Discipleship

By Fr (Dr) Jacob Mathew

In St. John 13:35, our Lord gives the clear sign of discipleship: “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The word Talmido means disciple—someone who learns from the Master, follows the Master, and gradually becomes like the Master. Therefore, a true Talmido is not just a student who knows Orthodox teachings, but a child of the Church who learns to live the mind, heart, and love of Christ.

We can put it this way: Talmido isn’t only about learning the Orthodox faith; it’s about becoming a disciple of Christ. And Christ Himself teaches that the clearest sign of discipleship is love. So, the mission of Talmido must shape children who know Christ, worship Christ, follow Christ, and love one another as Christ loved us.

This aligns beautifully with our mission statement: “Cultivate our children in the Orthodox Church to become true disciples of Jesus Christ.”

We can expand on this. The mission of Talmido isn’t just educational; it’s transformational. We aren’t just passing down information about the Orthodox faith. We are shaping children to become disciples of Christ. And according to the Lord Himself, discipleship is visible through love. When children learn to pray, worship, serve, forgive, respect elders, care for one another, and stay rooted in the life of the Church, they aren’t just learning about the Christian religion. They are becoming Talmide, true disciples of Christ.

Through Talmido, we work with parents, grandparents, and teachers to form children as disciples of Christ, so that their Orthodox faith is visible through love, humility, worship, and service.

The success of Talmido will not be measured solely by how much our children know, but also by how deeply they love Christ, His Church, their families, and one another. For our Lord said, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Fr (Dr) Jacob Mathew. 🙏