Jesus asks His disciples to have total dedication to following Him. As an example, He tells us that to be worthy we must love Him more than we love our parents or children. If we see someone in our family stray from the faith, we try to bring them back by our prayers, example, and encouragement. Jesus then gives examples of three kinds of disciples.
First are the prophets. These are people who have lived the faith and are able to teach others the wisdom they have learned.
Second, are the righteous, those whose quiet lives teach by example. Many good parents practice this type of discipleship. Children may not listen to their parents’ advice, but still grow up with memories of how they lived.
Finally, there are the “little ones.” These, like children, follow Jesus with great joy and love. They may be elderly or disabled. When we respect and cherish them, we are able to see Jesus in them. And anytime we can experience Jesus through another person is a wonderful reward for a disciple.
Tom Schmidt, Diocesan Publications