This is an awesome testimony. He acknowledges that although God’s grace can and does operate in other churches, an honest search for truth will move one beyond those settings to the fullness of Christianity. We should never “settle” in our search. We should always be growing in faith and holiness and expanding beyond our zone of comfort. God’s truth is always worth the cost.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxDumU0TSrY
“What a friend we have in Jesus…” In John chapter 15 Jesus tells his Disciples that he does not consider them servants but friends. Afterwards, he commands them to love one another. The love and friendship of God is both vertical and horizontal, like the cross. This is why Jesus can say, “Whatsoever you do to the least of these, you do it to me.” So, while a relationship with Jesus is obviously paramount, it in no way excludes the importance of other relationships. On the contrary, a relationship with Jesus must include relationships with others. Such is the nature of the Church, the “family of God.” Being a Christian is never only about “Jesus and me.” Whether we sin or behave righteously, it affects others. We are one Body. We are to be friends with Jesus and with each other.
Who among us would hesitate to confide in good friends when life is difficult? Would we think twice about asking friends to pray for us? People commonly post prayer requests on Facebook to “friends” they hardly know. It can be even more consoling when we know that a close friend or a holy person is praying for us. A close friend knows us well and can empathize. A holy person’s prayers are very helpful, according to Scripture. When the person praying for us is both a close friend and a holy person, it is a powerful combination.
Enter the Saints. They are ready and willing to pray for us. They are as holy as can be, and, through Jesus, they know us well. They are family. The fact that they have departed from this life does not exclude them from the family of God, it seals their place in the family. Their love for humanity has been perfected. They are not dead but are more alive in Christ than we are. They are not aloof or disinterested in our present lives. Nor are they secluded in some heavenly, sound-proof chamber that prevents them from knowing our plight. They know our plight, have endured it, and have been victorious through Jesus Christ. They are in Christ, not compartmentalized from him somewhere. Hence, they know us because Jesus knows us. The Saints are friends of God and they perfectly obey the command, “Love one another.” They love Jesus and they love us.
To believe that praying to the Saints is idolatry is like saying that asking your friends to pray for you is idolatry. To “pray” is simply to “ask,” as in, “Pray tell us, how will they fare while you are away?” Just because it is an old use of the word “pray” does not mean it is “idol worship.” We ask (pray) the Saints to pray for us because they are righteous, because they are part of the Body of Christ and because we are commanded in Scripture to pray for one another and to love one another. Nowhere does the Scripture teach us to stop loving and praying with those who are in Heaven. Scripture does tell us it is wrong to participate in the occult practice of conjuring up spirits. Catholicism is not a big séance. The Church does not condone superstition. We do not ask Saint So-and-so to ring bells or make knocking sounds to communicate with us. We simply request their prayer intercession.
We can “know” many Saints and relate to them by virtue of the lives they lived and the writings they may have left behind. We can know of their struggles, their weaknesses, their strengths and their victories. There are Saints from all walks of life and of all ages. Whoever you are, there is a Saint that you can identify with on a personal level. Obviously, Jesus knows what we go through. Because he knows us, he has also provided other friends for our journey. These are friends who have run the race, fought the good fight and won the victory by God’s grace. They have much to teach us.
I encourage you to find a Saint whose life you can relate to on a personal level. While it is inspiring to reflect upon the Saints as great heroes of the Faith, it can be even more helpful to learn how God helped them with their human vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Jesus wants us to know that his command to “be perfect” is not out of reach. Saints are not the exception. Saints are the standard we are called to. We are all called to be Saints. Being more personally acquainted with one who has endured familiar struggles and “made it” is a tremendous spiritual help. That’s what friends are for; to help each other be Saints. If you haven’t done so already, become personally acquainted with a Saint or two.
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens the countenance of a friend. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (Matt 4:1) In the wilderness the devil used Scripture to tempt Jesus several times. Jesus refuted the devil each time, also by using Scripture. The authoritative nature of Scripture is evident in this account. But there is more going on here than the mere “verse slinging” which we often see in theological or doctrinal debates. Those debates end with people still divided, although some may switch sides. There is seldom any resolution or consensus. In Matthew’s account there is a clear winner. The authority of Jesus wins the day. While the devil mishandles the Scriptures, Jesus preserves the authoritative nature of the Scriptures.
