"Make Disciples of All Nations"
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
This command is profoundly clear from Christ and yet its practical implications can often feel elusive. What does it mean to "make" disciples? What does it mean to be a "disciple"? Simply it is putting on the Mind of Christ through "apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers"(cf. 1 Corinthians 2:16, Acts 2:42). The sacraments are a part of this insofar as He mentions Baptism in the same command. It is also clear there is a call for preserving, living, and passing on the faith. Just as discipleship was simply a fraternal education in the Christian life. The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls (Donald DeGrood) casts a vision that encompasses much of the answer, but we will still need to elaborate. He urged those He serves to become "Lifelong Catholic Missionary Discipleship via God’s Love". Synthesizing my experience with Scriptural and Catechetical sources, discipleship is the lifelong mode of the Christian life embodying a love-driven mission, mutual support among key members of the community, the sacramental life, and reception/reflection of God's love which become the primary interpretive key to the life of the Christian.
Firstly, let us examine discipleship as being first held concerning Jesus Christ. In the Catholic tradition, discipleship embodies a profound commitment to following the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. Drawing from the rich theological framework of thinkers like Thomas Aquinas, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and Sacred Scripture, discipleship is understood as a multifaceted journey rooted in love and mission. At its core, discipleship in the Catholic faith is about living out one's vocation to love. This echoes Aquinas' emphasis on the primacy of love as the highest virtue. Love understood in the Catholic tradition as caritas or charity, is not merely an emotion but an act of the will, seeking the good of others for their own sake. Therefore, discipleship answers the radical call to love God above all and to love one's neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:37-39). The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that discipleship involves a lifelong process of conversion, continually deepening one's relationship with Christ and conforming one's life to his teachings.[1] This entails embracing the mission entrusted by Christ to his disciples, to proclaim the Gospel, and to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). Central to the Catholic understanding of discipleship is the concept of "bearing one another's burdens" (Galatians 6:2). This entails a sense of solidarity and mutual support. This means fostering a community of believers who strive together for holiness and justice, upholding one another in prayer, spiritual growth, and acts of charity (Hebrews 10:24-25). In this communal journey of discipleship, Catholics are called to receive and mutually reflect God's love for one another. This reflects the Trinitarian nature of God, who is love and invites believers into a communion of love with Himself and with one another (1 John 4). By embodying God's love in their relationships and actions, disciples bear witness to the transformative power of Christ's message and attract others to the beauty of the Gospel. Within the Catholic tradition, discipleship is an ongoing process of following Christ, rooted in love, mission, and community. It involves conforming one's life to the example of Christ, supporting fellow believers in their spiritual journey, and bearing witness to God's love through acts of charity and service.
Secondly, let us examine the foundational aspects of discipleship more closely. Discipleship is a natural derivative of living the Christian life in an intentional and evangelical way, which is its truest expression. If we truly believe something, it means that we act upon it, with reference to it, and help others to see how it is truer than contrarieties to it. This is not so much a "box-checking" experience, as it is an organic derivative of following premises to its every conclusion. To put it even more plainly, when we truly and deeply receive God's love we are naturally inspired to share it with others, and when we encounter challenges, we are naturally inspired to share that with others too. The love of a disciple is such that it fulfills "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have a love for one another." (John 13:35). Moreover, since love is proven in strife, it is also appropriate that we would share in each other's crosses just as well as blessings (Galatians 6:2-5; John 15:13, Proverbs 17:17). In this way, discipleship is a love-infused mission in the expression of authentic and foundational friendship. These sorts of relationships help present God's love to us in a concrete way and provide us an opportunity to be a channel of God's love. In this way, this relationship has a pedagogical end, which teaches us what every human-to-human relationship ought to strive for, being participation and extent of one's relationship with God. Still more, it fulfills our need for our fundamental desire to have an immediately present companion who sees us as God does and similarly loves us as God does. Interdependency develops here built with trust of the deepest sort.