Share your personal relationship with Christ

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Yup, five kids…and four miscarriages…but I do consider myself incredibly blessed but I just don’t feel personally attached to Christ. Actually I often wonder if he really is there. I know that is wrong and I am working on it…and I am so glad this is anonymous and you don’t know who I am . I would never admit this to anyone…I know it is wrong to doubt the existence of God/Christ.
 
I meant the “term” is a sort of a protestant one. Spoken about constantly but now assumed into the Catholic lexicon.
 
Yeah, I don’t see that. I am very lucky, and blessed, that I realize but I don’t really see him leading me personally. More like he allows me to flourish or flounder.
 
It’s when you get beyond the Catholic faith merely as an intellectual belief and you really become friends with Christ, realizing that he saves us, and spending time with Him in prayer.

I didn’t have a really personal relationship with Christ–or a regular prayer life in other words–until I read True Devotion to Mary and the Glories of Mary.

By developing a deeply personal, dependent relationship with my Blessed Mother–who is the way to Jesus Christ, as Blessed Paul VI says–that I began to understand Christ’s love and compassion for me.

Again, I think the biggest reason people don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus is because they don’t have a personal relationship with His Mother.
 
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He likely has His hand on you more than you think Lots of people feel like you do.
BE at peace. Don’t worry about other people. I think maybe the priest was gently urging you to more piety, service, or new prayer methods.
I will pray for you, be blessed
 
I was a Baptist for 5 years, and while I knew my Bible exceptionally well, attended multiple weekly services, and helped out with ministries I’m not sure I really “knew” Christ personally. I had a lot of head knowledge about Him, sort of like how I know a lot about Winston Churchill because I’ve studied him. But I don’t have any kind of personal relationship with him, regrettably.

Yup…this is me…but I already do attend daily mass (usually), pray daily, read the readings for the day, go to Confession as needed (I have a pretty boring life), attend bible study and take a class on Biblical Studies…I have been doing all these things for years but still nothing…

I was thing of attending a retreat but I feel like it would be heartbreaking to hear about how wonderful it was for everyone and me be like…nothing…

I could try journaling… I do like to write…
 
On another level, All of us, well me anyway, have doubts once in a while. Especially in times of trial. I find it comforting to know other signs outside of the church teaching and scripture point to the reality of Christ. Thousands of Martyrs lie in the catacombs. Something must have convinced them of a belief worth dying for. Roman historical documents. I found it helpful to look at some of the Miraculous events since. Fatima, Lourdes, Our lady of Guadalupe and so forth.
 
this could be true. I am not a huge Mary fan. And I know you just have to accept her place in the history of salvation but that you don’t have to ever pray to her. Still I do pray the Hail Mary and pray the rosary at times.

But…most protestants I know have a personal relationship with Christ and they don’t have a devotion to Mary…so it would be possible…
 
You know we are not unique with martyrs…Thousands have died in the name of Allah too…lots of people have died for “unworthy” causes…
 
I’m sorry you’re having a difficult time. Honestly I had a lot of consolations in the first months of my conversion and I think it was St. Therese who said it’s actually weaker souls who receive more of the feel-good stuff, especially early on. Have you tried asking for the intercession of St. Mother Teresa? I ask for her help when I have really dry periods of prayer.

Hang in there. Showing up is 90% of the battle, in my opinion, and you’ve got that part covered!
 
I have been going to weekday Masses for years…ever since I got all the kids in school…I go at least twice during the week as well as Sunday.

My friend mentioned that maybe I am trying too hard…I wonder if that is possible…

I am an active Catholic already. EMHC, Catechist, I take Communion to the sick weekly, Biblical school student, Attend bible study, on various committees at church…It is actually really embarrassing not to have had an encounter with Christ. And something I just can’t ask others about…
 
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I really believe their relationship with Christ reflects God’s grace. That is, they have a relationship with Him in spite of not being Catholic (and all that comes with it- saints, Mary, Confession etc).
 
Mary cares after everyone, including those who don’t pray to her. But praying to her is a matter of salvation for those with sufficient knowledge, since she is the way we have a personal relationship with Jesus. Because of what I know of Church teaching about Mary, if I freely chose not to pray to her I would surely go to hell. And the Rosary is my lifeline to a relationship with Jesus. Mary is our Mother, and one should never ignore their mother. We need Mary more than infants need help from their mothers. As Pope Leo XIII says, just as no one goes to the Father except through the Son, so nobody goes to Jesus except through Mary. And why would we ignore her when she is all gentleness and goodness?
 
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That’s part of the mystery of the Incarnation; Christ didn’t just come here to die and save us. He came to be one of us, with us. Immanuel.
 
Each of us, by virtue of the Sacraments has certain specific gifts, or charisms. For whatever reason, have never opened their gifts. They have simply set them on a high shelf in the closet, afraid to open them. Perhaps, receiving the Sacraments was merely a matter of cultural ritual. We see our prayer life as a checklist, a matter of Catholic “shoulds and should nots.” Did I pray my rosary today? Did I spend so many minutes praying these specific prayers? Instead of looking at how can I spend time with the One love. That doesn’t mean not scheduling time for prayer. I still remember Sister in first grade telling us to put our shoes under our bed, which we did any way. Since they were there, we were already on our knees ready for morning prayer.
When you were a little a child, did you think about waking up and kissing her mother, or hugging her? That is how we need to think about prayer. That as something to check off a list, but as a desire. I want to spend time in prayer. God does respond to this desire. It doesn’t mean that I am somehow more special or more holy than a person who not hear or feel an immediate response from God.
Mother Teresa didn’t feel that response. Bishop Curlin of the Charlotte Diocese, who recently died, told her to think about prayer as incense. Incense rises. Not getting a response or sense of intimacy, a “warm fuzzy feeling” does not mean that your prayer is any less effective than my prayer.
It is the same as evangelization. I speak to different people over the course of time. One is meant to sow seeds, another to water, and still another to bring in the harvest. Not one person has said, “Okay, I’m going to join the Catholic Church because of what you just said.” Actually I would be a bit skeptical if they did. I see myself more at the beginning of the process. I have been humbled when individuals have come to me, and asked for prayer. We are called to witness whether convenient or not, even in the marketplace surrounded by nonbelievers.
 
Trying too hard is definitely a possibility and it’s something I often struggle with. That’s another good reason for the prayer journal, I can keep track of what seems to “work” during my daily prayer and what doesn’t. And of course, sometimes it just feels like God is a million miles away no matter what.
 
thanks RKS. I would be real happy with just one “warm fuzzy feeling”. Nice to know I am not alone.
 
You aren’t. The fuzzy stuff is nice but, as you well know from raising a family, our relationships within our homes aren’t always fuzzy!
 
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