The devil clearly knows Scripture. He also knows that Scripture has authority as God’s Word. He knows it is “God-breathed.” Yet, the devil does not use Scripture according to its proper use or interpretation. Jesus uses Scripture with reverence and sensitivity according to its true meaning and purpose.
Since the devil tried to use Scripture against God himself, what is to prevent him from using Scripture against God’s people? God is not the author of confusion, but the devil is. The devil is the father of lies. Naturally, the devil desires to turn Christians against one another by using Scripture. What is to prevent him from doing so? The answer is, “Jesus Christ.”
Jesus Christ is God. He wrote the Scriptures. Jesus knows what the Scriptures mean. He knows how to properly interpret the Scriptures. Jesus also knows how the devil operates. He knew that when he left Earth the devil would attack his followers. He knew that people would become confused and divided about Scripture and doctrine. So, Jesus established his Church, appointed leaders and gave those leaders his very own authority. Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom. Jesus told Peter he would build his Church upon him. Jesus told his apostles, “He who hears you hears me,” and “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Now the Church “stands in” for Jesus. Jesus told his followers to take their disputes to the Church (Matt 18:17), not to the Scriptures.
The Apostles were called, appointed and sent by Christ. They did not grab authority and send themselves. Subsequently, those that succeed the Apostles are called, appointed and sent. They do not grab authority and send themselves. It is not their own goodness, education, intelligence, experience, charisma, holiness, personal drive, etc. that gives them authority. They have the authority of Christ because it is given to them by apostolic succession. One cannot “take” apostolic authority. It must be given by the proper authority. Knowing Scripture well and being a sincere Christian does not make one a successor of the Apostles.
Anyone can pick up a Bible and glean some truth from it. They can also become confused by it and misinterpret it. They can even use Scripture to oppose the very Church that Jesus established (as many do). Therefore, having the Bible alone is not enough. It was not enough in Matthew 4. Jesus needed more than Scripture to refute the devil. He also needed the authority given to him by the Father. It was that same authority that Jesus gave to the hierarchy of the Church.
While the written Word of God is an authority for the Christian, it is not the only authority for the Christian. It is not a question of the Bible or the Church. The fullness of the Christian faith requires both. Catholicism is the great both/and modeled by Jesus. Christians need the God-given authority of the Church and the Scriptures. The two do not stand apart from each other. They are both necessary in confronting the confusion, the divisiveness and the attacks of the devil. It is not enough to be able to say, “It is written.”
One thing I learned from being a pilot and a flight instructor is the importance of composure. Keeping a cool head is the best way to prevent bad situations from becoming worse. Panic tends to make one impulsively “do something even if it’s wrong” or “freeze up” and do nothing at all. My father, a retired airline pilot, tells lots of flying stories. He told me of a flight crew caught in some nasty weather. Noticing that the rookie copilot was looking rather frightened and intimidated, the veteran captain said to him, “Relax, we’re either going to make it or we’re not.” They made it.
I had some of my own flying moments to contend with. I had an engine failure in a single engine airplane once (once was enough). My emergency training (and some prayer) helped me nurse the airplane to a safe landing at the airport.
Then there was the time that my twin engine airplane’s door popped open in the middle of winter. It could not be closed while in flight due to the airflow over airplane. I could not simply land immediately because we were in the clouds and had to fly an instrument approach to a nearby airport. One of my passenger’s gloves blew out the door, and I could barely hear the air traffic controllers over the noise of the wind and engines. It also got very cold very quickly. We eventually landed, closed the door and took off again.
On another occasion, I was flying in the clouds with a friend of mine when we noticed we were losing electrical power. The drive belt for the alternator was slipping leaving us only battery power for our radios and electrical instruments. When the battery went dead, we would have no navigation instruments to get us out of the clouds and to the airport. By conserving battery power we made it with little time to spare.
The spiritual application of all this is that there are some things we can control and some things we cannot. We must focus on what we can do without panic. I cannot, for example, convince everyone to be Catholic. What I can do is talk about Catholicism and live the Catholic Faith. I don’t even want to convince anyone to be Catholic, because I don’t want them to do it for my sake. I want people to be Catholic for the sake of Jesus Christ. Although I would love for everyone to have access to all the graces of Christ’s Church, the Holy Spirit must be the One to warm people’s hearts and convince them of the truth. If God can somehow use me in that process as a humble servant, so be it.