[2] Man is incapable of this sort/extent of relationship without God and is only given what He needs to love in the fullest sense in the sacraments i.e. a tangible experience of love (ideally in the love of parents and in the Eucharist at least), in light of how Christ loved His disciples and instructed them to love each other (Mark 9:35, John 13:34-35, Matthew 23:11, Luke 9:48).[3] Even further, each is made capable of experiencing much purification from sin and propelled down the path of healing from wounds of the past and dynamics that work against psychological health, not the least of which is sin (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, Ephesians 4:32, Proverbs 27:17).[4]
Thirdly, let us examine the fruit and mode of discipleship. As may already be seen in the previous paragraph, the original pillars of discipleship should blend together and produce a singular, organic, authentic, deep, mutually life-giving dialogical relationship strengthened and informed by Christ Himself. Discipleship is a lesser re-incarnation of Christ (Matthew 18:20). The Church herself functions in this unity with the Head, who is Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; Isaiah 40:13; Philippians 4:6-7, cf. Ephesians 5, cf. Acts 2:42). It is proper then that fundamental moments/experiences of the Christian life would be shared in this relationship and provide all parties with the gift of life and love from God they are. This should include not only sacraments, prayer, and the study of faith, but also retreats, discussion of the truths of faith, and life-changing blessings/trials. Although, not unlike marriage, these relationships should serve as a foundation or "home base" to which all parties return in their respective missions to bring Christ to others since it communicates to the disciples that they are loved no matter the relationship others have with Christ (John 15:18). It is exactly this dynamic which has allowed to faith to endure every obstacle of the enemy since it raises its participants above patterns of sin, above their own dysfunction, and the dysfunction of particular others and society generally. The enemy cannot defeat love by any act of violence, which speaks to the eternity of real love. No one would be a believer now if there was no conversion and relationship with others. Ad contra to the its-just-Jesus-and-me understanding, the community of believers is absolutely necessary for the Christian life (Hebrews 12:1–2; Romans 12:4–5; Colossians 3:13–14; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Acts 4:32; Acts 2:42). Hope for Heaven gives purpose, direction, and cause for discipleship. The hope moves the Christian to action which is discipleship’s purpose.[5] This action/mission is modeled by Christ and carried on through apostolic tradition; to imbue “all nations” with a similar hope/source of inspiration (Matthew 28:19). Discipleship is given direction; it is toward the accomplishment of things hoped for, to which hope moves those who have it.[6] In this case, it is toward Heaven that discipleship disciplines us to think, speak, and act. In both purpose and direction, the disciples are motivated to take part in the mission of the Church, which is/was/will be first instigated by the Son and the Holy Spirit.[7]
In conclusion, discipleship is about growth, accountability, and bearing each other's burdens, fulfilling the human need for companionship. It fosters deep conversion, Church unity, and true friendship's vulnerability and unity, aiding understanding of God's love, invitations, and providence in our lives. Through this Christian journey, believers embody Christ's love, supporting one another in faith and witnessing its transformative power. These friendships reflect God's love, allowing for mutual growth and edification. Discipleship guides believers toward deeper relationships with God and commitment to His teachings. It's marked by companionship, community, and dedication to spreading the Gospel. As such it is that to which we Christians and especially Catholics are called to and which is very much for our benefit in every way. No one ever got to Heaven by their own power nor without a friend, and it is no accident then that Christ Himself calls us to be disciples and servants of not only Him but each other. It seems even the handing of the keys to the kingdom, the nature of having Apostles, and the establishment of the priesthood testify to this organism/dialogical/communal understanding of the Church. May we truly see the connection between gathering in two and three and Him being with us until the end of the age.
I have experienced all of these things with my friends Jacob, Eli, Cole, Wolfgang, and others, with whom I have shared in their lives and trials, they in mine, and in doing so have shown me what it means to love, and I hope I have done so for them also.
FN:
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. (Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 2000), 1697.
- CCC, 460, 1937.
- CCC, 2205-6.
- CCC, 1930.
- CCC, 1046,1741.
- CCC, 1818.
- CCC, 1818, 1820, Cf. 2657.
Written by Carter Carruthers & also available soon at Missio Dei
