Issue link: http://archden.uberflip.com/i/1312720
20 students are in the discipleship journey (especially for students who are new to Catholic education who have not been exposed to the faith). Attentive- ness to the needs of each student requires a heart attuned to the Holy Spirit, invoking often the gift of counsel in order to speak into the reality of the different persons that make up each class to assist their maturation in the Spirit. This maturation in the Spirit that occurs in disci- pleship is an apprenticeship in the Christian life, requiring mentorship and support. St. Paul clearly lays out the need for this growth. We are not fin- ished becoming Christians at our Baptism, Con- firmation, and first Eucharist. Even if all the seeds have been planted, they need to mature to their full development and realization: I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called. . . . until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. . . . Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, f rom whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love. Ephesians 4:1, 13-16 For the process of growth to occur, students need guidance, examples, and strong peer relationships. One cannot become a disciple alone. Jesus, the master (a word that meant teacher in the ancient world), gathered a group of disciples (students) around himself, trained and equipped them, and then sent them out on mission as he was sent by