DARACAN, John Steve C.

Ecclesiology

COMMUNITY OF DISCIPLES
+Avery Cardinal Dulles
CONTENTS:
I. INTRODUCTION
II. THE DISCIPLES IN THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS
III. THE POST-EASTER COMMUNITY OF DISCIPLES
IV. THE CHURCH IN A CHRISTIANIZED SOCIETY
V. DISCIPLESHIP AND SACRAMENTAL LIFE
VI. CHRISTIAN FORMATION IN COMMUNITY
VII. DISCIPLESHIP AND DECHRISTIANIZATION
VIII. DISCIPLESHIP AND MISSION
IX. THE ADEQUACY OF THE DISCIPLESHIP MODEL
X. CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

In 1974, Avery Cardinal Dulles, an American Jesuit Cardinal wrote his infamous work called the
Models of the Church. It was written after the Second Vatican Council as a conglomeration of
the new understanding of the Catholic Church. As it was published, Cardinal Dulles urged that
his writings must not remain to be mere theological journalism because it shows the salient
features of the Church. Going back to these features he pointed that, “By its very constitution,
the Church is a communion of grace (Model 2) structured as a human society (Model 1.) While
sanctifying its own members, it offers praise and worship to God (Model 3.) It is permanently
charged with the responsibility of spreading the good news of the gospel (Model 4) and of
healing and consolidating the human community (Model 5.)”1 Dulles' objective is for his readers
to have a clearer and wider understanding of the Church.

During the years when the second Vatican Council was under its process, certain themes in the
Church had been discussed. One of these is the discussion and scrutiny on the institutional aspect
of the Church that, according to Dulles, must be in terms of what God “instituted” in Christ. The
presence of Christ in the Church if there is the community visible to everyone. Dulles
emphasizes that “The institutional model has the great merit of giving due emphasis to the
Church’s ministry of perpetuating the work of Christ as Teacher, Savior, and Ruler.” 2 If one
would take a look, Dulles is showing that the institutional aspect of the Church lies on the
ministries in the Church. With this in mind, there is a need for careful evaluation of those who
will receive pastoral office. Dulles stated that, “Those selected for pastoral office are judged to
have both the vocation and the aptitude to represent Christ and to act by his authority.” 3 The
Church, in accepting those who in themselves a desire to answer the call of the Lord in taking a
certain pastoral ministry must serve as a guide herself towards them. John Paul II, in his
Apostolic Exhortation said that the Church “must propose clearly and courageously to each new
generation the vocational call, help people to discern the authenticity of their call from God and
1
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition (New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing
Group, Inc, 1987), 204.
2
Ibid., 205.
3
Ibid.
to respond to it generously, and give particular care to the formation of candidates for the
priesthood.”4 The formation of the candidates to pastoral offices has a wide and vision to form
them to be ready in taking a pastoral leadership that will “be helpful to examine the meaning of
discipleship”5 on which the sixth model of the Church came about in the theological reflections
of Avery Cardinal Dulles.

The first five models that Dulles has presented has its own strengths and weaknesses. They must
not be treated individually because all of them must complement each other. The weakness of the
other could be filled up by the strength of the other. Having carefully observed the five models,
Dulles has to point out from them on what could be fitting to incorporate what is valid on the
other models. He then found the sacramental model to be fitting and became the “basis for a
systematic model.”6 Given that there are certain differences among the five models, it dawned on
Dulles that there must be a model that would harmonize the differences of these five. It was
known that Dulles was a Cardinal who was in the forefront of the aggiornamento of the Church
in the Second Vatican Council. In doing the sixth model, he got the idea from John Paul II
Redemptor Hominis saying, “the Second Vatican Council devoted very special attention to
showing how this "ontological" community of disciples and confessors must increasingly
become, even from the "human" point of view, a community aware of its own life and activity.” 7
The existence of ‘community of the disciples’ is a testimony of the relationship of Jesus Christ
and his Church from early times hitherto. Dulles admitted that in all of the documents of the
second Vatican Council, the term “community of disciples” was never mentioned. Yet, on these
documents, the Church called her members as disciples. With this in mind, the Church, in her
courageous act for change, has already seen her members to be disciples of Christ its
Lord. Dulles brilliantly pointed this out where it could certainly harmonize the first five models.

