Almost everywhere we go, we hear sounds competing with our minds, blocking us from letting our thoughts get below the surface. So, deliberately shutting out the chaos around us and focusing attention on the word of God is essential.

Listening to God requires an attitude and a heart intent on capturing His message. God definitely honors the heart that is fully surrendered to Him. On the contrary if we stubbornly cling to our own desires, we are likely to get distorted message which will not be God's voice at all. As a result, we are likely to continue in the path contrary to the one God has designed for us. Do you desire God's will for your life above every other good? If you do, you can trust that He will guide your path. Listen to His message, and be quick to obey.

Treasuring

Jesus said “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys” (Mt.6:20-21). Jesus said to the young man “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, and come follow me” (Mt.19:20).Jesus was not against the rich but he believed that if we paid too much attention to amassing material wealth on earth, we would by default neglect the things required for eternal life in heaven. He thus advised his listeners to differentiate between things that give us earthly happiness and those that will help us amass treasure in heaven. 

Jesus is truly the richest person of all times.  He has everything. And he gave it all away so that we could “become rich” (2Cor.8:9). Jesus promised nothing less than the kingdom of heaven to those who are poor in spirit (Mt.5:3). Jesus’ identification and solidarity with the poor, the most painful and annihilating aspect of his self, forms one and the same sacrifice with that of Calvary. Those who share in the sufferings of Christ preserve in their own sufferings a very special particle of the infinite treasure of the world’s redemption, and can share this treasure with others.”  The crosses we bear make us turn to God more earnestly and make us grow in holiness by increasing our faith, hope, and love. The essence of sacrifice is faith and love, which make holy the suffering we endure.  Christ’s sacrifice was perfect because his love was so great.

Responding

Jesus turns to the crowd and speaks to them in the strongest possible terms: “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple” (Lk.14:26-33, Mt.4:20). In response to Jesus’ call disciples left behind everything (father, net and boat), and followed him, an absolute condition of being a disciple. It does not mean ignoring our family members or treat them with disrespect. “Father, net and boat stand for the value system created by humans.”  Jesus means that disciples should love them less than Jesus and He should be one’s supreme love and devotion. This would present a great temptation to choose family ties and harmony over one’s identity with Christ.  

1.5. Structure of true discipleship

When we analyze the Old and New Testament, we can see that the structure of call and response of the disciples are: to be with Him; listening to the word of God; responding immediately; by leaving behind everything and taking up the cross. Faith experience of Jesus Christ is the sole and authentic starting point of missionary proclamation in the New Testament. The first moment of mission as a movement to share Jesus with others starts with the faith experience of Jesus Christ as Savior. It is a self-transcending experience. The important elements in a faith experience of Jesus Christ as Savior are: Conversion, Discipleship and Experience of gratuity and gratitude.  Conversion shifts from one’s self to Jesus (Rom.6:6-8, Gal.2:20). Nobody becomes a missionary before an encounter with Jesus. Conversion is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing process. Conversion is a growth towards Jesus the Guru. A faith experience of Jesus Christ as Savior means a discipleship in terms of a transformation into divinity. An Authentic sense of responsibility before God and men springs from the gratuity of the divine gifts. The actual world cannot be liberated and redeemed without the evangelizers themselves having a profound experience of gratuity.  Disciple of Jesus needs strong faith. Jesus continues to demonstrate confidence in the disciples, and they are reported to continue to follow Him. Disciples meet with both favorable and unfavorable circumstances. The disciples, in general, are said to be examples of authentic faith (Jn. 6:69, 16:27). In John, faith is a dynamic reality of relationship with Jesus, ever growing to fullness. This is evident from the progressive confessions of the Samaritan Woman.

1.5.1. Self-Surrender to God in Faith

In our culture we usually show reverence to temples, gods and teachers. We believe that it is through them that we receive the glimpse of the presence of God. It calls for a personal surrender to God in faith. “Self-surrender contains not only the aspect of disposition, but also a whole hearted self-surrender which includes body and mind.”  It is very important to commit body, wealth and possessions at the feet of God. Surrender simply means perfect alertness to accept the events that come our way through the decree of divine providence. It also aims equal acceptance of suffering and consolation, sickness and health, poverty and contentment, scorn and riches, honor and glory.  Self-surrender enables the person to think of nothing but the divine. It is the state of complete detachment. “In this state of sublime resignation everything in the shape of attachment goes away completely, except that one all-absorbing love to Him in whom all things live and move and have their being.”  It is true that in order to surrender ourselves to divine providence we need a strong trust. We are not wise enough to handle ourselves without His grace. “Sin makes us less masters of ourselves, makes us less free, less persons and less Christians.” 

1.5.2. Denial of Oneself

“To become committed disciple of Christ, one has to deny oneself, take up the cross and follow Jesus, the divine master, on the way of the cross” (Mk.8:34).  To live the very life of the Master and to put it in to practice his radical teachings, we will have to be empowered by the active presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. If Jesus, their Master, is falsely accused by His enemies, His disciples can expect the same destiny and dignity. Jesus means that ultimately the disciples will have to be conformed to the image of their Master. This conformation to His image is possible only through suffering with Him. They must carry their cross even daily (Lk.9:23), and drink the same cup of suffering that Jesus drinks (Mk.10:38) and finally receive from Jesus the gift of the kingdom (Mt.19:28, Jn.14:3).

1.5.3. Commitment

Salvation is freely given to us, the most expensive gift ever given to us. The payment for that salvation price is His very life. He calls us to do the same, to give up everything what we have and we are and to commit our very being to Him. Jesus tells us that every fiber of our being, every facet of our lives must be committed to love and serve God. This means that we must hold nothing back from Him because God holds nothing back from us (Jn.3:16). The vital picture of commitment for us is sacrifice, selflessness, and service. St. Paul followed the Lord’s example of commitment in sacrifice and service. Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal.2:20). Being committed to Christ means being fruitful; it means being a servant. Disciples are called to challenge and to announce the good news, to be the conscience keepers of society.  They strive to promote justice and compassion. Disciples are not meant to be builders and maintainers of institutions but are to be pioneers of the new approaches, respondents to the new needs of the church and the people of God, and developers of alternative ways to meet needs of the church and the people of God. 

