“make disciples of all nations”
Today’s Gospel reading is the concluding chapter in Matthew’s Gospel. It is the last words we read, and possibly the last words spoken to the eleven Apostles before He ascended body and soul into heaven. His final speech given to them is a message of trust, hope, and a mission and purpose for their lives in following faithfully our Lord Jesus Christ.
What is a disciple? A disciple is someone who is learning under a teacher or scholar. In scripture we see Jesus being called a teacher. [1] The closest and most notable disciples of Jesus Christ were his twelve closest disciples, the Apostles. However, there were also other disciples, most notably the seventy-two that were sent out by Jesus. [2] Disciple comes from the Latin word discipulus, which means follower or pupil. [3] In ancient times a pupil would literally sit “at the feet” of the teacher. Saint Luke gives us the story of Mary and Martha, Saint Mary “…sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.” [4] Jesus says, “There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” [5] This story about sitting “at the feet” as a pupil is found within the same chapter as the sending out of the seventy-two disciples and just before the teaching of the Our Father. It is a reminder that disciples must choose to sit at the feet of the master. The word discipulus(disciple) and disciplina (discipline) are very similar. Disciplina means instruction or knowledge. It is only when we are willing to be a pupil that we are instructed, it is only when we follow that we gain knowledge.
Why are we called to discipleship? If we have been baptized then we are called to be Disciples of Christ. In the Gospel reading, Jesus instructs the Apostles to make disciples of everyone by baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He goes further by telling them to teach all they had observed from Him. When we are baptized, we are claimed by Christ and are a disciple of His. We are to follow in the missionary spirit and apostolate of the Church. We are filled with the power of the triune God that cannot be hidden and kept to ourselves, but must be shared with everyone we meet. If we are to follow the Traditions and Sacred Scripture of Jesus, we must be willing to make disciples as He commanded us too.
Search: Counting the Cost of Discipleship Lesson
In the Gospel, Jesus gives the Apostles a mission. The Ascension is a central event in Non-Catholic Christian and refers to this Gospel as the Great Commission. The Apostles are given the task of making disciples of all nations. How will they do this? Jesus assures them that He will be them and with us, “until the end of age”. What will they do? He says to baptize and to teach.
What is the importance of baptizing and teaching? Baptism is a necessary means for salvation. It is also the door to all other sacraments; it is the gate into the sacramental life. To baptize all nations, means to give all nations the sacraments. Through the sacraments people are spiritually born and grow in faith. Jesus also says to teach them to “observe all that I have commanded you”. This is the moral life, the life of Christ. The importance of baptizing and teachings is to give all nations, all people both faith and morals. The Church is the universal means of salvation for the world and is an expert in the area of faith and morals because the Holy Spirit guides her. A disciple therefore lives a life of faith and morals.
To be a disciple we must look to the first disciples, the Apostles. We must look to what they did after the Ascension. First, two angels refocused them. In the first reading, the Angels reassure them not to just stand there looking up in the sky for Jesus but to do the work He had commanded of them, and to wait for the Holy Spirit. Then, the disciples, filled with joy, went back to Jerusalem to be with Mary and await the coming of the Holy Spirit. We too, should remain close to Mary who is our mother and is also joyfully in Heaven, body and soul, with her Son, Jesus Christ.
How should one perceive us everyday? Being disciples of Jesus Christ means we should not be full of dread, worry, depression, and sin but, rather, filled with joy and hope of Heaven. We have a joy and hope because we too are already in heaven with Him. Saint Augustine says, “For just as he remained with us even after his ascension, so we too are already in heaven with him, even though what is promised us has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies.” Jesus has remained with us in our soul; this is the divine life. We have a taste of heaven. We are experiencing a bit of heaven now, since our head, Jesus Christ, is in heaven and in us. If we are experiencing heaven, through the divine life and at the Holy Mass, where we join all the choirs of angels and Saints in their endless praise, we should show great joy and hope in our life. People should witness this joy and hope in our life. Those who we see on a consistent basis should observe someone who is loyal, sincere, and hardworking. People should see that despite the ups and downs of this life, we behave and live as children of God. We cannot just live the bare minimum of being “nice” as an exterior gesture, but be genuine, thoughtful, caring of people through the fruit of charity. [6] As Saint Jose Maria Escriva wrote, “Today’s feast reminds us that our concern for souls is a response to a command of love given to us by our Lord. Our responsibility is great, because to be Christ’s witness implies first of all that we should try to behave according to his doctrine, that we should struggle to make our actions remind others of Jesus and his most lovable personality.” [7] In short, to be a disciple, people must see Christ when they see us.
[1] John 3:2
[2] Luke 10:1
[3] Modern Catholic Dictionary pg. 160
[4] Luke 10:39
[5] Luke 10:42
[6] In Conversation with God 2, 86. 3
[7] J. Escriva, Christ is passing by, 122