THE DISCIPLES IN THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS

The idea and life of being a disciple was much evident during the ministry of Jesus that were
recorded in the New Testament. Jesus, in calling his disciples, did not gather [them] around him
because he needed a kind of ‘court.’ It would also be perverse to suppose that he only gathered
disciples at the point when resistance began to stiffen against him.” 8 The Lord has intended to
bring Israel into conversion and receive the message of the Kingdom. Yet, has to build his
disciples as a new community who will be with him in proclaiming the Kingdom of God because
his original plan was unsuccessful. Jesus has to train them “under his personal supervision so that
they could be trusted to understand his real message and carry it to others, even after his own
death.”9 Alongside with the people around Jesus who were against him especially his message of
the Kingdom, Jesus has to choose his disciples in order to help him as “he withdrew to a
protected circle of likeminded people in order to be able to communicate his idea of the reign of

4
John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis. (Vatican City, Rome, 1992) 2; par. 2.
5
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition, 205.
6
Ibid., 206.
7
John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis. (Vatican City, Rome, 1979) 21; par. 3.
8
Gerhard Lohfink, JESUS OF NAZARETH What He Wanted, Who He Was (Quezon City: Claretian Publications,
2013), 84.
9
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition, 208.
God at least to them.”10 Though the plan was not that successful per se, his act of gathering
disciple helps him to proclaim the Kingdom of God.

It is noteworthy that the term disciples of Jesus, does not only boil down to twelve. Dulles has
highlighted the inner corps of disciples “who were not selected to accompany him on his
journeys”11 that were recorded in the New Testament. Dulles enumerated some of these disciples
where Jesus called to be disciples on an inner corp. First is the story of Lazarus and his two
sisters, Mary and Martha that was written in the Gospel of John 11:1-44. Jesus attended to the
request of Martha and Mary to visit their brother Lazarus but as Jesus arrived, he found him
dead. As the Lord wept, he commanded Lazarus to rise from the dead. After this encounter and
great miracle, there was no written statement that they had followed the Lord in His journey;
instead, they “apparently continued to live at their home in Bethany.”12

In the ministry of Jesus, he has encountered many individuals, especially his healing ministry.
He has encountered people who turn to be his disciples, especially those whom he has healed.
One of them, as Dulles stated, is the Gerasene demoniac who was healed by Jesus from the
possession of the evil one. The Gospel of Mark stated that “they began to beg him to leave their
district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with
him. But he would not permit him but told him instead, ‘Go home to your family and announce
to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.’” (Mark 5:17-19) The Lord does not totally
reject the request of the man to follow him to become his disciples; rather, he “invited him to
announce to his own people what the Lord had done for him, i.e., proclaim the gospel message to
his pagan family.”13 By the mere fact that the Lord has sent him to his people it is already a task
of being a disciple. Lohfink would agree with this saying: “In the context that can only mean he
accompanies Jesus to Jerusalem. He does not follow Jesus as a disciple but apparently as
someone who goes part of the way with him. And he does not go just anywhere but walks with
Jesus on the last part of his way, the part that will end at the cross. So, the healed man becomes a
participant in Jesus’ story- and that is a great, great thing.”14

There were also disciples who were included in the outer corps. These, compared to the inner
circle, are groups of individuals who were called to be disciples. The question of Cleopas would
tell that there were numbers of disciples of Jesus after the tragic event in Jerusalem. Cleopas
said, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken
place there in these days?” (Lk 24:18) There may be no explicit mention if they really followed
the Lord in his journey, the mere fact that they are present in one or two events of Jesus’ ministry
and they were sent to preach, they are called disciples. There are also certain scriptures that
would explicitly state a certain man to be a disciple. In the Gospel of John, it was said, “After
this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he
could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it.” (Jn 19:38) Dulles, has stated more
instances in the Scriptures in showing the disciples under the outer corps like the seventy-two

10
Gerhard Lohfink, JESUS OF NAZARETH What He Wanted, Who He Was, 84.
11
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition, 208.
12
Ibid.
13
New American Bible Revised Edition, Commentary on Matthew 5:19 (World Catholic Press, A Division of Catholic
Book Publishing Corp., 2011), 1112
14
Gerhard Lohfink, JESUS OF NAZARETH What He Wanted, Who He Was, 90-91
disciples in Luke 10:1-10; the 120 persons who joined the Mother of Jesus and the apostles in the
upper room.