1.5.4. To be with Him: Imbibing Jesus

Disciple’s growth in spiritual maturity is from an intimate relationship with Jesus. Jesus’ parables show the love, compassion, and tenderness that flow from him. The living God can reach out from heaven and touch disciple’s life today. Through reading God's Word, our relationship with Jesus begins to take on new and deeper significance. Jesus never turns away anyone who seeks him. He will give every help they need to build an intense, intimate relationship with him. For imbibing Him we have to talk and pray, trusting and submitting to Him. 

1.6. Challenges of true discipleship

There are certainly some clearly noticeable challenges in discipleship. We all are followers of Jesus Christ. We are called to follow him who is the way, the truth, and life (Jn.14:6). Practical people always need sure ground underfoot. This is the important challenge in discipleship. We do not want to launch out into the deep, we are afraid of being left with “nothing, neither a past for precedent nor a future foreseeable.”  There are external and internal factors which challenge the discipleship.

1.6.1. External Factors

Disciples are people chosen, called and sent for the sake of others with no right for settling down. They have no right to exist for themselves or search for their own safety, security and prestige. One of the most challenges in being a disciple of Jesus is globalization. The opportunities that a person foregoes in order to follow Jesus, makes the path of discipleship a tough one to follow. According to Robert J. Schreiter, globalization “is about the increasingly interconnected character of the political, economic, and social life of the people on this planet.”  Second threat of discipleship is familiarity. The temptation against our God ward journey, a constant threat to our discipleship is familiarity. “Familiarity ensnares us more seriously when we begin to justify things as they are and ourselves as we are.”  The third challenge of discipleship is “our ministries for mission turned into self-serving institutions.”  Excessive planning and functionalism blocks the freedom of the Holy Spirit. Pope Francis said on 22nd December 2014, “It is always more easy and comfortable to settle in our own sedentary and unchanging ways. In truth, the Church shows her fidelity to the Holy Spirit to the extent that she does not try to control or tame Him, to tame the Holy Spirit!  He is freshness, imagination, and newness.”

1.6.2. Internal Challenges

The Image and Friendship with world are the important internal challenges. “The image determines our understanding of discipleship and its implications for our Christian living. It has been derived from many sources: family, church, school, legend, folklore, art, personal experience, prayer, and the practice of Christian living.”  “Friendship is one directed toward, not received from, the world.”  “Friendship with world means accepting that system as one’s own, identifying oneself with it, measuring oneself by that measure.”  Doing so makes one an enemy toward God.  “We are challenged to love, to repent, to forgive, and to celebrate, confident that He is involved in the heart of our struggle, involved in the interaction between God, self, and neighbor.”  Jesus has mentioned that “they ask for what they desire (ask God, we presume), but they do not receive because they ask wrongly” (Jas.4:3). They are trying to use God as one more means of gratifying their desires: “You as, to spend it on you passions”. They see God as part of a closed system with themselves. This is of course the attitude of idolatry: to regard God solely as the fulfiller of our desires.  Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Conclusion

In conclusion, discipleship is communion. It is the communion of the disciple with Jesus the master and through him and in the spirit with the Abba father. It is the communion of the disciples, who are brothers and sisters to each other and who have God as their father. The disciples become one family not only with all the Christians belonging to the different churches but also with the people of other faiths. The communion of the trinity becomes a model of the communion in the church, among the churches, and among all the religious communities of the world. Finally the spirit guides the community of the Disciples of Christ to form one home of love with the whole of creation.

Chapter 2

The Call and the Response of the Disciples

INTRODUCTION

Every Christian is invited to be a disciple of Jesus. The foundation of religious life shows that every Christian is called to Discipleship which has got a universal character. The call of the first four disciples of Jesus; Simon, Andrew, James and John, are scenes of vocation that implies the beginning of the history of discipleship. Jesus life and public ministry are open invitations to discipleship because he revealed himself as “the way, the truth and the life. All humanity is looking for the way the truth and the life. Hence Jesus invites all to assume his discipleship. In fact the invitation to discipleship is addressed to all men and women who desire to be incorporated into God’s Kingdom. Jesus explained God’s Kingdom through parables, miracles, healings, expulsion of demons etc. These were the ways of calling people to discipleship.

2.1 Significance of the call

In the Bible, vocation is not the privilege of a single individual but it is a call to a mission. It is never an imposition but it contains a freedom to respond to the call. The call to mission demands a conscious response. This calling is dynamic, open to change, in accordance with a new understanding of growth and maturity. A call is not always clear in the Bible and God does not always explain the reason of the particular call, e.g. the call off Abraham, of Mary or of Paul. God offers trust and support but the call itself requires total loyalty. In the Bible, vocation is not always linear or coherent and there may be advances and withdrawals, vocational crises and difficulties, e.g. as with Moses, Israel and the early church. A call can have a static once-and-for all sense, while calling evokes an ongoing progressive activity. This capacity for being called by God is for us human beings the sign of our transcendence and endowment with free will. Christians respond to god’s calling in different ways and through different charisms. The response to a call is always an interaction with God’s plan and each person has to realize to the in depth meaning of one’s own call.

2.1.1 The Call: Gift of God and Human response

God’s call or selection is absolutely gratuitous and stands in contrast to the human understanding of selection. In human selection, the rational aspect always dominates. In other words, humans select something because it strikes them as favorable and as good for personal happiness. Divine election, on the other hand, transcends and upsets all the conclusions and the thoughts (Deut. 7: 7-8). God’s call produces a favorableness, goodness and worth in the one chosen. Calling someone implies setting the chosen one apart. Divine calling accentuates the state of being and stresses the mission of proclaiming the word. So divine calling is a matter of faith experience, not logic. It is pure gift, not reward. It is cause of humility, not pride. Divine election does not establish dominion, but rather soul searching accountability. It is an act of God’s superabundant love for both one and all. 

