Benefits of Christian Discipleship

October 18, Wednesday, Feast of St Luke the apostle
Daily Readings: 2Timothy 4:10–17b, Luke 10:1–9

Christian discipleship is a choice to live for others and not for benefits. Several years ago, during the time of the Gulf War, there was a young soldier who was given orders to join the army in Iraq. He had a very serious problem. He did not want to go. When he was asked why he was not willing to go he replied, “I did not join the army to go to war; I had joined the army because of the benefits, the pay, the college tuition, the insurance, etc.

There is a problem here. There is something wrong with that kind of thinking. One of the primary functions of the military is to prepare for war. One should know this before he joins. It is somewhere in the job description. Armies do not exist only for benefits. Armies exist to deal with conflicts. Being a soldier demands commitment to defend the people, to fight the enemy, and to be content against evil, even at the cost of their own lives. But there are people who join up, hoping for a free ride. Being a disciple of Christ also demands total commitment. A commitment to live like Christ for others.

In the gospel, according to Saint Luke chapter 10, verses one to nine, Jesus appoints the seventy-two disciples, sending them ahead of him two by two. They are to prepare the way of Jesus so that when he comes, it will be ready to receive him. He continues to speak about the benefits of Christian discipleship. He sends them out as lambs among wolves. He gives them no safety. He tells them to carry no bags, money, or sandals. He does not guarantee them resources. He tells them to take his peace with everyone.
The command is to ask for nothing and refuse nothing. A total trust in divine providence. The mission of the seventy-two is the mission of Jesus and the church at all times. To heal the sick and to proclaim the kingdom of God.

St. Luke, whose feast we celebrate today, was a physician who seems to have belonged to one of the 72 disciples. He carried out the mission that the Lord had given him and lived his life as a Christian disciple. He was a disciple of St. Paul, who proclaimed the Good News effectively through his gospel and the acts of the apostles. He lived for Christ as a committed disciple until his death as a martyr, reportedly having been hanged from an olive tree.

As Christian disciples, we are also called to live a life of commitment with no concern for the benefits. Our benefits are a hundredfold in heaven.

May we live our lives with commitment and fidelity so that, through us, the mission of Jesus for the world is fulfilled.