In order for Jesus to have a firmly protected likeminded circle who will be able to communicate
his message of salvation, there was a need for him to have his inner core of disciples. This is
where the apostles were chosen by Jesus Christ “and commissioned by Jesus for a very important
task”15 as they represent the twelve tribes of Israel. The very first people who were chosen by
Jesus Christ were the fishermen. In the understanding of the Israelites, there are two dwelling
places of the evil one: the desert and the sea. Fishermen are known to be experts on the matters
on the sea. Jesus, given that his mission is to save mankind from the trap of the evil one who
dwells on the sea, called these fishermen who are experts on the sea to help Jesus in his mission.
With this, Jesus Christ does not call his disciples out of nowhere. He calls them for specific tasks
based on their expertise in life that they could use in helping Him. Though Jesus called the
twelve, Dulles did not deny the proclamation of Redemptoris Mater saying, “Thus in a sense
Mary as Mother became the first "disciple" of her Son, the first to whom he seemed to say:
"Follow me," even before he addressed this call to the Apostles or to anyone else.” 16 These are
the community of disciples in the protected circle of Jesus Christ who will be helping him in his
ministry.

It was said that the community of disciples gathered by Jesus is a group of contradictions.
Lohfink would underline the demand of being a disciple that, “following Jesus, is not their idea,
their plan, their project; they are called, against their accustomed way of life, against their life-
project, probably even against their idea of what a devout life should be. This was not their own
will but that of a stranger- and yet they recognized, in that stranger’s will, the will of God.” 17
They have to leave their usual way of living and follow certain rules that are given by Jesus
Christ himself whom they are following. With this kind of living, they are giving attention to
other people who are used to living the usual way of life. Yet, through their contradiction, “it had
a mission to remind the rest of the people of the transcendent value of the Kingdom of God, to
which the disciples bore witness. It was clearly stated in the Gospel of Matthew on the fate that
they will have as they follow Him. Jesus said, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have
nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20) In the same chapter of
Matthew, Jesus said, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.” (Matthew 8:22) The
rules of Jesus demand a lot of things as they opened themselves to follow Jesus Christ. “All this
they did willingly, because they found in Jesus and his community a new family, with spiritual
ties closer than those of flesh and blood.”18 It was clear for the disciples the three actions of being
part of the community of disciples: to deny oneself, take up their cross, and follow him. Dulles
concluded, “The way of Jesus is the way of the disciples, and discipleship consists in walking the
way with Jesus.”19 As a result, “the disciples no longer live for themselves alone but for the
people of God, and the resident supporters no longer live only for themselves and their
children.”20 A new family of Jesus that lives a life of contradiction to give attention to the society
in order to preach the Kingdom of God.
15
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition, 209.
16
John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater. (Vatican City, Rome, 1987) 20; par. 8.
17
Gerhard Lohfink, JESUS OF NAZARETH What He Wanted, Who He Was, 74.
18
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition, 210.
19
Ibid.
20
Gerhard Lohfink, JESUS OF NAZARETH What He Wanted, Who He Was, 93.
THE POST-EASTER COMMUNITY OF DISCIPLES

When Jesus was with his disciples during his earthly ministry, his presence with the community
disciples was a great matter for them in living to be a disciple. After Jesus’ earthly ministry,
“discipleship in the pre-Easter sense became impossible. But Jesus was not absent.” 21 It was
written, “And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.” (Matthew 28:20) The
discipleship had its transformation when Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit to the Church.
Redemptoris Missio states that, “ The coming of the Holy Spirit makes them witnesses and
prophets. It fills them with a serene courage which impels them to pass on to others their
experience of Jesus and the hope which motivates them. The Spirit gives them the ability to bear
witness to Jesus with "boldness."22 The disciples of Jesus, after his ascension, made them share
Jesus with others through the help of the Holy Spirit.

