Faith In Action

(Applying one’s faith is an on-going Christian task. There will be an on-going presentation of Catholic teachings and issues on this page.)

 

Seeking a Personal Relationship with Jesus: Something for Catholics, Too A young man whose family was very involved in the local Catholic parish told me about his experience as a young adult. He started to attend a very evangelical, fundamentalist church. After a while, he decided to leave his Catholic heritage behind and join the other church. When we talked, he told me the main reason for his actions was that in his new religion he had found a personal relationship with Jesus. That was something the had never known in the Catholic Church. In fact, he accused the Catholic Church of being more concerned about external rituals than about a deep association with Christ.

Perhaps a starting point for Catholics -- and all Christians -- is to admit that without the Lord they are helpless, even hopeless.

I tried to respond that the Catholic Church really does foster a personal relationship with Jesus. Nonetheless, I had to admit that we do not use that phrase, nor do we always highlight that part of our church’s ministry. But it is our goal to bring people into a special relationship with Jesus. Perhaps a starting point for Catholics -- and all Christians -- is to admit that without the Lord they are helpless, even hopeless. Thus the “personal” part of the relationship comes from discovering a need for Jesus as a redeemer. The words of the song Amazing Grace highlight the conversion that follows: “I once was lost but now am found; was blind, but now I see.” The strength of this kind of prayer is in acknowledging that Jesus really does make a difference in one’s life.

What follows that first opening of the human heart to God is what Catholics are strong in emphasizing, namely, the human response of loving God and others and acting in a just way. The letter of James makes it very clear that faith without acts is dead. Actions without faith, however, can also be hollow. Once a personal faith begins, what flows can be truly beautiful. That is when someone develops a deep kinship with Jesus. Christ becomes a traveling companion, a guide for the journey.

Nothing could be more personal and uniquely divine than receiving Jesus in the Eucharist.

Cathy, a young college student that I knew some years ago, was highly idealistic and deeply committed. She wanted to change the world and was willing to give all she had in service of others. After college she entered the Peace Corps and spent a couple of hard years in a village in rural Thailand. She felt good about what she was doing and proud to be able to share her skills and talents. In the process, however, she also realized that problems were bigger than she could manage. She did not lose her commitment or ideals, but her outlook was tempered by the harsh reality of the world. Daily she saw people, including children, dying of AIDS. In addition, poverty was everywhere. Cathy started praying more and in the process began to rely more on God for strength. Although always a person of faith, her relationship with Jesus became almost tangible. He was the one she confided in on tough days. He was the one she thanked when all went well.

Just as Cathy was drawn to a closer relationship with Jesus because of her inner longing for a guide, all people can sense their weakness without the Lord’s strength. An elderly couple, facing yet another operation for the wife, recounted that they had gone through this experience many times in their fifty years of marriage. Their courage to face one more surgery came from the conviction their Lord would be in the operating room with the doctors and the patient. This brings us back to the original question of Catholics developing and maintaining a personal relationship with Jesus. I truly believe that many Catholics have that relationship even though they may never think in those terms. The rituals that some folks do not understand actually lead people into this relationship. After all, nothing could be more personal and uniquely divine than receiving Jesus in the Eucharist or accepting forgiveness for sins in Reconciliation. Catholics may not emphasize the singular moment of “being saved,” but they have many moments of encounter with the Savior. H.W.