Missionary Discipleship for Disciple-Makers

"Christ’s resurrection is not an event of the past;
it contains a vital power which has permeated this world....
It is an irresistible force."
(EG, n. 276)

Jesus Christ is risen as he said, Alleluia!

This world-changing proclamation continues to shape the minds and hearts of all Jesus' followers.  This irresistible force compels Jesus' followers to journey the path of both discipleship--following the crucified and risen Lord ever more closely--and mission--bringing the Lord's saving message and presence to the whole world.

Pope Francis' evocative phrase, "Missionary Disciples," prompts and prods Catholics around the world to a deeper "Yes" to the call to holiness and to mission: 

"In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God
have become missionary disciples (cf. Mt 28:19)....
Every Christian is challenged,here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization;
indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time
or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love.
Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered
the love of God in Christ Jesus: we no longer say that we are 'disciples' and 'missionaries',
but rather that we are always 'missionary disciples'." (EG, n. 120)

As an Easter people, perhaps it is time for serious self-evaluation on how we might continue to strengthen our response to this call.  The USCCB's mission-manual entitled Living as Missionary Disciples (LMD) outlines a four-fold method of formation for missionary disciples:

1. Encounter.  Can I name and describe the ways that I have encountered Jesus Christ?  Can I identify both my initial conversion to Christ and my ongoing, lifelong process of conversion--metanoia--putting on the mind and heart of Christ (LMD, p. 11)?  How do I allow Jesus to speak to me through my personal prayer, the Scriptures, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and the Sacraments--above all in the Eucharist?  This experience of encountering Christ is the foundation and fountain from which missionary discipleship flows.
2. Accompany.  Who has served as a model of the Christian life and who has helped mentor me in the life of faith?  How is the Lord Jesus calling me to walk with someone as they make the journey of discipleship?  Who might need me to practice the "art of listening" (EG, n. 171)?  As I know from looking back on how others have accompanied me, this step requires that I "be truly present to others" (LMD, p. 15)--striving for the "tenderness" which Pope Francis so often mentions.
3.  Community.  How have I allowed the Holy Spirit to draw me more deeply into the mystery of the Church's liturgy?  Have I opened my eyes to the fact that "the Church's liturgy, by its very nature as a proclamation and enactment of the Good News of Salvation, is an evangelical act" (LMD, p. 16)?  My experiences of fellowship and solidarity with my brothers and sisters in Christ also reflects the Trinitarian Love which he has revealed.
4. Send.  What if the message of salvation is not meant for me to hoard?  Of course, I first need to give witness to my new life in Christ by practicing what the Church preaches and growing in a life of Christian virtue, but do I also look for opportunities to proclaim Jesus with my words?  I need to overcome the fear of bringing Christ "into every area of life, to the fringes of society, even to those who seem farthest away, most indifferent" (LMD, p. 17).

By virtue of the gift of Baptism, the Risen Lord gives every Christian the same task: Become disciple-makers in whatever mission territory Christ has chosen for us.  The only question is whether we will say "Yes" to being part of this ongoing event which has permeated the world.