The following is the text of the Christopher News Note \u201cBuilding a Relationship with Jesus\u201d (which was written by a freelancer). If you\u2019d like a pdf or hard copy, see the end of this post:<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cFor God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.\u201d<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve likely seen this famous Bible quote from John 3:16, but to explore its depth, let\u2019s personalize the message: God so loved me that He gave His only Son that I may believe in Him and not perish but have eternal life. <\/p>\n
The Good News is that God\u2019s love comes to rescue us in the person of Jesus. In John 14:6, He taught, \u201cI am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those are pretty credible reasons for wanting a relationship with Jesus. But what truly shapes our belief is to know deep down within ourselves, not only that we believe in God, but that God believes in us. God wants us to know His love.<\/p>\n
God Makes the First Move<\/strong><\/p>\nGod initiates our relationship. Indeed, the God of Glory has a vested interest in us. Building a relationship with Jesus means we have to trust this truth. Our belief is a response to God\u2019s revelation of Himself and His love. <\/p>\n
The attraction of Christianity is not that we are in search of God, but that God is in search of us! <\/p>\n
God desires to make us sons and daughters\u2014a family! By faith we respond to Him, offering our intellect and will, our minds and hearts. This is known as \u201cthe obedience of faith.\u201d <\/p>\n
No matter who we are, from popes to prodigals, all are invited into a loving relationship with Jesus. But we must choose. As it states in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), \u201cFaith is a personal act\u2014the free response of the human person to the initiative of God who reveals Himself.\u201d <\/p>\n
Steve Nelson, from Stillwater, Oklahoma, recalls a time during his graduate school years when he started to drift away from the Church. He said, \u201cI became terribly self-centered and started down the road toward a very un-Christian life. One day, in the church parking lot, I encountered a friend of mine who was in his second year of seminary. When he challenged me on my lifestyle and absence from the Church, I remember saying something like, \u2018If God exists, He should prove Himself to me.\u2019 My friend would have none of it and told me that I had to at least meet God halfway by putting myself in the pew on Sunday morning. That was the turning point.\u201d <\/p>\n
Nelson soon went on to make Christ the priority in his life: \u201cMy relationship with Jesus is important because I remember what it is like not having one. [That] chance encounter in a parking lot [was] not exactly a burning bush, but it was a definite message by God to look towards Him rather than away.\u201d <\/p>\n
We are not alone in the building of this relationship. God strengthens us through grace, which is like jet fuel to launch our faith. The prayer of Jesus\u2019 apostles inspires us: \u201cIncrease our faith\u201d (Luke 17:5).<\/p>\n
Knowing Jesus<\/strong><\/p>\nWe may know facts about Jesus from the Bible, history, or theology. Yet a relationship with Him is not about information; it\u2019s about transformation. Jesus calls us out of the darkness to bring us into His abundant mercy and light. His death and resurrection provided the graces we need to be changed\u2014transformed that we might live in heaven. <\/p>\n
Melanie Rigney, an Arlington, Virginia, author who wrote \u201cSisterhood of the Saints,\u201d shared: \u201cAny time I wonder about why I believe now, all I have to do is look at a crucifix. [Jesus] loves us THAT much\u2026If He thinks we all are worth THAT, then how can we not follow Him?\u201d <\/p>\n
On the night before He died, Jesus prayed, \u201cFather\u2026. This is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent\u201d (John 17:3). <\/p>\n
Pope Benedict XVI, preaching on that prayer, described knowing Jesus in this way: \u201cKnowledge of God becomes eternal life. Clearly \u2018knowledge\u2019 here means something more than mere factual knowledge\u2026 Knowing, in the language of sacred Scripture, is an interior becoming one with the other. Knowing God, knowing Christ, always means loving Him, becoming, in a sense, one with Him by virtue of that knowledge and love\u2026And so Jesus\u2019 words become a summons: let us become friends of Jesus, let us try to know Him all the more!\u201d <\/p>\n
Our relationship with Jesus must be one of continual interior connection. And it affects all our human connections. <\/p>\n