The message of Jesus has reached a wider audience as the Acts of the Apostles states, “About
this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against
the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were overlooked. So, the Twelve called
a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, it would not be right for us to neglect the
word of God so as to give you food, you, brothers must select from among yourselves seven men
of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom; we will hand over this duty to them.”
(ACTS, 6:1-3) During this time of the early mission of the apostles, Christianity is to follow
Jesus and this becomes a new way of life. Dulles beautifully stated that in “earliest years of the
Church, all Christian believers are called disciples, and the Church itself is called the community
of the disciples.”23 With this, in the New Testament, all believers of Jesus Christ have been called
as disciples.

From the time where disciples have been called and gathered by Jesus until the early Church, the
community of disciples remains to be a sign of contradiction to the society. This happens in the
sense that the Christians are to “abstain from engaging in war, from frequenting the baths and
stadiums, and from wearing wigs and jewelry.” 24 Christians are then called to do acts of charity
and goodness towards the other. As a contradiction to the society, Christians, as disciples, must
be ready “for imprisonment, exile, and even death. Ignatius of Antioch brilliantly called
Christians who are martyred for faith as “genuine disciple of Jesus Christ” 25 The peak of
discipleship is to lay down one’s life for the faith in Jesus Christ.

THE CHURCH IN A CHRISTIANIZED SOCIETY

21
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition, 210.
22
John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio. (Vatican City, Rome, 1990) 24; par. 1.
23
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition, 211.
24
Ibid.
25
Ibid.
The Church has gone through persecutions specially in the pagan societies. A manifestation of
the steadfast faith of every Christian that has spread throughout the world. During the time where
Christianity became the religion of the empire under Emperor Constantine, Christianity was put
into challenge. Given that the religion of Christianity was under a government, the “Christians
became increasingly involved in the ordinary tasks of civil life, including family ties, secular
work, and governmental duties''26 The Christians are asked to participate and made use of their
roles in the civil society even some of it seem to be against the life of being a Christian. But,
during this time, the idea of discipleship has not been totally removed from their life. “All
Christians were told that they must practice a kind of interior discipleship, embracing the values
and priorities upheld by Jesus.”27 This is what they will do even if suffering or desolation would
come their way. It is the Cross of Christ where they will get their strength to go on. In the fourth
century, there came another way of being a disciple- a radical way of life of the hermits. “The
first Christian hermits sought out the solitude of the desert. Hermits generally live a monastic
life, though not all monks are hermits. Some modern hermits in the Roman Catholic Church are
lay people living solitary lives in their own apartments in the city.” 28 The hermits do this “to
embrace an austere form of life”29 not by the idea of escaping from persecution because of faith.

From the latter statement, there seem to be two ideas that came out. Johann Baptist Metz stresses
that there is “a close connection between the vowed religious life and authentic discipleship.” 30
There is now the entrance of the religious orders who observe poverty, simplicity, celibate life
and service just as what the first disciples of Jesus did. In the Christianized Society, the
spirituality observed by the religious orders mentioned in the latter statement could already be
seen in the ordained priesthood. In the New Testament, the disciples played an important role in
the ministry of priesthood that has been passed on to the ministry of priests today. In this priestly
ministry, there is an important virtue that must be practiced by all priests. John Paul II in his
apostolic exhortation, Pastores Dabo Vobis said:

It is especially important that the priest understand the theological

motivation of the Church's law on celibacy. Inasmuch as it is a
law, it expresses the Church's will, even before the will of the
subject expressed by his readiness. But the will of the Church finds
its ultimate motivation in the link between celibacy and sacred
ordination, which configures the priest to Jesus Christ the head and
spouse of the Church. The Church, as the spouse of Jesus Christ,
wishes to be loved by the priest in the total and exclusive manner
in which Jesus Christ her head and spouse loved her. Priestly
celibacy, then, is the gift of self in and with Christ to his Church
and expresses the priest's service to the Church in and with the
Lord.31

