A young man was walking down the supermarket aisle picking up a few things he needed when he noticed an old woman staring at him. He thought nothing of it and continued his shopping. When he got to the checkout line, the old woman appeared. He politely let her step in front of him.
"Pardon me," she said. ''I'm sorry to stare at you. It's just that you look so much like my son who died recently."
The young man was filled with compassion for the old woman. "I'm terribly sorry,...
A young man was walking down the supermarket aisle picking up a few things he needed when he noticed an old woman staring at him. He thought nothing of it and continued his shopping. When he got to the checkout line, the old woman appeared. He politely let her step in front of him.
"Pardon me," she said. ''I'm sorry to stare at you. It's just that you look so much like my son who died recently."
The young man was filled with compassion for the old woman. "I'm terribly sorry, ma'am. Is there anything I can do for you?"
The old woman smiled. "You know what would make me feel better? My son and I always went shopping together. As I'm leaving, do you think you could say 'Goodbye, Mother'? It would be like my son is here with me one more time."
"I'd be happy to," the young man said.
As the old woman gathered up her bags from the checkout counter, he called out, "Goodbye, Mother!" She smiled and waved back
The young man then emptied his basket of items and the supermarket cashier totaled up the bill. The total was $140. The young man was stunned.
"Excuse me? That can't be correct. I only have seven or eight things here. It shouldn't be more than $25."
The clerk said, "Your mother said you would be paying for her."[1]
The young man in the story learns a very expensive lesson: simply calling someone “Mother” doesn’t make her your mom. He learns that words are sometimes merely words. Without truth, meaning, integrity, and commitment behind them, words mean absolutely nothing. He learns that words alone cannot create the depth of meaning of a truly loving relationship.
At the same time, our calling ourselves “Christian” and “Disciples of Jesus” means nothing until the way we live our lives becomes a real expression of what it means to be a Christian; of what it means to be a real Disciple of Christ: people who act with compassion, mercy, love, forgiveness, and whose actions are directly connected to their faith in and love for our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Discipleship – real discipleship – finds its source not merely in words, but in the depths of our hearts and our souls. Discipleship is the expression of a deep desire to follow the will of God and to serve God as Jesus served us: with selfless humility and, through our words, actions and attitudes, to mirror to others Christ’s love for us.
There are many things that can get in the way of our living out the call of discipleship: human limitations, imperfections, and sinfulness. But the true disciple humbly acknowledges these failures and limitations and continues to work toward the fullest expression of what it means to call oneself a Christian.
In our prayer this week, let us ask God for the graces we need to truly live as Disciples of Christ. May Christ dwell in the depths of our hearts and souls and may we live, learn, and love as His faithful followers.+
[1] Cormier, Jay, “Connections,” September, 2002, p. 4.
