As we begin, we need to answer the most important question of all: am I willing to be a disciple of Jesus? None of the other habits of discipleship in this study will make much difference if we are not first and foremost willing to embrace the call to discipleship. That is what the Christian life is all about, and that is where we must begin.

Let us be like Mary. Let us ponder God’s Word in our hearts. Let’s immerse ourselves so deeply in God’s Word that it starts to become our word, so that our thoughts become imbued with the thoughts of God. Indeed, let’s be so devoted to Sacred Scripture, reading it “day and night,” that our minds, our hearts, and our lives are transformed.

Christian fellowship is vital for Christian discipleship. If we don’t have Christian friends to support and encourage us, then we are missing out on may opportunities to encounter Jesus and are far more likely to struggle in our journey as Christ’s disciples.

The celebration of the Eucharist in the Mass is at the heart of discipleship; it is the “source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324). Christ has given Himself fully to us; let us give ourselves fully to Him in return.

Are you burdened by your sins? Are you lacking peace? Are you hiding in shame, afraid to approach God? Or are you struggling with a heart that is “heavy and hardened” (CCC 1432)? Turn to Christ in repentance and He will forgive you, give you a new heart, and fill you with a peace that only He can give (see Jn 14:27).

As Christian disciples, we are called to take in the “deep breath of prayer” every day—it is absolutely vital to our discipleship. Therefore, let us be attentive to the words of the “Our Father,” so that our prayer can truly become what Jesus wants it to be.

Ever since the beginning of Christianity, Christians were known for their care for those in need. In the Roman Empire, it was Christians who often cared for infants who had been left to die of exposure. In the 20th Century, saints, like Mother Teresa, cared for the poor and abandoned that no one else would touch. What is it that drives Christians to care for the poor? And how are we called to care for them as disciples today? Let’s look at three parables that reveal Christianity’s radical, counter-cultural approach toward those in need.