Depicting the scene from Matthew 9:9, Caravaggio uses the contrast of light and darkness to embody the call that Jesus extends to Matthew to “follow me.” This artistic interpretation vividly displays Christ, the true light of the world, encountering the sinner in his darkness so that He may call him to walk in the way of His light as His disciple.

In his speech on January 22, 2004, Pope John Paul II reminded the faithful that “The need for authentic disciples of Jesus Christ remains as urgent as ever.” Recent emphasis on New Evangelization has created a context in which discipleship has become a popular topic. We hear about it in homilies, apostolates, books, articles, and elsewhere throughout Christianity. But what is discipleship? Who is called to be a disciple and what does that call entail?

In The Way of Discipleship in Sacred Scripture, we will seek answers to these questions by exploring the theme of discipleship in the Bible. We will begin by examining the earliest development of discipleship as we find it presented in the Old Testament. With our findings in view, we will then examine how the New Testament carries the theme forward to develop what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Throughout this study, we will consider how the Bible intends to influence us and shape our lives as readers who are being made into disciples of Jesus by our contemplation of the sacred text.

Required Texts:

• Sacred Scripture, the Bible (preferably RSVCE 2nd edition)
• The Imitation of Christ (Thomas à Kempis)
• Instructor’s notes (provided and included in the registration cost)

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Reference Materials

• Syllabus The Way of Discipleship in Sacred Scripture Fall 2019
• Week 1 CCC and GS Reading
• Benedict XVI excerpt on Mary’s response - This excerpt is another beautiful insight given by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel (cf. Luke 1:34).
• N.T. Wright excerpt on Luke - This piece is a bit more academic and you are not required to read it. This dives into the parallels between the beginning and end of the Gospel of Luke, as mentioned in last night’s class.
• Lectio Divina and WRAP Summaries - This briefly explains how to pray using the method of Lectio Divina, as well as explaining a journaling version of Lectio known as WRAP.
• WRAP Template - This is a template for journaling out your Lectio Divina using a method called WRAP. See the above document for WRAP summary.
• 30 Days of Praying with Scripture - Pray through the life of Christ for 30 days using these selected passages from the Gospel of Luke for Lectio Divina or WRAP. This was organized by Fr. Scott Traynor, a priest of the Diocese of Sioux Falls.
• Selected Apostolic Exhortation excerpts
• New Evangelists and Digital Natives by Dr. Christopher Blum

Classroom Location & Directions