I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the difference between a disciple and an apostle, and here the first reading speaks entirely about being an apostle.
I think a lot of the time, us Catholics have an emphasis on discipleship. While this is great, discipleship just for the sake of being a disciple misses the point. The early church didn’t just follow Chirst, the word disciple literally just means followerer of Christ, they took Christ out to the world.
In today’s first reading, Paul is taking the faith out and not just keeping it to himself. This is something we can learn from. In order to go out and preach the word we must of course first have a personal relationship with Christ and be a disciple, but faith is meant to be shared. It’s like a great food. When we taste it we should want to share, not just keep it to ourselves. Well we have the ultimate food, the Eucharist, and at the end of Mass the priest doesn’t just say the Mass is ended so we can be thankful it’s over. He says that so we take Christ out from there to all those we meet.
I have been focusing on this in my own life because I am realizing I have been a disciple for a while, but an apostle goes into the world, and I know that’s the part I can work on. I invite you to ask yourself honestly where you are at currently. Are you a disciple or are you an apostle and what is it going to take to bring the light of Christ into the world? From all of us here at Diocesan, God Bless!
Tommy Shultz is a Solutions Evangelist for Diocesan. In that role, he is committed to coaching parishes and dioceses on authentic and effective Catholic communication. Tommy has a heart and a flair for inspiring people to live their faith every day. He has worked in various youth ministry, adult ministry, and diocesan roles. He has been a featured speaker at retreats and events across the country. His mission and drive have been especially inspired by St. John Paul II’s teachings. Tommy is blessed to be able to learn from the numerous parishes he visits and pass that experience on in his presentations. Contact him at tshultz@diocesan.com.
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