Catholics, Closer Relationship With Jesus

  • Thread starter Thread starter Hope1960
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
H

Hope1960

Guest
Protestants seem to have a deeper, more personal relationship with Jesus than what I’ve experienced in the Catholic Church. How can a Catholic develop a relationship with Jesus like they have?
 
Pray, receive the sacraments, especially daily Eucharist, go to confession, daily rosary, offering up of penances for others, adoration, kind acts, kind thoughts, sacrifices both large and small, giving of alms even when it hurts, loving your neighbor as yourself remembering that everyone is your neighbor, things like that…
 
No, I mean it seems like Protestants have a relationship with Jesus as though He’s their best friend. How can I have that kind of relationship with Him? Does the answer lie in reading the NT more and applying Jesus’ words to my life or what, exactly?

The ND church I was interested in as Sola Scriptura, I think.
 
Last edited:
Although Jesus loves us more than we can possibly imagine, He is way more than our best friend. Yes, reading the New Testament and applying Jesus’ words to your life is much of the answer.

What do you mean by the ND church? And could you explain your use of Sola Scriptura more?

The use of the word “seem” in your post concerns me. People can “seem” to be all sorts of things, but the proof is in the fruits or lack of in their lives.

God be with you.
 
St Catherine of Sienna, St Teresa of Avila, St Lucy, Bl Bartolomeo Marquez, Venerable Henriette de Lille, St Faustina, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St John of the Cross, St John the Evangelist, St Joseph Cupertino, and I could go on but there is limited space for me to post on.
 
Hope1960 said:
Protestants seem to have a deeper, more personal relationship
Click to expand...
Don’t let appearances fool you. I mean this with all charity, and as a former non-denominational myself, but Protestants must rely on emotion because they do not have Christ in the Eucharist. For me, it’s like comparing teenagers dating to a long married couple. Yes, the two teenagers are very affectionate, with lots of kissing and handholding, calling each other pet names with dopey expressions on their faces. Each thinks the other is perfect. That kind of emotion is cute and has its purpose, but is ultimately unsubstanable and unhealthy for a relationship.
Then you have the long married couple. They might not hold hands as often and they don’t hang off each other, oblivious to anything around them. They know that the other is not perfect. But with a quick look across the room or a small touch on the arm, they can convey a sentiment or message to their partner. They know each other so intimately that they can communicate without words and in a way that only they understand.

So, while it might seem that Protestants have a deeper relationship with Jesus because their worship services are more dynamic, it’s based on superficial emotions of how it makes you feel. Which isn’t the point of worship anyway. You don’t go to Mass to be entertained. You go to Mass to worship God and unite yourself with the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. No fog machine, no light show, no rock band or preacher with a relevant message will ever be able to match the intimacy of receiving Christ in the Eucharist. That you will only get in the Catholic Church.
 
There is a great Jewish writer who greatly influenced Pope Benedict Emeritus

His name is Martin Buber. He wrote I and thou.

It is about personal relationships. He has two concepts

I and thou
I and it

One sees the other as an object , the other as a person we love.

It’s simple to read and influenced one of the greatest
Catholic minds we have, the Pope Emeritus
 
Last edited:
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If you want a close relationship with Jesus, imitate him.
 
Closeness? What about intimacy?!

How can you possible get closer or more intimate than being able to commune with him body, blood, soul, and divinity?! I can’t wait for the day I can partake of the Eucharist!

As a Protestant, I prayed, tried to live like him and sought out emotional highs through music and preaching (emotions are fleeting and ultimately do not satisfy). Catholics can do all that and more.
 
Last edited:
How do you maintain any close relationship?

Talk to Him in authentic manner every day.
And listen to Him everyday (by reading the Bible).
 
Be careful.

I was raised Evangelical Protestant and didn’t convert to Catholicism until I was in my 40s.

I knew and still know plenty of Protestant who truly love Jesus, and it’s not just “emotions” and fog machines and music.

I have known Evangelical Protestants who gave their LIVES for Jesus in missionary service.

One example of an Evangelical Protestant Christian who is not basing her relationship with Jesus on “happy clappy emotions” is Joni Eareckson Tada. This young woman cannot clap because she was paralyzed in a diving accident when she was a young woman. She is now in her 60s.

I have followed Ms. Tada’s life since she first appeared on the Evangelical Protestant scene back in the 1970s. She has never wavered in her faith, at least in a major way that caused her to depart from her faith or renounce Jesus. I’m sure she has struggled–she describes her struggles with great and painful honesty.

I can’t imagine living her life, completely paralyzed from the neck down. When she was in her 50s, she actually was diagnosed with breast cancer. I read a recent article by her in which she describes her continuing struggles with her “corset” hurting her skin (she doesn’t feel the hurt, but it causes infections just the same).

And yet, her faith in Jesus and love for Him is huge and glowing and contagious.

I know that many on this thread encourage Catholics to look at saints, and I’m not going to disagree with that. But I personally have a hard time finding anything in common with people who lived in the 9th Century. Someone like Joni is a contemporary, someone my own age, who is totally in love with Jesus and has been so all her life. I have watched her love for Him grow and mature–it’s definitely not “teeny bopper” love. And nowadays, with the rise of social media, if Joni were faking it, the whole world would know within five minutes.

So please be careful. I’ve known plenty of other Protestant Christians, including my own mother, who truly loved Jesus in spite of great suffering in their own lives, did many good works and prayers for others, and stayed faithful to Jesus until their deaths.
 
Last edited:
Personally I’ve struggled to build a relationship with Jesus in all honesty. And I really want to.

