To follow Jesus means that one learns from him, that one follows his manner of life and his way of thinking. To follow Jesus means to follow his example in the way he respects himself and other people, in his use of the things of the natural world. It means that one listens to what he says, and asks for an explanation when what he says is not understood. All of this requires that the disciple be a learner, one who can learn from the life of Jesus as well as from his teaching. The first lessons that the disciples must learn are found in the beatitudes. The same lessons are placed before us, the modern-day disciples. These beatitudes, these blessings call for profound inner transformation and it is clear that each and every beatitude invites us to turn our standards and our way of life upside down and inside out. The disciples of Jesus are not merely his followers; they also continue the work that he began. In whatever circumstance of life we find ourselves, as disciples of Jesus we work to sustain the good that is in the world and to transform whatever needs transformation.