Massachusetts wife, mother, and grandmother, Leila Marie Lawler, co-authored \u201cThe Little Oratory,\u201d about prayer in families. She confesses: \u201cWithout Jesus, I make a mess of everything! My relationships with others are always fraught with my failings\u2026 Nevertheless I have peace, knowing that Jesus\u2019 goodness will make a good work of even my clumsy efforts. By temperament, I tend to be quite negative, not prone to joy! Although I love mirth, I can\u2019t help seeing the bad side of things, including myself. But knowing that God\u2019s virtue itself is imparted to me gives me peace. My comfort is knowing that in trusting the \u2018today\u2019 He has given me, accomplishing to the best of my abilities its little duties, especially for the persons in my care, I will be doing His will.\u201d <\/p>\n
A relationship with Jesus improves many persons\u2019 days, bringing peace and guidance. For Anne Marie Dust, from Springfield, Illinois, Jesus is on the job with her all night long. She explained, \u201cWorking as a night shift nurse in an Intensive Care Unit, I see a lot of hard things. Too frequently I feel my own powerlessness to make a person \u2018all better.\u2019 My relationship with Christ helps me to take care of a patient, and then entrust them to Him, so that I can move on to the next one with a smile and full attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
Growing Closer to Jesus<\/strong><\/p>\nHere are a few ideas on building your relationship with Jesus:
\n
\nInvite Jesus into your heart.<\/strong> Jesus already abides in the baptized, yet He desires to come fill us in deeper, more powerful ways. Pray in your own words, or using Scriptural phrases, such as, \u201cCome, Lord Jesus\u201d (Revelation 22:20), or \u201cI believe, help my unbelief\u201d (Mark 9:24). Approach confidently: \u201cAsk, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you\u201d (Matthew 7:7). <\/p>\nMake a daily appointment with Jesus.<\/strong> Put it on your calendar. Tracy Eisner, a wife and working mother from Port Orange, Florida, says, \u201cI nurture my relationship with Jesus by getting up early each day before the kids\u2026It began as a Lenten devotion years ago and yielded so much fruit it\u2019s become a daily habit. I started with 15-30 minutes, now sometimes it\u2019s an hour. I read the daily readings and go through my litany of prayers.\u201d <\/p>\nSpend time each week with Jesus in the Eucharist. <\/strong>The real miracle at Mass is the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. That\u2019s why it is called Holy Communion. It\u2019s the most intimate expression of our relationship with Jesus this side of heaven. <\/p>\nAdoration of the Blessed Sacrament.<\/strong> It\u2019s gracefilled silence. Melanie Rigney describes it this way: \u201cAdoration requires my focus. It requires me to slow down and be present\u2026 to receive and listen.\u201d <\/p>\nPray with Scripture. <\/strong>Spend time preparing for Mass by prayerfully reviewing the readings. Learn techniques for Lectio Divina (\u201cdivine reading\u201d) of Scripture. Or use the Divine Office to pray Morning or Evening Prayers. Lisa Hendey, author of The Grace of Yes, shares her experience: \u201cTo better understand Jesus\u2019 teachings, I am trying to immerse myself in the gospels daily. This involves not only reading the bible, but truly digging in to try to \u2018hear\u2019 what Christ taught His followers, and what He still teaches me.\u201d <\/p>\nGet personal with Jesus and go to Confession.<\/strong> Be yourself when in prayer. Pour your heart out. Share your confusion or your joys. Tell Jesus what\u2019s ticking you off and what\u2019s breaking your spirit. Then let Jesus do the heavy lifting that needs to be done in you. That includes going to confession. By overcoming sin, Reconciliation\u2019s graces will help you grow in virtue. <\/p>\nGive generously, as unto Jesus.<\/strong> Perform the works of mercy within your ability. Do one every week. Serve Jesus in others. \u201cWhatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men\u201d (Colossians 3:23).
\n
\nSharing faith in Jesus builds it. <\/strong>As Pope Francis said, \u201cEvery Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus.\u201d Find one example of what God has done for you that you are willing to tell. Then pray for an opportunity to share your faith story with someone when appropriate.<\/p>\nTo receive a pdf or mailed copy of \u201cBuilding a Relationship with Jesus\u201d \u2013 or to subscribe to Christopher News Notes via email or snail mail \u2013 email your request to radio@christophers.org<\/a>
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<\/a>The following is the text of the Christopher News Note \u201cBuilding a Relationship with Jesus\u201d (which was written by a freelancer). If you\u2019d like a pdf or hard copy, see the end of this post:<\/em><\/p>\n