Discipleship Paper Essay Example

disciple. In the story the rich people only gave a fraction of their wealth therefore really they were sacrificing very little.

Discipleship for the twelve disciples entailed many qualities e. g. service, commitment, sacrifice and faith in order for them to become true followers of Christ.The Meaning of discipleship for Christians today Discipleship for Christians today is a following on of the role from the time of Jesus. Just as the disciples followed Jesus, we as Christians have also a vocation to Jesus. We can live out this vocation by either joining a religious order or in the form of laity.

There are two types of religious orders contemplative and the apostolic order. A contemplative order involves a hidden life o f prayer and work. It is a very consolidated order. As a member you devote yourself to the community, although you don't communicate with the public.In the early 18th century St. Francis of Assisi founded a contemplative religious order.

The members if the orders strived to cultivate ideas of Francis of Assisi. The Franciscans actually consisted of three orders. The fist order comprises of priests and lay brothers who have sworn to lead a life of prayer, preaching, and penance. The first order is divided into three independent branches: the Friars Minor, the friar's conventuals, and the friars' Minor capuchin. The second order consists of cloistered nuns who belong to the order of st. Clare and are known as Poor Clares (P.

C. ).The Third Order consists of religious and laymen and women who try to emulate Saint Francis' spirit by performing works of teaching, charity, and social service. Strictly speaking, the latter order

consists of the Third Order Secular, whose lay members live in the world without vows; and the Third Order Regular, whose members live in religious communities under vow. Congregations of these religious men and women are numerous all over the Roman Catholic world.

The Franciscans are the largest religious order in the Roman Catholic Church.They have contributed a total of 98 saints and six popes to the church. Poor Clare's practices have varied greatly as each convent is largely autonomous. But, generally Poor Clares is regarded as the most austere women's order of the Roman Catholic Church. The members are devoted to prayer, penance, contemplation, manual work and adopt the strictest enclosure, severe fasts as well as other austerities. The early Christian hermit, a contemplative order also whose practice of asceticism in the Egyptian desert beginning in the third century formed the basis of Christian monasticism.

One of these hermits, Pachomius of the inebaid, st Pachomius organized nine monasteries for men, and two others for women of which have been credited with being the founder of coenobitic monasticism in the western world. The monks followed the example of Jesus' life of poverty, service and self- denial. The monks devoted themselves to vows of austerity, prayer and work. Believers who chose to go into the desert as hermits are answering the call of Christ.

An Apostolic order also live a life of prayer and work like the contemplative orders, although they work publicly.This allows the people of the apostolic order to communicate with the public and can then therefore care for the sick, the poor, the old and handicapped. An example of an apostolic order is the

third order secular of St. Francis of Assisi' order. All the religious orders are consecrated to god by three vows: chastity, obedience and poverty. These vows are called the evangelical councils.

Chastity is the quality of being chaste. Chaste means to retrain from sexual intercourse outside marriage and also to lead a simple life. Obedience is being willing to obey by the rules of discipleship.Poverty is the state of voluntary giving up of personal possessions and income.

Religious orders may not be the vocation for which all Christians would like to do, and so they may choose to go into the priesthood. As a priest you devote yourself to god and the people of the church. The ministry of a priest involves: preaching and proclaiming the gospel, consecrating the bread and wine, celebrating the sacraments, assisting the bishop during confirmation and generally caring for the welfare of the community. As a member of the Catholic Church we can live out our vocation to Jesus, by being a part of laity.The word "lay" refers to a baptized, full member of the Roman Catholic Church. Lay people also have their responsibilities to god, through prayer and service.

We can serve god by serving others. It may be helping those who are in need such as the poor, unemployed, the sick and lowly. As well as your own actions many organizations: Trocaire, St. Vincent de Paul and missionaries give money to the poor and you can help them by donating money yourself. All members of the Catholic Church can answer the call of Christ the receiving the sacraments, loving god and loving our neighbours.