It is up to me as a Christian to model the Christian life as best I can and to be ready to give an answer to those that ask me the reason for the hope that is within me (1Peter 3:15). In the Sacrament of Confirmation I also took on the responsibility of defending the Catholic Faith. I became a knight of the Church. However, even God does not force the will of people to accept truth. I cannot expect to do so either. This is actually quite liberating. The Holy Spirit knows where people are on the journey, not me. I need not focus on being successful, only on being faithful and speaking the truth in love.
Some Christians criticize Catholic doctrine for being a combination of Scripture and tradition. The thinking is that the Bible alone should be where doctrine comes from. Tradition is thought to be “bad” since Jesus criticized the traditions of the Pharisees. However, the fact that the Pharisees had bad traditions does not automatically mean that all tradition is bad. The Apostles taught traditions.
There really is no such thing as a “Bible alone” church. Every church has doctrines that are a result of someone interpreting the Bible. It’s not as if the Bible stands behind the pulpit and preaches all alone. What is taught is either the interpretation of the individual preacher or the interpretation that someone else has taught the preacher. Such teachings become the traditions of that particular church.
If one bypasses the preacher and goes straight to the Bible, the doctrines that one formulates are either individual interpretations or some variations of doctrines already learned from others. So, even then, it is not the Bible alone but the-Bible-plus-someone.
The key, then, is not to find a good “Bible alone” church, for no such church exists. Every church has traditions handed down by people. The key is finding the Church with the proper interpretation of Scripture as well as proper Sacred Tradition. The Apostles had Traditions that they passed on to Christian believers. We are told in 2Thessalonians 2:15 to “…hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.” Therefore, one must find the Church that has preserved the fullness of both the oral and the written Traditions of the Apostles. In other words, one must find the Church that has the Bible plus the proper interpretation of the Bible and the proper, apostolic, oral teaching of doctrine.
It was the apostolic authority and Tradition of the Catholic Church that gave us the Bible. In other words, the Bible, and its formation, is actually part of the Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Church. So, if you say that Catholic Tradition is bad, you are condemning the Bible. Other churches were formed by men taking the Bible and the apostolic authority for themselves and creating new traditions. What we now have is a plethora of Bible-plus-new-tradition combos rather than one, Bible-plus-apostolic-tradition Church.
So, again, there is no such thing as a “Bible only” church. It really comes down to which tradition you want to rely on. Do you want the apostolic tradition that gave you the Bible to begin with, or a tradition started centuries later by someone other than Jesus Christ and his Apostles? If you choose the later, you must determine from where the authority of that tradition comes if not from Jesus Christ and his Apostles. If you say, “My authority comes from the Bible,” then you are appealing to Catholic Church authority and Tradition, and you might as well be a Catholic.
When I left Catholicism, I had to change my thinking about Communion. I had been taught that the bread and wine became the body and blood of Jesus at Mass. Bible-only Christians told me this was a false doctrine “invented” by the Catholic Church. They told me the bread and wine were only symbolic. They were quick to point me to the one and only verse that seemingly pulled the rug out from under the Catholic teaching of transubstantiation. For 20 years that verse stood between me and the Holy Eucharist.
At the Last Supper, Jesus clearly says, “This is my body” and “This is my blood.” In John chapter six we see the Bread of Life discourse, during which Jesus tells his followers to eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to have eternal life. This teaching really disgusted and offended the people that heard Jesus say it. The more they objected to what Jesus was teaching, the more graphic and realistic Jesus made his words. To drive home the reality, Jesus even made a point of using a word that meant “chew” or “gnaw” the way an animal would eat (Tōgō in Greek).
“Not to worry,” I was told by my Bible-only friends, “Jesus is only using a metaphor, he’s not seriously expecting us to eat his flesh and drink his blood. That would be gross.” They called my attention to John 6:63 at the end of the discourse where Jesus says, “It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.” “See?” my friends would say, “It’s all just a spiritual metaphor. Jesus even says that the flesh doesn’t matter. The bread and wine are only symbolic, like when Jesus said he was a door or a vine.” At the time this explanation made sense to me.
