3 Marks of an Authentic Disciple
3 Marks of an Authentic Disciple
1. Repent
Every day, you must practice ongoing conversion, recognizing that you need the Lord. The Desert Fathers would do this through short little prayers like the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner,” or the shorter “Jesus, have mercy!” Cultivate those continual habits of repentance in the heart. Ask for His mercy for every time you fall.
2. Respond
The first disciples are fishermen. They’re called to drop everything and follow Him in this week’s Gospel. But this response will probably look very different for you and me today. We aren’t expected to mimic the Apostles or the great mendicant (begging) saints… we are called to respond in a specific way in our own lives to His call to greatness.
3. Surrender
Surrendering doesn’t mean simply giving up material possessions… but to discover and surrender to the particular demands of our unique vocation. Follow His call with complete abandonment, letting go of the little (and big) ways that we hold back from holiness in our lives, letting go of the compartmentalization of our faith.
Catholic Bible Study On The Gospel According To Mark 1:14-20
After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.
The Gospel of the Lord
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