The early Christian disciples were poor and they were simple. They were local but they also had this global vision, this cosmic vision – they were part of this universal church that was still growing. This early period of discipleship in the history of the church came to an end when the church became established, when the emperor said, ‘Okay all of you Christians I’m not going to persecute you anymore. You’re going to be part of my civil service; I’m going to give you privileges. I’m going to make it easy for you. You can build churches, you can set up your church organisation, but you will work with me as well in the empire.’ Suddenly the number of Christians increased dramatically. St Ambrose said that the fishing boat of Peter is now filled with so many disciples, it’s sinking.
(Christian Life in the Light of Christian Meditation 1: Discipleship by Laurence Freeman OSB )