What my friends did not seem to notice, however, was that Jesus did not say, “My flesh is of no avail.” What Jesus said was, “The flesh is of no avail.” They are small words but they make an important distinction.
Jesus said, “The bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh,” and then he told us to eat his flesh. He also said, “My flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. So, why would Jesus go through all the trouble of saying how important his flesh was only to “negate” all those words with “my flesh is of no avail?” (As if he was saying, “Just kidding! My flesh isn’t really important after all! Just seeing if you all were listening!”)
Which is it? Does his flesh matter or not? Of course Jesus’ flesh matters! God sent his Son “in the flesh.” His flesh was crucified. Jesus gave his flesh for the life of the world. The flesh of Jesus avails much! Without it we are hopelessly lost.
The other point my friends did not mention is that “Spirit” does not mean “symbolic.” The Spirit is what gives life. When God created the world the Spirit moved in a life-giving fashion. When Jesus said that his words are “Spirit and life” he did not mean that the bread and wine are “symbolic.” God’s words have a real effect, not just a symbolic effect. “Let there be light” is one example. The way that Jesus changes bread and wine into his body and blood is through the power of the Spirit. This is why Jesus says, “What if you were to see the Son of man ascending to where he was before?” In other words, Jesus is saying, “Why are you offended at eating my flesh and drinking my blood? I can make anything happen. I am God. Just wait until you see me rise from the dead and ascend into Heaven! Would you believe that?”
So, Jesus did not say that his own flesh was of no avail, and he did not say there was anything symbolic about his words. What, then, is “the flesh” that is of no avail? It is our flesh! Our pitiful, little, faithless, human reasoning is of no avail! Jesus makes this clear when talking to the Pharisees in chapter 8:15. They object to Jesus saying that he is the Light of the world so he tells them, “You judge according to the flesh.” It is our human tendency to rely only on our own reasoning that is of no avail. Jesus was telling them not to get caught up in how disgusting and gross it all sounded, but to have faith. He would make it happen by the power of the Spirit. Just as the Jews consumed the sacrificial lamb at Passover, Jesus would allow his followers to consume the sacrificial Lamb of God that fulfilled Passover.
The words of Jesus are Spirit and life because Jesus is God and the creator of everything. When Jesus holds up bread and says, “This is my body,” it is the same Jesus that said to the dead Lazarus, “Come out of the tomb.” He is the same God that said, “Let there be light.” He is the same Jesus that cured the blind and the lame and created everything that exists. It is no problem whatsoever for Jesus to change bread and wine into his own body and blood. He is God. It is we who have the problem believing it. That is why so many of his followers left him that day.
Anyone offended by the idea of eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood is looking through the lens of human reasoning rather than the eyes of faith. That’s what John 6:63 is all about. In verse 64 Jesus sums it up: “But there are some of you that do not believe.”
Catholics are often caught off guard by the question, “Have you accepted Jesus Christ into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior?” That question may cause confusion for the Catholic because it is presented in a phraseology the Catholic is generally not familiar with. The questioner may observe a look of confusion on the Catholic’s face, or hear an answer that is other than what has been predetermined by the questioner as the “right” answer. What follows is typically an assumption that the Catholic has no personal relationship with Jesus and needs to “get saved.” I think the wrong question is being asked.
First of all, where in the Bible does one find the phrase, “Accept Jesus into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior?” It is not in the Bible. So, it’s not really a good place to start, anyway. There is, however, a lot in the Bible about repentance, belief, faith, baptism, confession and obedience. So, it would be better to start with one of those topics.
Ask Catholics the question, “Who died to save the world from sin?” “Jesus,” they will say, “look right there at that crucifix.” Good. “Do you believe that Jesus died to save you personally from your sin?” “Yes,” the Catholics will say. Good. “Who is greater, Jesus or Mary?” The Catholics will say, “Why, Jesus is greater. Jesus is God. Mary isn’t God, she’s a created being, a human.” Good. “Are Catholics supposed to follow the commandments of God and do good works?” “Of course we are! What good would it do to be a Christian without following God’s commandments?” That sounds like good sense. “What if you sin? Does God forgive you when you repent?” The Catholics say, “Yes. If we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (OK, I admit most Catholics will not be able to quote that Scripture verse, but that is what they believe!).