2.2. Theology of the Commissioning Narratives:

Two major theological ideas emerge from either form of these commissioning narratives. First, leadership of God’s people is not something to be sought and cannot be accomplished by the skills and strengths of the individual. The great leaders of the Bible did not campaign for the position; they were placed there by God, by the community, or by situations in which they sought counsel from God.  Not a single leader of the Old Testament is portrayed as having in themselves the abilities to be a great leader. Even with figures that are remembered as having great personal skills (Joseph, David, Solomon, Nehemiah, or New Testament leaders like Peter or Paul), the biblical record is careful to attribute their "success" to God’s presence in their lives, their faithful response to Him, and their understanding of their role in the service of God, not to their personal proficiency or charisma.

In fact, a careful examination of the narratives reveal that often God chooses leaders that are totally outside the accepted power structures: the youngest child (David), a woman (Deborah), a wandering Aramean (Abraham), a scheming liar (Jacob), a coward (Gideon), a simple fisherman (Peter), a teenage girl from a remote country village (Mary). There is far more than romantic imagery in the birth of Jesus in the stable of a relatively unimportant Judean village to poor peasant parents, and in the fact that the first worshippers of the Christ were shepherds.  Such details of the narrative, which may well be grounded in historical events, go beyond historical reality and reveal a deliberate theological confession about service to God.

Second, leadership does not directly relate to what skills a person possesses, because ultimately it is not the power structures, the connectedness, the oratory, the management expertise, the personal flair, or the intellect that makes the difference. In another context, to another leader (Zerubbabel), a prophet declares "not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit [presence], declares the Lord." (Zech 4:6).  This is the basic idea that is expressed in all of these narratives. The questions or objections in the commissioning narratives serve to confess the inability of the person on their own to carry out the task. It is a way to say, "I cannot possibly do this." That kind of humility before the task of leadership is understood to be a crucial element of good leaders in Scripture.  The same purpose is accomplished in the narratives in which the commissioning is grounded in an encounter with God "high and lofty" (Isa 6:1) that leads to the confession "Woe is me . . . for I am unclean" (v. 5).

And yet, the promise is always, "I will be with you."  The promise of God to divinely commissioned leaders is that, while they cannot lead God’s people in their own strength, He will be with them to enable and empower them through His strength. It is only when they realize that they cannot adequately lead God’s people, are willing to confess that inadequacy, and are willing to defer to someone else, that they are in a position to hear and accept the promise of God’s presence. And that acknowledgement of the power and presence of God active in the world is enough to sustain the leader.

Paul declares, "We have this treasure [of the Gospel] in earthen vessels that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God, and not of ourselves" (2 Cor 4:7). This follows closely his statement: "For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake" (4:5).   Paul’s favorite term for himself was "slave" or "servant," both of God and of the people. But he also affirmed, relating to his task as leader, "I can do all things through him who gives me strength" (Phil 4:13).

That same idea echoed as a warning to Israel throughout the Old Testament, the temptation to assume that success was the result of human effort and skill (Duet 8:11-20, Josh 7:3). The fact that it is repeated so often, in both Testaments, should itself be a significant warning to us, and to potential leaders.  In this sense, the commissioning narrative, even as a culturally shaped literary structure, becomes a significant theological confession.

2.3 The structure of the human response

While there are variations in structure and some scholars make further distinctions based on these differences, there are normally five basic elements of these accounts:

1) A situation of distress or crisis in which God confronts the person

2) The commissioning of the person for some action or message Characteristics of the disciples

3) Objections raised by the person in the form of inadequacy for the task

4) Assurance of God’s help, often in the formula "I will be with you"

 5) A sign to confirm the commission, often with the content of the commission

2. 4   Men (Prophets) called for response in the Old Testament

Carrying the theme of election and representation a step further, from this remnant certain men were specially called by God to signs (Is. 8:18; Jer. 16: 1-9; Ezek. 24: 15-24) to the people. These were the prophets, called by the word of the lord (Mic. 1:1; Zeph. 1:1; Jer. 1: 4) which created within them their ability to respond. The very meaning of the word prophet indicates a call from God. The etymological meaning of the word is rather one who is called by God, one who has a vocation from God. In Acadian interpretation, the prophet was a man who felt himself called by God for a special mission, which was communicated to him by direct inspiration. The prophet was thus a charismatic spiritual leader. It was the function of the prophets to call Israel back to the way of the lord. Having experienced God’s mysterious plan for the nation through the communication of his word in their calling – which continued throughout their life – it was the prophet’s mission to bear witness to it in their lives and words.

2.5. Response of the disciples in the New Testament

In the theology of St. John, discipleship always results from some divine calling. “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you” (Jn. 15:16). The response to god’s call in Christ which results in following him first implies seeing him, believing in him. it implies an encounter with the calling Christ and commitment in faithful service to him which sometimes necessitates witnessing to this vocation by offering the call to follow Christ to others, as Philip offered to Nathaniel: “come and see” (Jn.1,46) . Discipleship  involves a definite, concrete, sharing in the life and destiny of Jesus, an identification with his own vocation, the call to suffer with him as one collectively identified with his response to his call.

