A PERSONAL "encounter" with the "LIVING" JESUS CHRIST

"Reflections" regarding THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING JESUS (continued) ~~

HOW do we "encounter" the "Living" Jesus Christ?

Prayer ~~  "Come Holy Spirit!  Come and transform the hearts of all your people!  Come quickly, so we may at long last "see" the new heavens and new earth!"

FIRST, we must be introduced to Him!

Most of us have been introduced early in life through the Sacrament of Baptism at the request of our parents ( his is where,  the grace of faith and the sharing of Divine life is given to us).  Remember that when we are baptized, there are parents, godparents, family and friends present to "witness" this sacrament of initiation.  The godparents are the child's spokespeople in saying YES to the Catholic faith.   

Some of us were not introduced until later in life, through the grace of God, by caring and concerned relatives or friends. Some of us may have been introduced through something we have seen, heard, or read, such as this website.

Once we have been introduced to Christ, we must ask ourselves, 
"Do we want to continue a relationship with Him?"

 It is that "free-will" AGAIN!

Jesus will not force us!  WE must be committed to putting forth a sincere effort in order to allow the relationship to grow.  It is our own decision as to whether we want to be casual acquaintances, which is only knowing "of" Jesus Christ, or to be close, loving friends which would be really "knowing" Him!

 It is Christ's desire that we become true, intimate friends with Him

as He loves us so much that He has already sacrificed His life for our eternal salvation!

SECOND, in order to deepen our relationship with Christ, we must develop a line of communication with Him.  Let us ask ourselves, "Are we able to truly love someone that we have only met, but do not really know?"

Prayer is the communication line between Jesus and ourselves.  This is our way of speaking to Him and reaching out to Him.  It can be a formal prayer said out loud or one that is "whispered" from the heart.  It could be a simple little prayer such as, " Jesus, help me to 'know' you better." 

 HE HEARS ALL PRAYERS!   

Remember, we should not do all the talking.  It is really important that we become quiet! 

Are we able to hear someone who is trying to talk to us if our minds are preoccupied with worldly concerns or audible noise? NO! 

So when we take the time to communicate with our newly found friend, we must also set aside some "special" time to listen to Him. 

Yes!  He does send communications through the power of the Holy Spirit into our minds and our hearts if our hearts are "open" to receive the messages.

Once the line of prayerful communication is open, we must begin to expand our hearts to receive more inspirations and instructions.

Prayer, itself, is not holiness! 

Rather, prayer is being in communion  with the Lord, which helps us to nourish, reinforce and strengthen our relationship with Him, day by day.

  This is exactly how the relationship  
deepens and grows!

It is a good idea to begin by putting aside just a few minutes each day in which we are able to talk and listen to our Dear Friend and Brother, the "Living" Jesus Christ!

When we become comfortable with a few minutes each day, we may gradually extend the time spent in communication with the One Who Loves us more than our human minds are able to comprehend!

It is TRUE what Mother Teresa of Calcutta has said,

• The "fruit" of SILENCE is PRAYER
• The "fruit" of PRAYER is FAITH 
• The "fruit" of FAITH is LOVE!

THIRD, as Pope John Paul II stated in "The Work of Love," THE CHURCH IN AMERICA,

 "...Mary is the sure path to our meeting with Christ!"

One of the most assured ways of developing a lasting, loving relationship with the "Living" Jesus Christ is through proper devotion to His mother, Mary. Yes, through the grace of God and our own feeble efforts, we may spend months and maybe even years trying to nurture a deep personal relationship with the "Living" Jesus Christ, Who is "... the Way the Truth and the Life." (John 14: 6) 

During our journey here on Earth, we may find ourselves taking many distracting and unexpected side roads searching for the "key" to "open the door" Who is Jesus Christ!

BUT

If we take the time to develop a personal relationship with His mother, MARY, she will gently take us by the hand and LEAD US DIRECTLY  
TO HER SON!

You see, Mary desires nothing for herself!  Her sole existence on Earth and in Heaven has been to fulfill the WILL OF THE FATHER!

As our Spiritual mother, SHE PROMISES TO personally PRESENT OUR "searching hearts" TO HER SON!

Now that we have found out HOW, let us journey a while longer to discover 

WHERE

 we may "personally encounter" the

  "Living" Jesus Christ !