Our lives are full of high and low points, with most of what we do falling somewhere between the two. When you read this, Lumos, Festos, WYD, the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes, our summer holidays - all these will be behind us; the new soccer season will be well underway, and ahead will lie the challenges of the new academic year, university life, the routine patterns of our work and family responsibilities, the autumn months, and the long run-up to Christmas. Normal life and routine is very much at the centre of who we are, but for us there’s something more - we’re disciples of Jesus. That should make a big difference to how we see everything, helping us to be positive and optimistic, because Christ has called us into his light, and we now know the real meaning of life.

So what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? The word disciple is used by Jesus to describe those whose lives are closely linked to his own, and it occurs 269 times in the four Gospels and the Book of Acts. Discipleship is all about following Jesus, the Master. It isn’t based on just a passing interest or an occasional attendance at Mass, but demands a determination to live every day according to the Master’s teachings, no matter if the day is good, bad, or just routine. It’s a serious business, and we are called to see it through to the end. As Jesus puts it in Luke 9:32 - “once the hand is laid to the plough, no-one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God”. We cannot be half-hearted disciples - the Master has to know he can be sure of us. A disciple is one who learns from Jesus and is then committed to living out what he or she has learned.

All this sounds very demanding, heavy even, but to think that way is to see only part of the picture. It’s not just about what we are to do and not to do - there’s much more to it than that. Jesus leads us in love - his concern is for our good and our growth, and through the Holy Spirit he will speak life-giving words of love and guidance to us every day. We can trust him and rely on him totally, at all times, and in everything - he’s the same yesterday, today, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8), totally dependable. To be a disciple is to want to be like him - living as he lived, loving as he loved, praying as he prayed, serving as he served, speaking as he spoke. A disciple is inspired by Jesus, listens to his teaching, and then puts it into practice - no truth can be living truth until it’s lived out.

So as we give thanks for the wonderful events of the summer, let’s renew our commitment to learning from the Master, to serving him day after day, to living by the words he speaks (John 8:31), and to confidently expect to see evidence of good fruit growing in us and around us. As Jesus himself explained it to his first disciples, if you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; but apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:4-5). If we rely on our own abilities, if we make our decisions based on what we like and want, then we won’t get very far as disciples of Jesus. What you and I need to do now is to put our trust in him, and to allow him by his Holy Spirit to guide and help us in all we do. This was the message of Lumos, Festos, and WYD.