26
Ibid., 213.
27
Ibid.
28
Paul Larson, “Hermits,” Springer Link (2023) Retrieved October 15, 2023 from
https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-0-387-71802-6_295
29
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition, 213.
30
Ibid., 213.
31
John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis. (Vatican City, Rome, 1992) 29; par. 4.
The understanding of priestly celibacy of those ordained gives them a new understanding of
discipleship in line with the concept of priesthood. The priest does not exclusively live the status
of being a disciple by being celibate. But they share they’re being a disciple with the lay people.
Dulles said, “The laity, in fact, have special responsibility to penetrate the secular sphere with the
spirit of Christ, and to leaven it with the yeast of the gospel, so that human efforts may be
sustained by hope and guided toward the divinely appointed consummation.” 32 Priests and lay
may differ in their ministry, both of them share a common life of a disciple who follows Jesus
Christ, the Lord.

DISCIPLESHIP AND SACRAMENTAL LIFE

From the early Church hitherto, we have seen the development of the concept of discipleship.
Dulles, considering this development said that, “For the Church as a whole to practice
discipleship in its full range, there must be a variety of gifts and vocations.” 33 The Church now
has imbibed the name of being a community of discipleship and he highlighted the importance of
vocations who will give their humble service, self-denial, charity and steadfastness. Whether the
individual chooses to take an active or contemplative life, their act of service may lead them to
be faithful disciples. When Luke recorded the words of Jesus saying, “Mary has chosen the
better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10;42) Luke, “uses agathos [good] rather
than kalos [beautiful], so there is a moral dimension to her choice: by her listening, she has
received the person of the Prophets, for the Prophet is defined by his ‘word’”34

Borrowing the lessons in the story of Martha and Mary, the disciples must not “be so taken up
with external activities as to forget the ‘one thing necessary, namely, to be inwardly transformed
by the knowledge and love that Christ brings into the world.” 35 The Church is a “Church” when
the community of disciples gathers as one. Adhering to the example of Mary in the
aforementioned story, the Church has to gather as one Church at the feet of Jesus and listens to
his words. Through this, we are to be led in worship as what the Church is doing in the liturgy.
And so, as the Church gathers at the feet of the Lord listening to his word, there comes the
importance of the homilies of the priest. Dulles said, “In any full liturgy, the service of the word
plays an important role. Jesus speaks to the community when the Scriptures are read and applied,
through homilies, to the situation of the congregation today.” 36 The breaking of the Word must
be connected to the lives of the people so that the Word of God may penetrate the hearts of the
disciples and transform them into good. The liturgy, through the sacraments, leads the
community of disciples to have an encounter with Jesus the Lord. Dulles entered into the
different sacraments with the concept of discipleship. In Baptism, “a new relationship is
established between the candidate and the Church. The candidate formally embarks on the way
to discipleship, and the community commits itself to guide the candidate in the following of
Christ”37 for he/she is “incorporated into the Church.” 38 After the rite of baptism, the sacrament
of Confirmation, “the community, now represented by the bishop, enjoins the individual to serve
32
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition, 214.
33
Ibid.
34
Luke Timothy Johnson, Sacra Pagina The Gospel of Luke, (Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1991) page 17
35
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition, 215.
36
Ibid.
37
Ibid.
38
The Code of Canon Law (London: Collins Liturgical Publication) Canon 849.
as a mature and responsible member, with new responsibilities to bear witness to the faith.” 39 The
Sacrament of the Eucharist signifies the “deepest and most intimate union with Christ…
encounters him under symbolic forms as the crucified and risen Lord, and thus as the sacrifice
that reconciles sinners to God.”40 In the sacraments of healing, the sacrament of penance calls the
“Christian who has failed to live up to the demands of discipleship is reintegrated into the
community and reconciled with its Lord…”41 Together with penance in the sacraments of healing
is the sacrament of the anointing of the sick where “the healing power of Christ is made available
to the ailing disciple.”42 Lastly, on the sacraments of service where in marriage, “Christ imparts
the needed grave for two individuals to embark to follow in his footsteps and to become, in most
cases, parents in a new Christian family.” 43 Part of the sacraments of service is the ordination as
“rightly understood as an instance of discipleship.” 44 Here, the Lord has chosen his
representatives to proclaim his Word and continue His mission on earth. Those men who were
chosen for the ministry to the priesthood, are to become leaders of the Church.

