"Come after me": Discipleship of the followers of Christ experiences and world recognition
I used to have indoor birds in the past. I have had parakeets and finches. I loved to feed them, watch them grow, and breed. It was a very humbling experience to note the marvelous wonders of God in nature. My nesting robins have gone with their chick somewhere else, they are not to be found today. Oh no, I am wrong, I just see them in the far corner of St. Francis garden. However, their fuss at me, while they were training their chick few days ago made me to miss my indoor birds who loved my presence and even cared about me. My indoor birds did few extraordinary things in God's providence in knowing me. let me pen few lines on them as an introduction here. Finches always made a happy coordinated sounds when I entered house or even when they see me first time in the morning every day. When they do that, they were not at random or un- purposeful actions, they always looked at me and focused on me with their happy sounds. They would only stop that sound once I have gone near them and said hello. I found this very extraordinary from their part, when I have not done anything in training towards this action. They were not attention calls or hungry feeding calls they were just the calls for acknowledging my presence. Their happiness always cheered me.
When I think of it, I could relate that action of understandings of the birds to the disciple's experiences of acknowledging God's presence near them in their lives. I believe, there is no hide and seek game with God. He also respects individuals freedom and choices. He does not force anything on anybody, except He is always available and accessible when one choose to believe in Him, while His mercy covers all creations equally both believers and non believers. In addition, although He could use anything or anybody in His creation to be His instrument,( as he mentioned at Jerusalem, if the people were silenced even the stones would sing God's praise),Sometimes He is very picky in choosing His instruments. I also understand ( it is very interesting to note in the history) that He chooses His instruments for their weaknesses than their strengths. The call of faith comes from Him always for everyone. The response to the call makes one a disciple. I also understand, while we live in this life, we are in the process towards our salvation, with all our weaknesses. No one is a exempt from the mercy of God and nothing is impossible for the mercy of God.
As I think of my finches friendly behaviors towards me, I reflect the words of Jesus about the relationship with shepherd and the flock. He said that His sheep would know Him. What a profound definition for the discipleship life experiences. By this I understand the disciple would know Jesus through their life while they follow Him in their life. They would witness Him in the midst of their life process. Perhaps He would reveal Himself to them in the situations of their life. So knowledge of the shepherd is the first experience of the disciple.
Next experience of the disciple comes from Jesus's own definitions. He also said, Good shepherd will know His sheep. Which means, He understands and knows His sheep. By this I understand, although God's knowledge of His creation is omniscience, the disciple's lives are assured by omnipotent God's knowledge of their lives, needs in an intimate level. This concept paves foundation to the hope, assurance, and confidence in one's life with the knowledge of God's knowing, which is discipleship life.
In addition, Jesus said, His sheep would listen to Him. Which means His sheep know their shepherd's voice. Disciple's experiences extends beyond just knowing but also in hearing Jesus voice through the Church, Scripture, tradition, sacraments, applications of life experiences in the mind of church life, and magisterial teachings of the Church. Hearing and listening to Jesus voice is a deeper experiences of discipleship.
Next, Jesus also said that His sheep would follow Him. Following Jesus is an experience and opens further experiences step by step in the life. Following brings an identity to the follower, the identity of the shepherd. Although, knowledge is the beginning of the wisdom, which is the antecedent of the following, it is the first level of experience; hearing is a passive act of sense which is a product of external sense in the natural realm and physical experiences, it is the second level of disciples experiences; although all the hearing may not result in listening, listening is a byproduct of hearing, listening is an active step of the disciple which involves soul not the senses, which is an essential third step of disciple's experiences, following is an active experience, which emerges from the subjection of ego to the will of the soul, which is the effort initiated by the individual soul but completed by God Himself, which is an essential experience of the disciple soul, it is this step of experience, gives the identity to the disciples as Christian. Jesus said that it is by the disciples actions, the world will identify that who is the disciple of the Lord.
It is in the following step, the wonders of revelation occurs, as it was experience by peter at the transfiguration, as it was experienced by John by the proximal presence of Jesus and His revelation of His divinity, as it was revealed to Peter the gift of knowing that Jesus is the Son of God, as it was in the experiences of apostles Thomas declaring proclamation of my God and my all, as it was in the emaus experiences of disciples, as it was in the deep connected experiences of external supported of Joseph of Arimathew, as it was in every apostles experiences of following Jesus leaving behind all that they were doing hearing His voice, as it was in all the Church saints' lives and their life testimonies of faith experiences.
It is in the following step, the wonders of revelation occurs, as it was experience by peter at the transfiguration, as it was experienced by John by the proximal presence of Jesus and His revelation of His divinity, as it was revealed to Peter the gift of knowing that Jesus is the Son of God, as it was in the experiences of apostles Thomas declaring proclamation of my God and my all, as it was in the emaus experiences of disciples, as it was in the deep connected experiences of external supported of Joseph of Arimathew, as it was in every apostles experiences of following Jesus leaving behind all that they were doing hearing His voice, as it was in all the Church saints' lives and their life testimonies of faith experiences.
It is like, from the flowers, the beauty of the plant is revealed, from the scents of the flowers the quality of he flowers revealed, from the fruits of the trees the sweetness of the tree is revealed, it is from the following of Jesus in the discipleship life brings the enduring witness to the world. The experiences are rooted within the individual and the recognition of those discipleship experiences comes from the discerning world, as per Our Lord Jesus Christ's definitions of Discipleship. Although, there are millions and millions of multitudes of saints are hidden to the eyes of the world, but they are glorified in the eyes of God, those who are recognized by the world as Jesus followers, serve as a sample to represent the quality and experiences of the faith witness to the world as per God's will, plan, and purpose.
Call of a disciple's life is a common call of Christian life, which is equal to the call of Bethlehem shepherds to share in the salvation feast. Shepherd-ship is a quality of call, which is a common element of every part of life, and it could be applied and reflected to every walk and profession of life in the world, as its qualification is following Christ and His Church. With this, I conclude the reflection on Bethlehem shepherds as Jesus childhood disciples for now and move on to the Magi as disciples.
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