Intentional discipleship is the decision to “drop one’s nets”: to make a conscious commitment to follow Jesus in the midst of his Church as an obedient disciple and to reorder one’s life accordingly. It is the single most important decision a person can possibly make (which is why Jesus calls us to count the cost).
It can be as dramatic as St. Paul blinded on the road to Damascus or as invisible as a quiet resolve. It can be done by an atheist like Edith Stein declaring, “This is the truth!” after encountering Christ through Teresa of Avila or by a lifelong Catholic returning to his roots like Ignatius of Loyola. But however we arrive at it, that resolve to follow Jesus consciously and intentionally with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength is what the entirety of the Christian call to discipleship is all about. Once made, that choice will henceforth be the controlling factor that will drive and coordinate everything—absolutely everything—in the life of the disciple of Jesus Christ. When we make this choice, as Paul says, “We destroy arguments and every pretension raising itself against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). Here begins the new life.
—from St. Anthony Messenger‘s “Five Steps to Deeper Discipleship“
by Mark P. Shea