 Unlike the Johannine concept of discipleship, the synoptic theology of discipleship can be summarized in and expanded from two sentences found in St. Mark’s Gospel: “and Jesus said to them, follow me and I will make you become fishers of men. And immediately they left their nets and followed him” (Mk. 1, 18-19; Mt. 4, 19-20). With these sentences, St. Mark outlines the nature and thrust of true Christian disciples throughout the whole dialog of salvation.

a. Discipleship is a freely given call of grace issued by Christ: a vocation is God declared direct sign, not a man determined. Christ freely called those he desired. (Mk.3:13; Mt. 4: 21). Only in one instance, in Mk. 5: 18, speaks about anyone spontaneously offering himself for discipleship. It happened that a scribe came up to Jesus and said to him, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ The scribe was responding; but Jesus said “son of man has nowhere to lay his head”(Mt: 8, 20). It seems like a delaying tactic which merely shows that identification with him in discipleship entails, indicating that it is not up to the individual to determine his call, the grace initiated call to discipleship must come from Christ the master.

b. The call to discipleship is an act of creation addressed by Christ the word: “I will make you become fishers of men.” Throughout the dialogue of salvation, the word of god’s call has created within man his vocation and the ability to bear witness to it in his response. In the beginning, god created the world by saying “be” through his word. Now his word made flesh creates within men their calling to discipleship: “I will make you fishers of men.” In this light, the call to discipleship continues god’s creative activity in the world, bringing the dialogue of salvation to its fulfillment.

c. The call to discipleship demands obedience in the form of conversion: “and immediately they left their nets.” Being a call of grace, the following of Christ demands that one converts ( Lk.5,32) by leaving his former avocations in response to his vocation: “Lord we left everything and followed you”(Mt. 19,27). Converting to God’s word is based on hearing god’s word, his call, responding to it, with one’s whole personality. There are times when discipleship may even demand that one convert, like Abraham, from the source of his life, his family (Mt. 8, 22). In all the cases, however, his response must be immediate and permanent.

d. The response to the call necessarily expresses itself in discipleship: “Follow me.” The discipleship involves an attachment to the person of Jesus, identification with his own vocation, with his life situation and mission, a sharing in his god-determined destiny. It involves modeling one’s values and manner of living on Christ’s words and example. This doesn’t mean that the call to discipleship involves the call to lose one’s personality; rather it means one has received the divine mandate to work for its perfection. Thus, in calling fishermen, Christ fulfilled their vocation by giving it a further dimension: a higher, an apostolic thrust: “I will make you become fishers of men.”

Another thing to remember is that the call to follow Christ identifies the disciple with the master in his vocation as servant of god: a disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master (Mt. 10, 24). In all cases, however, it involves relating to others, offering one’s to others in imitation of the master who gave his life for others.

e. The call to discipleship commissions one to witness to his call in apostolic activity: “I will make you become fishers of men.”  Every vocation, by its nature, is a social matter. It is essentially a sharing in Christ’s salvific mission. Thus it is fundamentally other-oriented. Every true master wants to be assured his work which has been begun will be continued. In Mt. 9, 37 Jesus said the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Immediately after speaking these words, Mathew begins his missionary discourse with Christ commissioning his disciples to continue his vocation by their lives of service in poverty and continue witnessing to it by identifying with the poor (Mt. 10: 6-8). By the work of these disciples and of those to follow in the future, Christ would be assured that the kingdom he came to establish would be carried on.

The above mentioned New Testament passages express the need for becoming and remaining a disciple. Whoever wants to be his disciple has to hate his or her own family, forgo the duties of filial piety, take up the cross in Jesus’ footsteps and embrace a life like that of Jesus.  The disciples who were obedient in hearing Jesus’ invitation, immediately left everything and followed Him. Christ’ call uprooted them from their profession and families and gave a new direction to their lives.

2.6. Internal Challenges in Responding to God’s Call:

1. One Should Live One’s Life in Response to God’s Vocation: Vocation means calling. God calls everyone to faith and holiness; he calls some in particular to priesthood or religious life. These, however, are not the only sorts of vocation, for there are genuine callings to states of life other than priesthood and religious life. But, more than that, God calls everyone (including those called to the priesthood and religious life) with his or her own personal vocation: a unique share in the Church’s mission, a personal way of following Jesus.         

2. One’s Personal Vocation Should Embrace Every Part of One’s Life: Although many Catholics today realize that it is a mistake to limit personal vocation to the calling some receive to the priesthood or religious life, not all appreciate the comprehensiveness of God’s plan with respect to their lives. Inasmuch as the whole of life should be shaped by faith and hope, however, no part of it should remain outside one’s vocational life plan.

3. One Should Take Care to Discover the Elements of One’s Vocation: Since vocation is God’s calling, its source is God’s providential plan. Thus, one may not decide arbitrarily about any element of one’s vocation. To be able to discover the actual will of the Lord in our lives always involves the following: a receptive listening to the Word of God and the Church; fervent and constant prayer; recourse to a wise and loving spiritual guide; and a faithful discernment of the gifts and talents given by God, as well as of the diverse social and historic situations in which we live.

4. One Should Accept Every Element of One’s Personal Vocation: People have the right and duty to determine their own state of life and line of work, to decide where they will live, and to make many other large choices which will shape their lives.90 As these and other elements of vocation are discovered, one should accept what one finds oneself called to and, having accepted it, should faithfully carry it out the mission of Christ.

5.  One should faithfully fulfill all that Pertains to One’s Vocation: Each element of one’s vocation defines a set of responsibilities for witness and service which by definition should be fulfilled. Faithfulness means using everything one has to carry out one’s vocation, reaffirming one’s commitments against temptations, not giving in to discouragement, making the best of bad situations, dynamic submission to God’s plan and will

2.7. External Challenges in Responding to God’s Call

The Ongoing Effects of the Sex-Abuse Scandal: The recent scandal demoralized many in the priesthood, making it difficult for some to witness to the joys inherent in priestly ministry.

The Cult of Self: In brief, the norm of the day or standard becomes not ''what ought I do'' but rather ''what do I want to do now?''. The cult of self falsely makes religious life and priesthood seem enervating and deadening when in fact they are energizing and liberating.

Just Decide What You Want to Be: In the vocations arena the cult of self is seen in the emphasis on ''following one's bliss,'' not exactly a literal translation of Matthew 6's ''seek ye first the Kingdom of God.''

A Culture Uncomfortable with Silence: The discernment of a vocation requires that the discerner learn to be comfortable with an interior quiet, a realm of stillness in which the movement of God which is aimed at the heart can be experienced and relished.