So, asking the proper questions unveils a very real, personal relationship between the Catholic and Jesus Christ. But Evangelicals and Fundamentalists that “witness” to Catholics tend to not ask the right questions. Obviously, it is possible for a Catholic to get all those questions right in the head but not the heart. The same could be said for the Evangelical or the Fundamentalist. Only God knows whether the answers to the questions are genuinely from the heart.
Sometimes I hear non-Catholics say, “If I believed what you Catholics supposedly believe about Jesus being really, physically present in the Eucharist, I would be at the church every day down on my face in worship. Since you Catholics don’t do that, I don’t think you actually believe Jesus is really there. It must not be true.”
Well, I have to admit that there are many Catholics that fail to appreciate the real presence of Christ (body, blood, soul and divinity) under the appearance of bread and wine. Their lack of appreciation does not prove anything except that they lack appreciation. Lots of Catholics fail to appreciate their spouses, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t married. What about the Catholics that do appreciate the real presence? Why are they not constantly down on their faces in worship?
First of all, there are times when we do bow down and worship. However, to do so constantly would not be in keeping with what Jesus told us to do. Jesus told us to go and preach the Gospel. In fact, at the end of each Mass we are told to “Go.” We have worshipped, received the Bread of Life, and now it is time to take Jesus out into the world. To huddle around the church all day on our faces would not be following Christ’s marching orders.
The Apostles spent lots of time with Jesus, but they weren’t constantly falling on their faces in his presence. The Apostle John is known to have lovingly laid his head on Jesus. That’s more of a calm, comforting, assuring kind of posture that illustrates how a Catholic can be all day long, even in the very physical presence of Jesus. We can “rest in the presence of the Lord.” Even after Jesus was transfigured and revealed his glory the Apostles didn’t follow him around groveling on their hands and knees all the time. Jesus didn’t expect them to, either.
There are certainly times when Catholics prostrate themselves in worship to God. Some Catholics could stand to do more prostrating. Too many take for granted the gift that God has given them. Unfortunately, that’s human nature. We can become complacent and unappreciative in any relationship. God’s nature, however, is to send his only Son to become the Bread of Life. He remains true and his heart remains on fire for us. There are plenty of Catholics that do understand and appreciate the Eucharist.
I think sometimes there are people that use the complacency of some Catholics as an excuse to avoid the truth of Catholicism. No matter which Christian church we enter we are likely to find people that are enthusiastic and people that are apathetic. The attitudes of people do not determine truth. Truth is truth whether people appreciate it or ignore it. If we look for Catholics that are complacent, we will find them. If we look for Catholics that are on fire for God, we will find them, too. Always we will find Christ really present in the Holy Eucharist of the Catholic Mass. Jesus told us, “I will be with you until the end of the world.”
There’s been some controversy surrounding recent comments by Pope Francis. I don’t know why, other than maybe because of people trying to spin his words to fit their political agendas. But, like it has been noted elsewhere, there is no left or right, there is only Catholic.
Nothing the Pope has said even remotely suggests a departure from Church teaching. He has said, “Heal the wounds.” The only thing that heals the wounds caused by sin is the Gospel. Spreading the Gospel is the Church’s primary mission. Always has been, always will be. Pope Francis is simply calling the Church to focus on the Church’s primary mission so that other desirable outcomes will follow. He is essentially saying, “Don’t put the cart before the horse.”
How can we expect the world to understand certain moral principles if their hearts have not been transformed by the Gospel? We can’t. To use the Pope’s medical analogy, it’s like spiritual triage. The hemorrhaging needs to be stopped first. Then other treatments can be applied. If a person is bleeding to death, the other treatments don’t matter. If a person has not been saved and transformed by the Gospel, it does little to reason with them about morality. When we don’t help people to see the Gospel we come across as legalistic moralizers. Legalism does not heal wounded souls.
I also believe the Pope’s comments echo the old adage, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” He is calling Catholics to a higher standard of love and compassion that looks beyond the wounds and sinfulness and sees the face of Jesus in each person. Each person needs the Gospel to heal their wounds. Then each person can become another healer.
Pope Francis just wants every Catholic to be like Jesus. Jesus loved people first and then helped them see what they needed to do better. Catholics have faith. Catholics have hope. Catholics need to make sure we have godly love before all else, for it is the greatest of the three and the only one that remains for eternity.
