Undergraduate Projects/Long Essays

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    Discipleship (A Series of Retreat Conferences)
    (Tangaza University College, 2006-01-31) Maloba, Charles
    The term disciple-mathetai is rather broad. It includes 'apostles,' the twelve,' [c.f. Mt 10:1; 11:1; 13:10, 14:15.22.29, Lk 6:40, 19:161, 'The multitude' or 'the crowd' that trails Jesus, Lk 6:13.17, 19:37 etc. Discipleship is an offer and invitation which Jesus makes to any persons and everyone he chooses; apostles Mk1:16-20 or otherwise Lk 9; 23 and the responses by those called/chosen/invited. Discipleship is an act of God, miracle by divine grace; c.f. Gen 18:14, Zech 8:5-8. A person receives a call to discipleship only in obedience and surrender c.f. Mk 1:16-20, 2:14-17, 3:23-29 Acts 9:1-22. Discipleship and following of God involves whole nation- Israel is called and chosen, groups-apostles, special groups-singers of temple liturgy c.f. IChron. 25:8, families-Simon Peter and his brother James, individuals- Judas Iscariot. Part of this discipleship is follow me, walk after me. This goes on to explain relationship between realities of higher and lower orders, teacher-pupil expressing deference and service of the taught to the teacher or leader-follower indicating loyalty and service of the latter to the former, Jesus-disciple relationship. The new discipleship demands understanding like which Jesus himself shows to his disciples. It is inspired by Jesus and demanded by him. This new discipleship does not fit with the usual rabbinic phenomena prevalent then. Let us have a glimpse of how it is in comparison with the new discipleship that Jesus brings: Jesus calls each person to discipleship. In his time he called groups, individuals- the rich young ruler. And he calls you and me today. The disciple is a person called by God- Jesus to be with him and to be sent our [vertical and horizontal dimensions]. Jesus does not have a specific age which he prefers. Each age is preferable for discipleship. He calls young people as well as older people. He calls different people to different ministries in the church and the world. Jesus calls some people to a very specific ministry in the church and others to very specific professions/ ministries in the secular world. This retreat wants to speak to hearts about discipleship both for lay young people and candidates for religious life and ministry. Retreats are special moments to reach out to people. They can be powerful, life changing events for young people. They have proved to be effective in evangelizing and community building. A retreat provides an environment go grapple with faith issues and learning ways to pray and live. People have opportunities to share their faith stories and build relationship of trust. A retreat can awaken in young people the sense that they have a central place in the church. It assists the young people to discover that the church needs their gifts ad talents and calls them to fuller participation. Again a retreat is a chance for everyone to have lots of fun- a chance to help the young people realize that they do not need computer games, televisions or recreational drugs to have fun. Fun is encouraged in retreats whichever topic may be. The first three conferences are directed to a group of lay young people and how they respond to the discipleship of Jesus amidst all their giftedness and temptations. And the second series of retreat conferences are directed to a group of candidates for religious life. The young people who join religious life think that discipleship waits till they make their final profession and get ordained to the ministry. The two conferences want to show them that discipleship begins immediately a person is called by Jesus. Most young people hold to the fact that discipleship is a reserve for the older people. We want to tell them that it is not necessarily so and that young people are disciples of Jesus. It is time after high school, college, or university, early in employment, jobless etc. They are still grappling with proper self-identity, testing their values, developing character, deciding who they are. This retreat will try to translate the message of Christ into action for everyday living. We need also to encourage them to take what they have learned and live it.
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    Call and Mission of Disciples in Mark 1:16-20 And 6:7-14: Its Relevance to Religious Life
    (Tangaza University College, 2006) Otieno, Gilbert
    This work intends to explain the understanding of Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark. The term discipleship or following of Christ seems to have a wider meaning in the Gospel of Mark. First, it would mean the life of people who accepted the message of Christ, but remained in the same situation of home and work in which the Gospel found them, even though they were interiorly transformed by it. Secondly, it would refer to stricter following of Christ like the disciples who accompanied Jesus in his missionary travels from Galilee to Jerusalem. In the second meaning, the New Testament clearly gives the names of the four who, according to the synoptic Gospels, were the first to be called. They are, Simon, Andrew, James and John (cf Mk. 1:16-20). Our study would concentrate on this second meaning. In our discussion we shall look at the call of these four basing ourselves on the Gospel of Mark. We shall also look at the sending of the Twelve (Mk. 6:7-13). After a brief study of these passages (Mk 1:16-20 and Mk 6; 7-13), we shall try to look at what the religious can learn from these passages for the positive response to their Divine Call. In doing this however, we are not going to give the history of Religious Life. It is just an invitation to the religious communities to renew themselves in the spirit of the Gospels. It is fitting because today the religious must find a new meaning for their presence in the community of Jesus' disciples by penetrating deeply into the biblical word. This is to enrich the religious in their daily response to the divine call by making them equipped to be interpreters and livers of the Word of God in the ever-changing world. It is my belief that through the authentic interpretation and living of the word, the religious will grow in intimate and close relationship with Jesus, something that gives meaning and life to their call.