Consider these realities: Different levels of cable and satellite television packages bring into the nations' homes literally hundreds of television channels. The disciplined person can use this situation to great advantage; in the lives of the less-disciplined, hours are spent going from one channel to the next, seeking interesting stimulation.

Two phenomena are taking place simultaneously: In the first place, we are becoming a nation of stimulation-addicts. Secondly, the various media seem intent on making sure we are paying attention to them (and to their sponsors). The combination of these factors make it nearly impossible for our young people to learn to take in the nourishment afforded by silence, and such silence is absolutely necessary in the discernment of one's vocation.

Failure in Prayer life: I would not want to give the impression that contemplation is the only element of successful prayer life. One needs to strike a balance between the social life (inter personal) and the personal life (intra personal). Having said that, there has been a tendency among some adults that those responsible for the formation of our youth, to misrepresent other kinds of activities, labeling them as prayer and giving our young people bad formation in the process of achieving false appreciation and gain.

Misunderstanding of Sexuality and Celibacy: Alongside some poor catechesis and sacramental formation lies a basic illiteracy regarding Catholic life and lifestyles. Youth are confused with the wrong notions and false examples of the ideals with regard to the healthy way of understanding about sex. ''Sexuality'' becomes conflated into ''sexual orientation'' and celibacy makes as no much sense to modern youth as did the cross of Christ to the Jews and Greeks.

Difficulty in Envisioning a Lifetime Commitment: We live in an age of sound bites where immediate gratification has become the norm of the day: today's fast-paced and highly mobile lifestyles make it difficult for young people to imagine committing to anything forever.

Conclusion

            To be a Christian means to follow Christ till the end. Christian discipleship is a vocation which is not very easy to live. It is a life full of suffering and hardship. It is a call not to follow Him simply but to take up One’s own daily crosses and follow Him. Once one becomes a Christian, there is no question of turning back. It is a vocation to nail one’s own selfishness, pride, jealousy, greed, hatred etc., to the cross. It is a call to live a life entirely based on the Gospel. It is a challenging invitation to witness Christ anywhere and everywhere that he is. To ‘follow Christ’ is an invitation extended to all. Not only Religious people are called to follow Christ but every Christian is a disciple of Christ. The Christian discipleship is truly a ‘challenging vocation’.

At the same time, these challenges are opportunities for creativity and hard work. In fact, they can be more than that: challenges can serve as moments of tremendous grace when those involved see them in the larger framework of the redemptive action of Jesus Christ.

            Chapter 3

Pastoral Implications for the Christian way of life

INTRODUCTION

In the previous chapters I have tried to discuss the different dimensions of discipleship, which implies a special call by Christ the Lord and the obedient response of a person to this divine call. In this chapter I would like to see the various forms of Vocational life. This chapter suggests the main elements of vocation. We will also see how the formation becomes an active agent in the life of the formee to work for the establishment of the kingdom of God, and to acquire the kingdom values in his or her day to life. Community life is the expression of Christian communion and it is meant for the acts of charity which flower in mission.

3.1 Different types of Vocations

Vocation can broadly be sub-divided in to three categories, namely the first one I call the universal vocation that is general and common to all. The second one, the privileged or prerogative vocation, for example, a fisher man, carpenter, blacksmith, farmer, teacher, judge, doctor, engineer, parents etc. the third is the special one or selective vocation or choice concerned mainly for those selected people like priests, religious, and other consecrated people.

3.1.1 Universal Call

All human beings, are irrespective of caste, creed, color or social status and conditions of life, share the universal vocation whether we are conscious of it or not. One of the special features of this vocation is that this is very foundational and pivotal in relation to all other forms of vocation as a child of God. It is of special mention that other silent feature of this is vocation is that it has an inherent other side of it correspondingly to seek, know, love and serve the neighbor too and to be happy with the latter here and now and hereafter as well.

3.1.2 Prerogative Call

Every adult human person apart from sharing the universal call or vocation, shares an additional second prerogative call. This comes to us sometimes as hereditary or as inherited and conventional like in the case of any adult person choosing to embrace the vocation of married life or family life. In other cases it is like, a farmers’ son becoming a farmer, teachers’ son becoming a teacher, or a doctors’ son becoming a doctor etc. all these are privileged and I call them as prerogative vocations.

3.1.3 Selective Call

Apart from this there is another call; this is neither universal nor prerogative but a special call and a selective call or vocation to priesthood. This indeed a special, free and unique call extended to the few like Moses, Samuel, Jeremiah, Mother Mary and Disciples etc. this is neither hereditary nor manipulated by anybody nor acquired by silver or gold. It has purely by divine inspiration and freedom, giving sufficient room for the divine providence to act freely and providentially on it. In Christianity we distinguish three states of life, namely unmarried lay state of life, married lay state of life and priestly or religious state of life. Over and above every catholic Christian who is also a member of the church enjoys a vocation. That means in vocation there is much common to the Christians, priests and religious as its springs from the same common source of being child of God through the sacrament of baptism. Therefore, Christian vocation is not monopoly of the priests and religious but belongs to every member of the family of God by the virtue of the common baptismal consecration together with the three fold mission of preaching, teaching and sanctifying. However,, it is critical importance to know, and understand the fact that it is only through one of these states and through a process of progressive loving and culmination of the universal vocation of seeking, knowing, loving and serving God and neighbor in the Christian context that we can attain perfection desired by Christ. Vocation is a lifelong commitment. Ever since we are called to different states of life, we have to live and actualize this vocation through or entire lives. In other words, vocation is a project of nothing less than a life time with all the duties and responsibilities along with it. It is a matter of constant mutual concern, interest and commitment.

3.2 The significant Features of the Call

Every person born in this world by the fact that he or she is created in the image and likeness of God has a vocation. It consists in realizing this inherent image and growing in to the fullness of this image. To be perfect is to be fully human. In other words vocation is a call from God to enter into communion with him through the fulfillment of ones’ humanity and thus to become a child of God. Unfortunately, the idea of this basic vocation inherent in every person is overlooked and the word vocation is being applied solely to the priestly and religious life. Thus it is not reserved to any special class of people who followed a special way of life. It is a call being coming from numinous being which can be addressed to any community or individual.