I love Pope Francis. There’s nothing wrong with a loving kick in the pants to keep us on track. The Gospel is what the human heart fundamentally craves. The Gospel is what will draw people to Christ and his Church. Then, with transformed hearts, their lives will be open to Church teachings. Thank you for your shepherding, Pope Francis.
There are lots of people that say they have a personal relationship with Jesus. Only God knows for sure who does and who doesn’t. I’m certainly not here to judge. Lately I’ve been reflecting on what it means to be in a personal relationship with someone.
A personal relationship is reciprocal. When two people are good friends, for example, they trust each other with a lot of personal stuff about each other. That’s what makes it “personal.” There are things they know about each other that mere acquaintances probably don’t know, at least not as well as they do. If I know a lot about a person, but that person knows little or nothing about me, that’s a one-way relationship, and that’s not very personal. Someone might be able to find a lot of personal information about me on the internet or by rooting through my trash, but that doesn’t mean we have a personal relationship with each other.
A good example of a personal relationship is a marriage. Spouses know a lot about each other. The longer they are married, the more they know. There may even be things they wish they didn’t know. As a marriage therapist, I see it all the time. In addition to knowing each other, spouses also know each other’s families. Sometimes knowing the spouse’s family is a happy, joyful experience. Other times, it can be quite trying. In-laws can be very supportive or very frustrating to a marriage.
The point is, being married makes you a part of each other’s families. It comes with being in a very personal relationship. When a couple is dating, one common sign that things are becoming more serious (personal) is the meeting of the parents. If you want your date to know your parents, and your parents to know your date, your dating relationship is likely becoming quite personal. Most people want the one they love to be accepted and embraced by family members, especially parents.
So, what about you and Jesus? If you are a Christian, then you are a member of the Church. The Church is the Bride and Jesus is the Bridegroom. Paul talks about this mystery and how marriage relates to the relationship of Jesus to the Church. Jesus already knows everything about you, but how much do you know about him? How “personal” is your relationship? Jesus knows all about your parents and your family. Have you met his parents and his family? How familiar are you with the person of Jesus?
The Apostles had very personal relationships with Jesus. We don’t know how long Joseph his stepfather lived, but we do know that the Apostles knew Jesus’ mother, Mary. She was part of the family. She knew Jesus better than anyone. Her relationship with Jesus was the most personal of all. For the Disciples, a personal relationship with Jesus included having a personal relationship with his mother. Jesus affirmed this relationship from the cross when he told John (the disciple Jesus loved), “Behold your mother,” and told Mary, “Behold your son.” From that moment, John took Mary into his home. That is a very personal relationship. To know and love Jesus is to know and love his mother, Mary.
Notice that Jesus did not tell John to “Worship my mother and become an idolater.” Nor does the Catholic Church tell people to do so. The Catholic Church simply recognizes that having a personal relationship with Jesus includes his whole family, and that his mother holds a distinctive place, not only as the mother of Jesus (God), but as the greatest disciple of Jesus. Mary is like the moon which reflects the light of the sun. She reflects the light of her Son, she does not emit her own light. Knowing Mary personally is simply part of knowing Jesus personally, just like knowing one’s in-laws is part of knowing one’s spouse.
Many Christians sing a song that says, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the Family of God.” Who is that family? It includes more than just the other Christians here on Earth. The family of God also includes Mary and the other saints in Heaven (the great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us). They are all alive with Christ, and getting to know them better is to know Jesus better (more personally). No matter who you are, there is a Saint that you can relate to and become a prayer partner with. “The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much,” and the saints in Heaven are as righteous as can be. So, we Catholics ask them to pray for us and with us. We don’t worship them or “conjure up the dead.” We just include them in Jesus’ personal family of God.
Do you know Jesus personally? Is your relationship with him reciprocal? He knows your family. Do you take time to get to know his family? Do you know Mary, his mother, like the Apostles did? Have you “taken her into your own house?” If not, you might consider reevaluating just how personal your relationship with Jesus is. Being a Christian isn’t just about you and Jesus. And it isn’t just about you, Jesus and your local Christian buddies. Being a Christian is about the whole family. It’s a spiritually interpersonal relationship that transcends this present life here on Earth and centers on the person of Jesus Christ.
The Reflective Revert 