Ok, full disclosure, this isn’t a phrase that exists in Church teaching or tradition. But here’s what it means to me.
Why “Paschal?”
A big part of my spirituality in high school and college revolved around the paschal mystery (the mystery of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection). The Teens Encounter Christ retreats taught me the value of making sacrifices for the spiritual good of another.
Throughout my life, when I encountered moments of struggle (spiritual or otherwise), I often returned to this idea of making my sacrifice mean something: offering it up for the good of another.
I did my master’s thesis on the topic of redemptive suffering, and really enjoy giving talks on one of Catholicism’s best-kept secrets. Here’s the scoop:
Our sacrifices and sufferings, when united with Jesus on the cross, have co-redemptive power to save the world.
True story.
Why “Disciples?”
A disciple is a follower. An apostle is one who is sent.
In a spirit of humility, we recognize that Christ is our King and that we follow him in all things. After we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sends us out to proclaim the Good News.
No matter where we are going, we must never lose sight of the one whom we follow.
And whom do we follow? A God who takes on flesh and who suffers with us. A God who is not afraid of giving up everything for the people he loves. A God whose death is not the end, but the beginning of resurrected life.
In all these things, we follow in his footsteps. We offer up our suffering. We give him (and others!) our hearts and our lives. We die to self in order to rise with him, in this earthly life and in the next.
Becoming Paschal Disciples
When we accept the challenge of holiness and begin to change our lives to reflect this reality, God doesn’t promise that everything will get easier.
But he does promise that he’ll walk with us in it.
And by receiving strength and nourishment for the journey, we can turn to the person on our left and right, and offer them what we have received.
And together, we journey toward eternity.
Paschal Disciples 