3.2.1 Every vocation is for a destiny

It implies a task and a function. Thus the one who is called is sincerely convinced of his or her call for a particular function and revealing to others the truths they apprehended about the reality of the absolute. In old testament, Israel in its entirely was called to be the kingdom of priests, a consecrated nation and different individuals were called for different functions. For instance, Moses was called to lead Israel out of Egypt, Gideon to deliver Israel from the hand of Midian, Isaiah to be a prophet to the nation, Cyrus the king of Persia to enable Israel to return from exile and so on. Likewise the New Testament lays emphasis on the calls addressed to different types of people for performing of various tasks.

3.2.2 Vocation implies a conversion or a change in the person called

Man of god is called to devote himself to a life of study of the word of god and of an enquiry in to Brahman. He is not called to perfect pattern of life, but to a life of search and experiment which finally takes him to his goal. it is the call coming not from mere numinous being but from a personal god who is, at the same time the goal and ground of history. It is an invitation addressed to a person who is endowed with an inner freedom and so called upon to make an active decision which implies a mission, a responsibility for others and a radical change of life. This change or new mode of life was also supposed to bring about a change in the lives of the others. The Christian call is primarily a call to inner renewal to detachment from self and commitment to God.

3.2.3 The call communicates a note of urgency

It is always authoritative, imperious, urgent, admitting of no delay or hesitation, demanding of a person a firm decision for or against and confronting him with an inescapable either/or. The way God calls is always indicative and it has a transcendental origin, the initiative belongs to him exclusively. Though it is from God, it is something deeply personal. This may be the reason why the prophets in the Old Testament and apostles in the New Testament except Paul did not experience any ecstatic suspension of personality, no loss of consciousness, not even the sharp terror of the numinous. The recipient of the call is wholly himself, in full passion of himself or herself. This personal realization is the life experience where in one realizes ones’ vocation in the deep interiority of the self. One receives his vocation every day and has the duty to renew his personal conversion and change at every moment of life, in order to grow more fully in it. 

3.3 Vatican II and the universal CALLto all

Vatican II Dogmatic constitution on the church states “it is therefore quite clear that all Christians in whatever state or walk in life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity, and this holiness is conducive to a more human way of living even in society here on earth.” The universal call is offered to all. It is vocation in this broad and inclusive sense, that every life finds meaning when lived as a response to Gods’ initiative. Thus vocation cannot be confined to a few groups, or limited to a certain number of church roles or human occupations. Therefore many types and kinds of vocation, but the core of the experience is always the same: the soul is awakened by it, transformed or exalted, so that instead of dreams and presentiments from within a summons comes from without. A portion of reality presents itself and makes its claim.

3.4 Call to build God’s kingdom

As the new testament candidly portrays, Jesus of Nazareth filled with the Holy Spirit preached the good news of the kingdom of God, and commanded his disciples to continue the same by becoming his witnesses to the end of the earth(Mk 16:15-16). The central part of the mission is no longer the establishment of the structures of the church, but the ushering in and establishment of God’s kingdom, namely God’s rule in the hearts and minds of the all the people. We must bear in mind that God’s design is for all the humanity. To obliterate all the divisions, conflicts and strife caused by selfishness and sin and to gather all the peoples and nations in to one family as brothers and sisters through Jesus Christ is God’s design. In other words, it is the creation of “a new heaven and new earth”(Rev 21:1),where all people, transcending al differences, live in harmony and communion among themselves, with God and with the entire creation. This we call as kingdom of God. It is a web of relations-a communion-a koinonia. It is a new communion and fellowship with God as loving and merciful father and human persons as brothers and sisters and with the whole of nature as God’s wonderful gift. The kingdom of God as communion is already present among the people through their words, deeds and witnesses (Lk 17:2). The mission is to make alive the reality of the kingdom in the reality of the people their words, deeds and witness. Today more than ever, we are called to work for the building up of this kingdom and contribute to the promotion of its values, freedom, fellowship and justice. Our vocation and mission consists precisely in becoming the pilgrim people of God with the message of God’s unconditional love for every person, a visible sign, a sacrament of communion with God and of unity of all people. We are called to be servants and also friends walking together in God’s mission.  

3.4.1 Witness of life: The first and most important means

There are diverse methods for continuing the evangelizing mission of God. In accordance with context of the people and in the light of the signs of the times, new methods could be evolved and employed for the successful implementation of the mission. But the first and most important means of doing mission is the witness of an authentic Christian life. The main reason for asserting witnessing has been well articulated by Pope Paul VI in his apostolic exhortation EvangeliiNuntiandi: “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than teachers, and if he does listens to teachers, it is because they are witnesses” (EN,41). In his post-synodal apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in Asia, Pope John Paul II said “there can be no true proclamation of the gospel unless Christians also offer the witness of lives in harmony with the message they preach” (Ecclesia in Asia, 42).

3.4.2 Let your life speak

The proclamation or sharing of the good news about the kingdom of God will be heard and accepted by people, whether they are literate or illiterate, rich or poor, young or old, only when confirmed by an authentic Christian life. In this contemporary society, marked by critical thinking and reflection, people cannot be mesmerized merely by eloquence and flowery language. More is needed. They will accept his or her message only when they are convinced that his words have emanated not from his lips but from his or her life. That is why, Mahatma Gandhi, while addressing a group of protestant missionaries, succinctly told them, “let your life speak to us, even as the rose needs no speech, but simply spreads perfume. Even the blind who do not see the rose perceive its fragrance…if the rose needs no agent, much less does the gospel of Christ need any agent…All I want them to do is to live Christian lives, not to annotate them. I have come to this view after laborious and prayerful search.” 