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    Discipleship of the Canossian Religious Women in Africa
    (Tangaza University College, 2001-05) Imelda, Simon
    It has been a great pleasure for me to Nvri te this paper concerning women discipleship because the call of women to discipleship is one of the major concerns of today's society. This long essay is divided into four chapters. The first chapter explains to us the historical foundation of the discipleship of Canossian women in the 18th and 19th centuries. It gives the information of how our Mother foundress, St Magdalene of Canossa. started the Congregation of the Canossian Sisters Daughters of Charity. It tells us about her call to religious life, the struggles she went through for the service of the poor. It also deals with the political situation of her time in Italy and the spread of the congregation in other parts of the world and especially in Africa. The second chapter introduces the main issue of women discipleship in the Bible. The main insights of the vocation of women to discipleship are taken from the New Testament. It helps to understand the call of women to discipleship, the cost, mission and dedication to discipleship. The last part of the chapter includes the call of the Canossian women to discipleship in the world of today. Therefore it calls all the disciples of Jesus to make him known and loved, especially among those who don't know him. The third chapter gives us the picture of the troubled life situation of the African people. It underlines the social problems that have come up in Africa due to the rapid social change and technological development, which is growing faster in the African world today. It expands on the increase of evil in our African society like: political upheavals, poverty, and an increase of slum dwellers and sicknesses like Aids. In order to respond to the needs of the people, the last chapter focuses on the importance for the religious to have an integral human formation, whereby the whole person is involved. For the religious to become true disciples of Jesus Christ, they should be able to acquire profound human and spiritual formation. They should be well informed about the concrete issues taking place in their society. Therefore the Canossian Sisters are called to prepare the social ministers, counsellors, and the ecologists to read the sins of the time. To enable formation to take place in the hearts of those in formation, they should get in touch with the suffering of people around them. I have concluded that both human and spiritual development should be the prerequisite in our formation houses.
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    The Jerusalem Community: A Lukan Model for Small Christian Communities in the AMECEA Region
    (Tangaza University College, 1999-02-12) Chisanga, Patrick
    Luke is the only one among the evangelists who draws our attention to what immediately followed the Gospel story of Jesus, namely the birth and growth of a community constituted in the Spirit of the risen Christ. This is the Jerusalem community presented at the beginning of his second work, the Acts of the Apostles. He describes the members of this community as having been of "one heart and soul" (Acts 4:32) and summarizes their everyday life as characterized by unwavering faithfulness to "the teaching of the apostles and the communion, the breaking of the bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42). This Lukan description of the first Christian community has played a very significant role, especially in the second half of this century, as the Church renews itself in the light of the second Vatican Council ecclesiology. It has been the inspiring model for the decisive option by the Bishops who constitute the Association of the Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA)I to establish Small Christian Communities (SCC) in the region as a pastoral priority in response to the challenges of time. The need to rediscover this original Christian identity mark comes with greater urgency today when so many Catholics are leaving the Church to join small, often very fundamentalistic and sectarian groups. What is given as the main reason for this is the appeal of a close-knit community which provides a greater sense of belonging. In view of this pastoral challenge, this paper re-affirms the fundamental significance of the SCC as a necessary return to the original model of Christian living suggested by Luke in his description of the first Christian community at Jerusalem. The first chapter of this essay takes us back to the roots of this community, viewed as A Community in Formation. Jesus takes the initiative to gather disciples around himself and, as he journeys toward Jerusalem, forms them into a community of authentic witnesses. In the second and central chapter, Luke takes us into the inner life of The Spirit-filled Community through his summary presentation of its everyday activity as consisting in continuous perseverance in "the teaching of the apostles and the communion, the breaking of the bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42). These elements will constitute the four parts of this chapter, developed in the light of the Lukan summaries, particularly Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-35. The final chapter views the option for SCC by the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa (AMECEA) as A Return to the Lukan Model of an ideal Christian community characterized by a unique spiritual-material solidarity. It is hoped that this presentation will bring about a greater appreciation of the SCC as a truly African and authentic Christian way of responding to the renewed post-Vatican II and African Synod vision of Church toward the third millennium.