Dulles stresses that “Leadership in the Church is not a matter of simple delegation from the
community, but an office depending on the gift and authorization of Christ. Only mature
discipleship, thoroughly schooled in the ways of the Lord, should be presented for ordination.” 45
The serious and careful preparation of seminarians must be observed during their seminary
formation. Adhering to the call of Dulles, the RFIS emphasized the same vision that “Ongoing
formation is an indispensable requirement in the life of every priest and his exercise of the
priestly ministry. In fact, the interior attitude of the priest must be distinguished by an ongoing to
the will of God, following the example of Christ.” 46 The seminarians are formed to be priests and
be leaders of the Church. As early as their formation in the seminary, they must imitate only
Jesus Christ who called them and bear a close intimacy with Him. Putting it in a context, one
must realize how important the formation of priests is. If we try to see the number of priests in a
parish and that of a seminary, we could see a big difference and mysterious reason for it. A
single parish, for example, has more than a thousand parishioners both active and nominally
under the care of a single parish priest. He needs to take care of these people. But, here in the
Mary Help of Christians Theology Seminary that has only twenty-five seminarians are under five
resident priests who will take care of them. The future shepherds of the Church must be given
great assistance and formation because they will become disciples for others under the authority
of Jesus Christ.

CHRISTIAN FORMATION IN COMMUNITY

As it was mentioned, there priests serve as disciples who will lead the community of disciples.
He must have a good relationship with the bishop and “must collaborate closely with a larger
body of lay ministers, some of whom will be formally installed and commissioned by

39
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition, 216.
40
Ibid.
41
Ibid.
42
Ibid.
43
Ibid.
44
Ibid., 216-217.
45
Ibid., 217.
46
Ratio Fundamentalis Institionalis Sacerdotalis, 56, no. 1.
ecclesiastical rites.”47 These ministers could be easily seen during the rites of institutions of
seminarians locally here in the Mary Help of Christians Theology Seminary. For the
Configuration two, they are instituted for the ministry of lectors while those who are under
configuration three are instituted to the ministry on acolytes. The community of disciples are
expected to be led by “responsible leaders who are mature disciples, formed in the ways of the
Lord.”48 We could see here again the importance of seminary formation in leading the
community of disciples. Dulles underlines here the role of intellectual formation in the seminary.
The Vade Mecum of MHCTS said that “Seminary formation aims at forming men with deep
understanding of the mysteries of the faith, a capacity for ongoing theological reflection, and
pastoral skills and competence, in the context of church and society in the Philippines and Asia,
for the sake of the mission of evangelization.” 49 A priest who has not been formed well in the
intellectual realm, may be dangerous in the Church. They may be transmitting the faith but fail to
understand it to be proclaimed to the faithful. Dulles added, “faith cannot be adequately
transmitted in the cold atmosphere of the classroom or lecture hall. It is most successfully passed
on by trusted masters in a network of interpersonal relations resembling the community life of
Jesus with the Twelve.”50 The priests must always make sure that the faith that he has learned
from the classroom must be applied into the daily lives of the people. There must be no
discrepancy between the faith and the life of the people.

DISCIPLESHIP AND DECHRISTIANIZATION

As the advanced technologies have entered the world, Christianity was never exempted to these
situations especially the mass culture. These advances have prioritized the “pursuit of pleasure,
wealth, and power. It is in many respects alien to Christian ideas and attitudes.” 51 The people of
today become unaware of the signs and symbols of the Church. We are to expect the family as a
domestic Church to share and transmit the faith to their members especially the young who are
exposed to mass culture but unaware of the faith. Dulles also saw the need of “something
analogous to the religious novitiate should, where possible, be made available to lay people who
take their religion seriously.”52 These lay people through their lay leaders may have a spiritual
renewal in order for all to have an authentic discipleship.

