‘Follow me’: entering the Life of Christ

Q: Archbishop J, how can I follow Him?

At the heart of the Gospel lies one of the simplest invitations Jesus ever spoke: “Follow me.” Two words. Yet within them lies the entire journey of discipleship. Jesus does not begin by asking for theological mastery, moral perfection, or even full understanding. He begins with movement. Follow.

Every baptised Christian receives this invitation. Discipleship is not for a few; it is the ordinary path of Christian life. In the world of the Gospels, to follow a rabbi meant far more than agreement. It meant apprenticeship. The disciple walked with the teacher, observed him, imitated him, and gradually allowed his life to be shaped by the master.

An ancient blessing captured this well: “May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi’s feet.” It meant walking so closely behind the teacher that his life marked the disciple’s.

When Jesus says, “Follow me,” He invites us into that kind of closeness—a life shaped by His. Yet the Gospels make clear that following Jesus requires an interior transformation. Three movements define this journey: priority, discernment, and obedience.

Making Christ the first priority

Following Jesus begins with a reordering of love. When Jesus calls the fishermen, Matthew records: “Immediately they left their nets and followed him” (Mt 4:20). They leave nets, boats, and even their families. Matthew leaves his tax booth. Each moment reveals the same truth: discipleship begins when Christ becomes the first priority.

This does not mean abandoning responsibilities but relocating the centre. Christ becomes the axis around which everything else finds its place. This is why the Gospel speaks with urgency.

When one man asks to bury his father before following Jesus, the Lord replies: “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead” (Mt 8:22). These words are not dismissive of duty; they reveal the cost of delay.

There will always be reasons to postpone discipleship. At some point, the disciple must decide: Who stands at the centre of my life?

Learning to discern His voice

Discipleship is not a one-off decision. It requires learning to recognise Christ’s voice. Jesus says: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (Jn 10:27). Yet many voices compete for our attention—culture, fear, ambition, even our own ego. The disciple must learn, over time, to distinguish the voice of Christ. Sometimes that voice is quiet. At other times, it comes with clarity.

During a 30-day retreat, I experienced such clarity. Early in the retreat, I sensed the Lord say, “There is something I want to ask you. When I ask, will you say yes?” I hesitated. “Lord, tell me what You want, and then let us speak about it.” The question faded into the background of prayer.

The grace of surrender

On the final days of the retreat, I woke up and recounted the graces of the retreat and asked the Lord if there was anything else He wanted from me. Immediately, the same question returned. This time my heart had changed. I found the grace to respond: “Lord, if You ask me, and You show me it is You asking, and You give me the courage, I will do all in my power to do what You ask.”

That prayer reveals three essentials of discipleship:

• Discernment: Show me it is You
• Grace: Give me the courage
• Cooperation: I will respond

Grace does not replace freedom; it awakens it. In Ignatian spirituality, this is the grace of holy indifference—a freedom that allows God to lead. Only after that surrender did the mission become clear.

Within weeks, I found myself entering Upper Gonzales, sitting with gang leaders, listening, and beginning a ministry among them. At the same time, I was invited into deeper service in the Church. Looking back, both flowed from that moment. The Lord asked for a ‘yes’ before revealing the path.

The courage to obey

This is how discipleship unfolds. Jesus rarely reveals the entire journey. Instead, He invites trust—one step at a time. In St Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says: “Let us cross over to the other side” (Mt 8:18). The disciples step into the boat. Almost immediately, a storm erupts. Matthew uses the word seismos—a violent upheaval. The sea convulses. Waves crash. The disciples cry out: “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

Many disciples recognise this moment. We expect following Jesus to bring calm, yet obedience often leads into storms. In a world that promises control, disciples discover that faith often leads through uncertainty.

The question is not whether storms will come. The question is whether we trust the One who called us. Jesus rebukes the wind and sea. A great calm follows. And the disciples ask: “What sort of man is this”? (Mt 8:27).

Encountering the Lord and His love

Discipleship ultimately depends on encounter. We cannot follow Jesus simply because we admire Him. We must come to know Him as Lord and God. In John’s Gospel, the man born blind moves from ignorance to recognition, and finally to faith: “Lord, I believe.” And He worships the Lord. Yet this encounter is also an encounter with love.

Again and again, people meet Jesus in their brokenness before they are sent on mission. He touches the leper, forgives the sinner, restores Peter. His love reaches into the deepest wounds of the human heart and heals from within. Only a heart that has experienced this love can truly obey. When we know we are loved without condition, we no longer follow out of fear. We follow because we trust.

Following into kenosis

That trust leads to the deepest mystery of discipleship: kenosis.

St Paul writes: “Though he was in the form of God, he emptied himself” (Phil 2:6–7). This self-emptying begins in God Himself: the Father gives the Son, the Son pours Himself out on the cross, and the Spirit is poured into our hearts. To follow Jesus is to enter that movement. We release control. We surrender self-sufficiency. We learn to love as Christ loves.

This is why Jesus says: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Lk 9:23). Following is not imitation alone. It is participation. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20).

The invitation

The invitation of Christ continues in every generation. He still calls—by the sea, in prayer, in unexpected moments: Follow me. And often the call begins with a question: Will you trust me before you know where I am taking you?

Within the two simple words, “Follow me”, lies everything—a life reordered around Christ, a heart healed by His love, and a soul transformed into His self-giving life. “Follow me.”

Key Message:

Trust Christ enough to follow Him—before you fully understand—allowing His love to reorder your life, guide your discernment, and lead you into self-giving discipleship.

Action Step:

Become aware of the ways, simple and complex, that God is inviting you to follow Him. Do not hesitate: Follow.

Scripture for Reflection:

Jn 21:15–19