I have a strong and loving relationship with God The Father, and with Our Lady but though I pray to Jesus I never quite feel I’ve connected. Having said that, I participate in mass and pray to Him daily.

I think I know why. Firstly years ago I used to see quite a few paintings of Jesus in schools probably of Him looking pretty effeminate, sorry if that offends anyone but those pictures were not helpful, alongside that we were told that Jesus wanted us to love everyone. Along with the pictures not helpful. So that was the beginning of my problems. Then people told me He wasn’t really God or the son of God just a man and that was really unhelpful. Then I bumped into evangelists who told me that Jesus was their personal saviour with a kind of superficial glow of impossibly contrived happiness on their faces that it was unebelievable. Ok, so I’ve said enough about that. Consequently I’ve had to battle with those false ideas for most of my life and I’m still left with their legacy.

My remedy is, alongside the sacraments, to talk to Jesus as I live just as I do with God. I thank Him for the things which go right, I ask Him for help with the things which go wrong and include Him in my day as much as possible. That is my intention because I have found that by doing so I have developed a good relationship with God. And incidentally I have rethought my ideas about how Jesus probably was in real life and I don’t believe He was anything but manly, I think He would not have been as credible if He hadn’t been frankly.
 
Peeps said:
Be careful
Click to expand...
My post was directed to the Op and her many threads discussing her pull away from the Catholic Church. It was not meant as a general condemnation of all Protestants. I whole heartedly agree with you that our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ not in communion with Rome love Jesus and follow their consciences to the best of their ability. I would hope so, since my entire family are members of the Church of Christ, the non-denominational Church I was raised in. Thank you for your advice and the wonderful testimony of that young women. May we all be witnesses of changed lives from Christ’s love.
 
Last edited:
If a person love’s Jesus so much, God would be 1st in their life, why would they not want to enjoy the gift that God and His Son gave us, Jesus Body and Blood, so we can abide in Him and He in us?
 
Hope1960 said:
No, I mean it seems like Protestants have a relationship with Jesus as though Hes’s their best friend. How an I have that kind of relationship with Him? Does the answer lie in reading the NT more and applying Jesus’ words to my life or what, exactly?

The ND church I was interested in as Sola Scriptura, I think.
Click to expand...
Sadly, I think you are right in that Protestants have a more personal 1:1 friendship with Jesus. In general, they have done a better job at fostering this. BUT, it doesn’t have to be that way. There is nothing they have that Catholics don’t, or catholic can’t. Obviously I’m generalizing, not all Protestants have personal friendships with God and not all Catholics do not. We CAN have that personal friendship with God and so much more.

I think the answer lies in prayer. I think most of us need to adjust our understanding of what prayer though. Prayer is the Eucharist, it is the rosary, lectio divina, Liturgy of the hours, or getting on your knees before going to bed. But prayer is also learning to recognize God with you in your life, noticing moments in each day where he was active. These aren’t always profound things, in fact they seldom are. A singing bird that brought you joy. A fleeting thought about a friend you haven’t seen in ages. Someone holding a door open for you. That moment you realize you forgot to check behind you to hold the door for someone else, and resolving to check next time. This is also prayer. As is having a conversation with Jesus about anything and everything, just as you would your best friend. Talk to him about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Because after all, wants to be your best friend, despite all your secrets…he knows what they are, and doesn’t stop him. I think recognizing that; trusting that; and believing that is key.

Reading the New Testament is a wonderful idea. It helps you get to know Him better too, and how he’s had relationships with different people. In the Ignatius style of prayer, you can read a passage, and imagine yourself there, imagine yourself as one of the people on that passage, using all your senses. And/or imagine yourself as you, as jesus’ other beloved disciple.

I’m not trying to minimize the importance of the sacraments by any means, but I do think they’re meaning and significance to YOU, on a personal level will move to a whole new level. Prayer is just being with the Lord, in all the forms that takes. One of my favorites is to just sit with Him in adoration. Sometimes I’ll read the Bible in adoration, sometimes I pray the rosary, sometimes I just sit there quietly, doing nothing in particular, except intentionally spending time with him.
 
I dont know anything about protestants and their relationship so I can’t comment but how can you get closer to Jesus than receiving Him in the Blessed Sacrament? So if you want to get closer to Jesus, start there. Go to mass, learn (or should I say relearn) about the mass and what it is really about. Go to Adoration and adore at the feet or your Lord. Speak to Him, how can you get better than that, being in the very room with our saviour. I mean the Almighty God, Lord and Creator of all things, you among those… is there on the altar. Is that not the single most wonderful thing? He calls you gently to mass and gives himself to you. What all the others answering this post have said, is prayer. Don’t dismiss that. Every friendship starts with conversation and yes it will be a little stilted and awkward at first, because we don’t listen and we dont know how to talk or how to listen. But He does and He, our God, our very best friend, will lead us. Just humble yourself and listen. Patience, pays my friend. Go, speak, listen wait, love and offer yourself. Believe me the close and loving friendship will come. The error is not on God’s side.

Ps. Here is a link which tells you (or reminds you about the love of the mass )
 
Last edited:
How is a ‘personal relationship with Jesus’ measured?

Often when I hear that Catholics do not have a ‘personal relationship with Jesus’ it’s just sounds like a blanket critique of the liturgy, sacraments, and the respect with which we hold the doctrine and teachings of the Church.
 
Hope1960 said:
Protestants seem to have a deeper, more personal relationship with Jesus than what I’ve experienced in the Catholic Church.
Click to expand...
Appearance is not the same thing as reality.
If you’re having these feelings avoid any contact with them and their sources before you loose your faith and commit apostasy.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top