DISCIPLESHIP AND MISSION

To reiterate what has been said and believed even before, the Church will only be called as
Church when her members are to gather as one. It will not be called as such if one is only
pertaining to the structure. But a Church who gathers for worship should not only be the thing. A
Church who gathers is a Church who will go on a mission. Dulles would emphasize that
“assembly and mission succeed each other in the life of the Church.” 53 With this in mind, the task
of a disciple is not only reserved to the ordained but to the whole community of disciples. We are
all called to spread the faith that comes from Jesus Christ and continue the works he has done in
47
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition, 218.
48
Ibid.
49
Mary Help of Christians Theology Seminary, Vade Mecum (San Fabian, 2013) 21.
50
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition, 218.
51
Ibid., 219.
52
Ibid.
53
Ibid., 220.
his earthly ministry. Jesus in his earthly ministry has fought injustices and corruption. The
disciples must do the same thing even it will lead them to struggle from oppression.

THE ADEQUACY OF THE DISCIPLESHIP MODEL

Dulles did not shun away the rich meaning of the “images of People of God, Body of Christ, and
Temple of the Holy Spirit”54 But for him, the community of disciples is closer to the experiences
of the faithful. Therefore, the “discipleship model motivates the members of the Church to
imitate Jesus in their personal lives. 55 The discipleship model has its adequacy in the lens of the
sacrament because it is founded by Jesus Christ himself. Dulles also emphasized the adequacy of
this latest model in the lens of Scripture and theology. First, “the community unquestionably has
its origins in Christ… and later energized it by the gift of his Spirit.” It was the Lord who
gathered the disciples in order for Him to fulfill His mission and be continued by his disciples.
Yves Congar said, “Irenaeus, that great and beloved writer, also showed the apostles as
instituting and founding the Church by communicating to believers the Spirit that they had
received from the Lord: that Holy Spirit that they had received from the Lord is shared among
and distributed to believers; in this way they instituted and founded the Church.” 56 Secondly, the
community of disciples “visibly represent Christ.” 57 As they gather as one Church, it is Christ
who they imitate. Lohfink would add, “they are to do exactly what Jesus does. They share his
fate, his duties, his joys and sorrows. They have been taken into service; they are laborers for the
reign of God.”58 As they do what Jesus does, they represent Him in everyone they encounter.
Third, it comes from the very words of Jesus, that he is present in the community of disciples
when we do acts of charity to the least, the last and lost. Lastly, “Christ’s presence in the
community of disciples is dynamic and effective.” 59 This means that the transformative work of
Jesus Christ is constantly in progress.

Like any other models presented by Avery Dulles who has its own weaknesses, the ‘community
of disciples has also its own limitations. It was mentioned that the community that Jesus Christ
has established is a contrast community from the society. The immediate claim to this is that,
Christianity became a sect and not universal as to call herself Catholic. But the objection of
Dulles was, “the discipleship model has the advantage of calling attention to the radical break
with worldly values that is required for fidelity to Jesus.” 60 It is through being a contrast
community that the Lord wanted to amplify his message about the Kingdom of God. The call on
discipleship of the first Christians was to have an arduous style of Christianity. The Christians
has to leave their wealth, possessions, families, and others. The problem here is, most of the
members of Christianity has their own family, occupations, and others. Here, it will appear that
the call of Jesus to be disciple falls only to some and not all. Dulles objected to this saying,
“Every Christian is called to enter deeply into the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection and

54
Ibid., 222.
55
Ibid., 222-223.
56
Yves Congar, I Believe in the Holy Spirit, Volume II, (New York: The Seabury Press, 1983) page 9.
57
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition, 223.
58
Gerhard Lohfink, JESUS OF NAZARETH What He Wanted, Who He Was, 84.
59
Avery Dulles, MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition, 223.
60
Ibid., 224.
to participate in the apostolate of the Church.” 61 The members of the Church can encounter
Christ everywhere and every time. The last problem that Dulles objected was the notion that the
Church is presented to be an association where generous individuals could freely give their
service. This is a negation of the reality that the Christians comes from the Church and it will be
her who will nourish them. Dulles stresses that, “Discipleship always depends upon a prior call
or vocation from Christ… Thus, the community of disciples is in some sense prior to its own
members.”62 Though the model of community of disciples is an attempt to harmonize the
differences of the first five models, we have seen that this model itself has its own weaknesses
that must be addressed and clarified. Through this model, it does not just help us to understand
the Church herself but the concept of discipleship too.
CONCLUSION
The Church existed as a contrast community in the society. Through this, the Church received
rejections. It was through the decision of the Jews to expel the Christians out of the synagogue
that made us now the new community of Christ. Rejection made us a Church whose mission is to
accept and welcome everyone. A Church once rejected shall be a Church who will be all-
embracing. Through the Holy Spirit who guided this new community, we are not moved to
follow the same attitude that made us emerge. As God is present in this new community, his
promise expanded throughout the world- accepting everyone, everywhere.