3.4.3 Witnessing: Method of Jesus Christ

It is to be noted that witnessing was the missionary method adopted by Jesus of Nazareth. He came to this world mainly to bear witness to the unconditional and unfathomable love of God the father “who causes the sun to rise on both good and the bad and to rain fall on both honest and the dishonest alike” (Mt 5: 46-47). He not only preached about the God’s word but also revealed it to the people through his life and ministry of compassion. His prophetic proclamation of the message of kingdom of God revealed the merciful, forgiving and unconditionally forgiving father who was always at the side of the poor, needy, drown trodden, the marginalized, the sick, sinners, tax collectors, women, manifest how God united himself with the suffering people, participated in their pain and agony, liberated them from their sickness, freed them from the prejudices that made them outcasts. The compassionate mission of Christ is what he constantly offers to all his followers.

3.5 Prerequisites for Christian way of life

Taking in to consideration the emerging social, cultural and religious context of the present time and taking in to account the multi-religious context of our country and in the light of what the Indian Church experiences in present time, it is also good to speak about our mission and new way of living a witnessing life as true Christian and true human and to respectful to the sensibilities of the our brothers and sisters after the example and model of Christ.

Witnessing is the mission that should be given by all Christians. It is our fore most responsibility to share the good news of the kingdom of God by living the gospel values in our families, work places and in public life. Our witness can be personal and communitarian. Therefore

At present many families in our society facing a number of challenges and undergoing crisis due to social and cultural changes caused by western culture and globalization, the Christian families are called to set an example by bearing witness to God’s love in the neighborhood and becoming the agents of harmony and reconciliation. The gospel values of love, peace, joy, unity, compassion should be nurtured and promoted in our families.

Our communities are called to become witnessing communities, following the model of early Christian described in the Acts of the Apostles (2:42-44). The life of witness can become a reality in grass root level. People should be guided and motivated to pray together, share in the joys and sufferings of one another, share with the poor and the hungry, and fight for the rights of the oppressed and dehumanized in the locality.

It is well known that corruption is rampant in every segment and every section of our society. In fact, there is hardly any sector which is not being infected with the vices o corruption. Honesty should be our hallmark. We should create awareness of corruption in the society and educate people to combat this evil.

Fight for the betterment and the uplifting the poor and the marginalized. We must join our hands to resolve the struggle of the working class of the society so that they may lead and achieve a better and fuller human life.

Caste is a human made evil. It is deep rooted even today in our communities and its elements are highly operated in our society. We must fight against this social evil and eradicate every form of it.

The most striking and appealing dimension of our life is the expression of love, this message of love has to be continued in all the spheres of our life. The works of charity, education, medical care, social work, different welfare programmes, etc.

We must unite and work closely with people of different faiths to promote peace and harmony, collaboration in the face of religious fundamentalism, a growing phenomenon which threatens the unity and integrity of the human community.   

3.6. Formation is an agent of acquiring Human integrity

Formation in discipleship helps to prepare pastors who can meet the challenges presented by the world. Formation is therefore not about mastering techniques or functional roles, but about following the path of discipleship: internalizing, in co-operation with divine grace, the core virtues and ideals of discipleship. Put simply, one cannot be a credible witness, shepherd, healer or proclaimer of the Good News to contemporary culture unless one is rooted in a profound relationship with Jesus with the zeal and attitudes of a disciple that will last a life-time.

3.6.1 Pre-requisites for Integral Human Formation

1. The Goal of formation is to enable the formee to grow “[…] to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph.4:13).

2. Formation is an ongoing process of self-transformation.

3. This process is integral affecting the physical, social, emotional, rational and spiritual dimensions of the person of the formee (PDV Nos.43-60).

4. This process follows the dialectics of intrinsic relationship of grace and nature, the Divine and the human, contemplation and action.

5. The principal agent of formation is the Holy Spirit. However, the primary responsibility for formation belongs to the formee himself/herself who “is the necessary and irreplaceable agent in her own formation: all formation […] is ultimately a self-formation” (PDV No. 69), With freedom, personal choice, responsibility and inner conviction, he must open himself to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

6. Self-transformation can take place only in a climate of freedom, responsibility, accountability, self-discipline and self-motivation at all stages of formation.

7. In order to facilitate this ongoing process of self-transformation, there is need for competent formators; men/women endowed with deep sense ofChristian faith, inner freedom, intellectual competence, affective maturity, and men/women of moral and spiritual integrity who can serve as catalysts and role models for the young seminarians.

8. Keeping in mind the integral formation, there is need for a pedagogywith inter-disciplinary approaches at all stages of formation.

9. Given the multi-religious and cultural reality of India as well as the socio-economic disparities affecting vast majority of marginalized groups among whom the priests and consecrated persons are called to exercise their pastoral leadership, the formation should be sufficiently contextualized and inculturated in order to prepare the candidates for the future ministry.

10. Priest/consecrated person is not only a messenger but also by his very life a message. So that in and through his/her personality he/she “becomes a bridge and not an obstacle for others in their meeting with Jesus Christ the Redeemer of Man” (PDV No. 43).

3.6.2 The Parameters of Integral Formation

The Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on PastoresDaboVobis in Ch.V, articles nos. 43 & 44 enumerates at length the various aspects of human formation: “Future priests should therefore cultivate a series of human qualities, not only out of proper and due growth and realization of self, but also with a view to the ministry. These qualities are needed for them to be balanced people, strong and free, capable of bearing the weight of pastoral responsibilities. They need to be educated to love the truth, to be loyal, to respect every person, to have a sense of justice, to be true to their word, to be genuinely compassionate, to be men of integrity and, especially, to be balanced in judgment and behavior. Of special importance is the capacity to relate to others. This is truly fundamental for a person who is called to be responsible for a community and to be a “man of communion”. This demands that the priest not be arrogant, or quarrelsome, but affable, hospitable, sincere in his wordsand heart, prudent and discreet, generous and ready to serve, capable ofopening himself to clear and brotherly relationships and of encouraging the same in others, and quick to understand, forgive and console (see also 1Tim 3:1-5; Tit 1:7-9). People today are often trapped in situations of standardization and loneliness, especially in large urban centres, and they become ever more appreciative of the most eloquent signs and one of the most effective ways of transmitting the Gospel message.” This recognition of the human as the overarching dimension is indeed a remarkable progressive step concerning priestly/religious formation. In doing so, the Church is showing her openness and interest in human sciences like anthropology, sociology and psychology, whose valuable insights on understanding the mystery of human person show with clarity the intrinsic relationship between grace and human nature. The healthier the human nature, the greater is the possibility for grace to penetrate the human person and transform him/her from within. That’s why it is important to follow parameters to facilitate a psycho-spiritual process that hopefully brings about a self-transformation in the candidates.

