Recently, I had an interesting exchange of ideas with a Catholic Deacon from the "Bible Belt" in Texas. He felt that the word "disciple" is used most often by evangelicals to describe a person who is helping others to "become saved" by accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior and saying the "Sinner's Prayer." He did not believe it is a word that is common in the everyday Catholic vocabulary. At least not in parts of the Bible Belt.
Challenged by our discussion, I decided to do some research to see how or if the word disciple is used in Scripture and in official Catholic documents. We all know that the "Great Commission" from Matthew 28:19 is "Go and Make Disciples." Jesus, in John 15:8, also calls each one of us to become his disciples: "By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."
In the "Catechism of the Catholic Church," the word disciple is used over and over. For example, here is a great definition of the role of disciples in the Church:
1816 The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it.
In July 5, 2006, in a general audience to 25,000 people, Pope Benedict XVI had this to say about what it means to be a disciple of Christ (source: ZENIT):
"The Lord wishes to make each one of us a disciple who lives in personal friendship with him. To do this, it is not enough to follow and listen to him exteriorly; it is also necessary to live with him and as him. This is only possible in the context of a relationship of great familiarity, penetrated by the warmth of total trust."
Two well-known documents from the USCCB are: "Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us, A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States" and "Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States."
Throughout these documents there is a call for Catholics to become disciples and for Catholics to share in the great commission to "Go and make disciples." The words disciple, discipleship, and other variations appear dozens of times in these very important documents. Below are just a few examples from them.
Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us, A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States
§ 1 § We are filled with great joy and expectation as the third millennium of Christian history dawns. Before us, in the wonder of God's gracious plan, stretch new opportunities to proclaim the Good News of Jesus to all the world. We are eager to witness and share the word of life about the reign of God faithfully, so that each new generation can hear this word in its own accents and discover Christ as its Savior.
§ 2 § Every disciple of the Lord Jesus shares in this mission. To do their part, adult Catholics must be mature in faith and well equipped to share the Gospel, promoting it in every family circle, in every church gathering, in every place of work, and in every public forum. They must be women and men of prayer whose faith is alive and vital, grounded in a deep commitment to the person and message of Jesus.
§ 46 § Christian faith is lived in discipleship to Jesus Christ. As disciples, through the power of the Holy Spirit, our lives become increasingly centered on Jesus and the kingdom he proclaims. By opening ourselves to him we find community with all his faith-filled disciples and by their example come to know Jesus more intimately. By following the example of his self-giving love we learn to be Christian disciples in our own time, place, and circumstances.
§ 47 § God's call to conversion and discipleship unfolds in our lives with immeasurable potential for maturing and bearing fruit. The calls to holiness, to community, and to service of God and neighbor are "facets of Christian life that come to full expression only by means of development and growth toward Christian maturity."
Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States.
2. We have heard these and so many other gospel stories of Jesus Sunday after Sunday at church, in our own reading and sharing of Scriptures, in the words mothers and fathers tell their children, in the private meditation of our prayer, and in the celebration of the sacraments. We have become, through the power and truth of these stories, and through the free gift of grace, disciples of Jesus.
12. Conversion is the change of our lives that comes about through the power of the Holy Spirit. All who accept the Gospel undergo change as we continually put on the mind of Christ by rejecting sin and becoming more faithful disciples in his Church. Unless we undergo conversion, we have not truly accepted the Gospel.
14. This is crucial: we must be converted-and we must continue to be converted! We must let the Holy Spirit change our lives! We must respond to Jesus Christ. And we must be open to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit who will continue to convert us as we follow Christ. If our faith is alive, it will be aroused again and again as we mature as disciples.
28. We must evangelize because the Lord Jesus commanded us to do so. He gave the Church the unending task of evangelizing as a restless power, to stir and to stimulate all its actions until all nations have heard his Good News and until every person has become his disciple.
As I have read and studied these Church documents, it has become clear to me that the Church is not ready to surrender the word disciple or discipling or discipleship to Protestants (just as they are not surrendering the word "evangelization" to Evangelicals). These terms are Catholic terms adopted by Protestants, not vice-versa.
The few examples referenced above testify to the importance the Church places on becoming disciples, on discipleship, and on making disciples.
The importance of the "Great Commission" is also reflected in the Vision of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men: "We See Catholic Men, Linked as Brothers in Jesus Christ, and Called to Bring Him to Others!"
Brothers, as Catholic men, we all need to pray and ask the Lord how he is calling each of us to respond to this important call to "become disciples" and to "go and make disciples."
Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
1. Based on some of the quotes used in the article, how important to the Catholic Church is becoming a disciple or making disciples of others?
2. What are your beliefs about the importance of becoming a disciple or discipling other men? Does your practice match your convictions? Why or why not?
3. What is your own personal experience in discipling men, in whole or in part?
4. If you are in a Catholic men's group, what steps can you take individually, or as a group, to better understand what it means to be a disciple and how to make disciples?
