disciple
Are You A Disciple of Jesus?
23rd Sunday Ordinary Time – Year C
Fr. Mark Gatto
Preached: September 7, 2025
Recently I heard someone say, “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.”
If someone asked you, “are you a disciple of Jesus?” how would you answer? Before answering reflect on what Jesus says in our Gospel today.
Do you hate your father and mother, your spouse and children? Are you carrying your cross? Have you given up all of your possessions?
We just heard Jesus speaking of these things required of his disciples. So, how would you answer, if asked, are you a disciple of Jesus?
There was a famous guru who had a centre full of many thousands people who came to join him. A reporter came to see what this was all about. When he met the guru he said, “there must be 10,000 people here. Do you know how many disciples you have?” The guru responded, “about 3 or 4.” I wonder about our parish, a full church, but how many disciples do we have? I struggle to know if I am truly a disciple of Jesus.
How do we know if we are true disciples of Jesus? The key question is, are you free?
Are you free from the need to be popular? Are you free from the need to be successful? Are you free from the need to be wealthy? Are you free from the need to join the crowd? Are you free enough to lay down your life for others?
Those challenging words of Jesus in the Gospel might disturb us at first, when seen at their surface level. But, what Jesus is actually doing is calling us to be free. Jesus himself was utterly free. He was able to stand up to the assumptions, customs, and cultural norms of his society. He interpreted the laws, especially the Sabbath laws, freely. He was bold enough to disregard all the sacred traditions about what was clean and unclean. He had the personal freedom to do God’s will regardless of what anyone thought or said.
Jesus was free to love, to love the poorest, as well as the rich young man. The pious were scandalized by how he loved the prostitutes, the tax collectors and the lepers.
The radical freedom of Jesus made him fearless in living life. He was not fearful of people in authority, including Herod or Pilate. Jesus was free to die, to give his life for the kingdom. He was not attached to anything or anyone, even to his own life, or the success of his mission.
His freedom came from his great trust in God.
We know that we are disciples of Jesus when we are truly free. When we have let go of our attachments, our need for success, worries about our reputation. When we are able to laugh at our ego. We even experience freedom from guilt for we know ourselves as forgiven. Julian of Norwich would say “All will be well and all manner of things will be well.” She could say this as she was a disciple of Jesus. This freedom is rooted in a fundamental trust in God’s love.
There are many false forms of freedom offered to us in our society. They are rooted in selfishness, self-centeredness, and self-indulgence. There is the false freedom of nations who attack weaker nations because they want the ‘freedom’ to use their power to dominate others.
Jesus was radically free. We know we are disciples of Jesus when we are becoming free. Free to love, free to let go of any attachments which are obstacles to God’s will. Free to give of our life for goodness, love and peace.
So, reflect on that question today. Are you a disciple of Jesus? Are you free as Jesus was free? How do you need to become free?
Who Do You Follow?
Who are we following? Whether we realize it or not, we are following someone in some way. As Catholics we are called to be disciples of Jesus. Disciple means to follow, we are called to follow Jesus. Jesus should be the one who leads us, who influences our decisions, who guides us in our life.
But, in reality we are often influenced by many others. Often without realizing it. Advertising comes at us from everywhere. On our social media sites we have advertising directed at us using algorithms that know us better than we know ourselves at times. So, corporations, political figures, various ideological forces are at work trying to guide us and lead our choices.
Many of these forces that we follow encourage us to be greedy, selfish or leads us towards hatred and anger towards a certain group of people. Usually a small and weak and vulnerable group.
Leadership and who we follow matters. In our world we see the results of bad leadership. In Sudan, two opposing military leaders are fighting for authority, leading the country into violence and destroying so much. The leadership of Vladimir Putin has moved a country into a destructive war doing so much damage. How many young people on both sides being killed and injured as they are forced to follow harmful leaders.
Parents are often concerned with who their children follow. They are worried they will end up in a bad group that will lead them astray!
Who we follow matters. There was a story from Kenya last week about a cult leader who supposedly encouraged his followers to fast to death in order to get to heaven.
Who we follow matters. We need to ask ourselves about anyone we are following. Where are they leading us? Does it lead us to harm, for us and others? Does it lead us away from virtue and goodness? Does it lead us to hatred or prejudice towards certain people?
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. When we follow Jesus we are led in good directions. He says that “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Jesus leads us first of all by example, we see the way by the model of life he provides for us. Jesus leads us by guiding us through the Holy Spirit.
Choose wisely who you are following in your life. Look to Jesus as the one to follow. For Jesus will lead you on a path that brings life, that moves you into truth and goodness, the way that leads to eternal life. When we follow Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we will find a place of peace.
All of us need to carefully review our life. Who am I following? Who is influencing my decisions, my thinking and my priorities? In the Gospels, in prayer, in the Sacraments allow Jesus to be the one you follow.