3.7. Formation to witness the Kingdom of God

In order to witness the Kingdom, after understanding the demands of the Kingdom of God a person decides to commit himself for the kingdom. This has to take place gradually with the help of the formators. As Pope John Paul II says that all the formators should take formation as a sacred duty of seeking God. Vita Consecrata advocates this as the principle object of the formation. “Formation is a path of gradual identification with the attitude of Christ toward the Father, and a gradual process of experiencing God, following Jesus and witnessing the kingdom of God.”

The content of the Kingdom of God reveals that it is nothing but God’s unconditional love for the creatures. This great love of God became visible and tangible in the person of Jesus. So we cannot separate Kingdom from Jesus. Hence commitment to the person of Jesus is commitment and witnessing to the Kingdom. We can sense or envisage the Kingdom of God only in personal encounter with Jesus who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal.2:20). This is the very nature of discipleship. Creating a personal attachment for Jesus and helping a person to assume the values Jesus preached is the basics of creating the Kingdom “within” which is the core purpose of formation. One is a disciple because, like Jesus and together with him, one has to put oneself in the service of the Kingdom. In order to enkindle this passion for the Kingdom of God, first of all the “formator” needs to create the Kingdom and its values within them (the formee). This is the formation to consecrated life all about- “Creating the Kingdom within.”  They are called to place themselves in the service of the Kingdom, becoming personally involved in the dynamics of God’s saving will, announcing it constantly, inviting all to conversion, and battling evil here and now.

CONCLUSION

The origin of every vocation is God’s sovereignty. “There are many types of vocation, but the core of the experience is always the same: the soul is awakened by it, transformed or exalted, so that instead of dreams and presentiments from within a summons comes from without. A portion of reality presents itself and makes its claim”. Said by Hermann Hasse. The theology of the vocation begins with the God who calls and invites us for a completion of a grater cause. This vocation or the invitation is given to all each and every movement of our life. The only prerequisite of responding to this call is to be available and follow God’s directions. The simple way of reading the Scriptural passages in the Bible in a reflective and meditative manner is enough for a person to participate in the ongoing mission of Christ. The sense of God is the most needed in the world of today, when we pay heed to this sense of God, this world of ours turned in to the kingdom of God here on earth where there is truth, justice, peace, harmony, brotherhood, joy, happiness, contentment, sense of gratitude in life and love for all will continue to prevail. As God constantly at work in building up his kingdom, we too must strive hard to work for his kingdom and to spread his kingdom values of peace, fellowship and justice to all. 

GENERAL CONCLUSION

In the Bible the call to discipleship is expressed systematically. “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”   (Mt. 10;38). First comes the call, then the response and lastly the following. It is an unconditional following of Jesus. This call is a challenging one. Even the first disciples who followed Christ did not know Jesus well. They never knew the real meaning of “following” Christ. They never realized the advantages and disadvantages of imitating Christ. Hence, they left everything and accepted the call. They decided to face the challenging invitation of Jesus. The words of Jesus were so powerful, that they could not ignore it. They simply left behind everything and followed Jesus. But what is implied in this was only their simple faith. Only their faith in Jesus was the initial cost given by the disciples.

To follow Christ means to be with Christ. It is a call to involvement. It is an invitation to observe the Master very closely and to learn from Him. By deepening our understanding of Him and His mission, the Christian disciples can involve themselves more effectively for the needs of others. A Christian is called out of his old way of life to a new way of life, the life of service to Christ and his fellowmen. It is a call to witness Christ and to serve humanity. Christian discipleship is a living reality. One must be convinced of its call and its value. The object, source and centre of the life of disciples are Christ. Christ lives in us and especially in each and every one of us. The Christians are united in Christ. By our relationship with our neighbours around us, we grow in faith. Discipleship is based on the realization that Jesus came from God. A true disciple is the one who realizes that Jesus is the Ambassador of God and the words that Jesus speeches are the words of God. Discipleship involves obedience. A true disciple is the one who listens to the words of God and obeys them. He accepts Jesus as his Master and Teacher. He follows the teachings of Jesus word by word. He submits himself to the Master. Discipleship involves an immediate response to Jesus’ call to be ‘with Him’.

Mere acceptance of the doctrines is not enough for discipleship. It demands a real and sincere ‘following’ of Jesus in the way by which He passed through. There lies the challenge. The life of a Christian is one of rejection, persecution, suffering and death.  To be a Christian disciple means, to take-up one’s own cross and follow Him as His real life companion. The disciple must walk in the footsteps of Jesus and imitate His exemplary way of life. To imitate Christ is man’s greatest vocation and it is also the most difficult and challenging one. To be a Christian means to be a true follower of Christ and to take up the challenge boldly and courageously. The Christian is the person who is transformed by the new life of “water and Spirit”. Therefore like Jesus we need to first respect the dignity of every human person without reserve and like Jesus we need to identify ourselves with the poor and the needy. A Christian is nourished by the bread of life which enables him to lead a Christian life.’

            Discipleship is not for the weak, the wavering, the complaint or the proud who want to follow their own programme of life but only for the truly strong who are convinced of their values, the assertive as well as those humble enough to follow the master’s footsteps. To conclude I firmly believe that God has called me to be radical disciple imitating Christ, and every Christian call, and moreover religious call is for a radical discipleship. To be informed of the world and its problems is a duty for us. By reading the signs of the time we must respond to God in deep spiritual way. 

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