Discipleship in the 21st Century

A reflection by Leslie Joseph Bingkasan, SJ

Today, we are living in a world with multitude of problems. A flip though the daily papers or a click to online news will show us a lot of depressing news. On one hand, there are problems of war, hunger, forced migration, poverty and terror in the name of religion dominates much of our days. At the other hand, we also see many good thing in this world like volunteers in the many calamities, humane response to people hit by disasters, the many philanthropic initiatives, and the many ways individuals and corporation respond to needs in this world. The world is full of uncertainties. There are many works to be done and perhaps all the good thing that the people do may not be enough to alleviate the sufferings of this world. This is the world the Church, and we as disciples, is facing today.

In this present age, if we want to be a disciple, we need to be discerning, we need to be able to read and see the sign of times. To discern mean, from among the many needs or good deeds, we are able to choose and respond to the one that requires priorities among others, or one that serve greater good. Therefore, we are not only expected to do the will of God, but we have to be able to identify the more dire need. Even good thing and deed can cause us confusion because one particular situation can have many responses. That is why the need to choose what response is the most appropriate.

We also need to be aware that discernment need to be done with the right intention. We need to be aware of our own interests and biases. Our responses must take into account of the good of the people we serve and not our personal gratification or glory. It has to be about God’s will and not ours. Being discerning is not only important for us disciples, but also for the people we serve. As disciples, we need to be able to give good examples to others so that they too can learn how to make a good decision in their lives.

But what does it mean to be discerning? To discern, we need to have a good relationship with God. Our spiritual lives have to be in place. The basis of discernment is prayer. If we want to discern, we need to pray. If we don’t pray, there is no way we can discern.

Therefore, if we want to be able to face this uncertain world, we need that strong and firm foundation that God is with us. Our spiritual life is the key to a good relationship with God. This is basic and we can say that this prayer life is always presumed for someone who wants or claim to be a disciple. Our relationship with God will give us strength in living our lives as disciples.

Therefore, in this present age, we need to be able to discern so that our responses are really the need of the people we serve. This implies that we will take action and what we do will be the more essential priority for a particular situation. To be able to discern, we need to build a strong spiritual lives. A good relationship with God can be a sign of a good disciple. All these will help us to become a good and effective disciple for the Kingdom of God.