The Gospel of Christ is made to be proclaimed to everyone that the apostles did in their ministry.
As it became strong and started to flourish, Christians, who received the Gospel, have been
threatened for death because of their faith. Though the Church has been founded by Christ, the
Lord still appointed different people to lead his Church despite their weaknesses and
unfaithfulness. The weaknesses of the apostles did not shun away the desire of the Lord to
proclaim the coming of the kingdom. These leaders became the catalyst to light up the fire of the
faith of the people. The Holy Spirit whom God has promised in Acts 2:33 has been the sine qua
non of the life of the new community as of the Church today. The mission continues as Christ
rules over the Church through the Spirit and still fulfil his promise.

Albeit we are the new community who emerged because of rejection, we do not live an ecclesial
life of rejecting other people to hear the message of Jesus Christ. In the gargantuan scheme of
reality, we are a spirit-filled community of faith where we are called to offer God’s promise to all
the nations and not only for “the chosen people of God.63” It is our own act of obedience to
respond to this mission despite the threat of the modern “Jewish response.” Luke is showing us
that the message of God does not have an exclusive recipient; rather, it is a universal message for
all. “Universalism in early Christianity usually means a view that the gospel can be applied not
only to the Jewish people but also to other people, namely, the ‘Gentiles.’” 64 Though there are
oppositions, death threats and rejections elsewhere, the Church still stood on her mission to be
evangelizers of the Word in the world. Luke is strongly correct in reiterating that God is present
in this new community because it is still standing firm as of today. Our faithful obedience to the
61
Ibid., 225.
62
Ibid., 225-226.
63
This is the idea that the promise is for Israel and it will be exclusive for them. The Gentiles are not included.
64
Tsuchiya, Hiroshi, THE JEWS AND THE GENTILES IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE, CONCERNING THE SO-CALLED
“UNIVERSALISM” (Hokkaido University) PDF File from https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/orient1960/13/0/13_0_31/_pdf/-char/en
call of God to go and proclaim is our response to his undying love and guidance to the Church
through the Holy Spirit.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
Congar Yves, I Believe in the Holy Spirit, Volume II, New York: The Seabury Press, 1983.
Dulles, Avery. MODELS OF THE CHURCH Expanded Edition. New York: Bantam Doubleday
Dell Publishing Group, Inc, 1987.
Lohfink, Gerhard. JESUS OF NAZARETH What He Wanted, Who He Was. Quezon City:
Claretian Publications, 2013.
Johnson, Luke Timothy. Sacra Pagina The Gospel of Luke, (Minnesota: The Liturgical Press,
1991.
New American Bible Revised Edition, Commentary on Matthew 5:19. World Catholic Press, A
Division of Catholic Book Publishing Corp., 2011.
Sacra Pagina, Luke.
The Code of Canon Law London: Collins Liturgical Publication.

DOCUMENTS
Mary Help of Christians Theology Seminary, Vade Mecum.
John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis. Vatican City, Rome, 1992.
John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis. Vatican City, Rome, 1979.
John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis. Vatican City, Rome, 1992.
Ratio Fundamentalis Institionalis Sacerdotalis,

PDF FILE
Tsuchiya, Hiroshi, THE JEWS AND THE GENTILES IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE,
CONCERNING THE SO-CALLED “UNIVERSALISM” Hokkaido University.

INTERNET
Paul Larson, “Hermits,” Springer Link (2023) Retrieved October 15, 2023 from
https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-0-387-71802-6_295