Where is the emphasis in "my personal relationship with Jesus"

Do Catholics really lack a personal relationship with Jesus, as we are so often accused? Do non-Catholic Christians have a MORE personal relationship with Jesus than we Catholics have?

The obvious answer, to any knowledgeable Catholic, is NO. Catholics neither lack a personal relationship with Jesus nor do we automatically have a less personal relationship with Jesus than a non-Catholic Christian.

So, to what do we attribute this misconception? Is the confusion a result of having a structured liturgy, Marian devotion, or saintly intercession? Perhaps those are contributing factors, but I have come to believe that the real answer lies in the eye of the beholder, rather than in the factors themselves. It is a matter, in many cases, of faulty perception. Due to the perception itself being flawed, one can easily see why the non-Catholic Christian who is opposed to saintly intercession cannot simply change their attitude about the matter as a result of informed conversation. No, it is the perception itself that must be corrected first.

Why, we might ask, is the perception flawed? The reason is because the non-Catholic Christian who opposes saintly intercession is attached to an egocentric theology, putting themselves at the center of their Christianity. Please note that I am in no way saying that such a person does not wish to love, serve, and worship Christ. Many non-Catholic Christians do have a strong emotional love for Christ, and the desire to do His will.

True Christianity, however, is Christocentric. Christ is in the middle of it, at the heart of it; all is centered around Christ. Unfortunately many non-Catholic Christians (in particular many in the evangelical, non-denominational, baptist, and pentecostal camps), emphasize the phrase "my personal relationship with Jesus." Depending on where the speaker puts the emphasis within that phrase, the notion very easily moves from Christocentrism to egocentrism.

When we focus on the idea of "MY PERSONAL relationship with Jesus," we see that the language itself is, by its very usage, exclusionary. It attempts to craft a relationship between two and two alone. Me & Jesus. That's it.

The worldview one creates in that instance puts "me & Jesus" at the center of everything. It elevates the self, however unintentionally for some, to the level of Jesus. It elevates the importance of self to the importance of Jesus, and leaves the rest of the world, including the pope, the Church, Mary, the other Saints in Heaven, and our earthly families, friends circulating around this center.

Others no longer are a means by which one shares Christ's love, but are rather an obstacle, a wedge between the individual and his personal relationship and Christ. This mentality is evident in the number of Protestant Christians who will accuse a Catholic of "not having a personal relationship with Jesus," and "praying to the saints instead of Jesus."

This worldview does not leave room for the intercession of the saints, and it certainly does not leave room for the acknowledgment that there are others who are holier than ourselves.

One's perception is tainted because they view notions like the communion of saints not through the lens of "how does this work in a Christ-centered faith," but rather, "how does this work in a me-&-Christ-centered faith." The papacy, the mass, and the communion of saints fit beautifully in the first, but do not work with the second.

The first lens is the lens is the Catholic lens. The second is the modern Protestant lens. Many of these Protestants adhere to the notion of Biblical authority, be it sola scriptura or prima scriptura.

So, is their lens Biblical?

The answer, I'm afraid, is no. There is nothing in the Bible that supports the idea that we are to exclude others in our relationship with Christ, our worship of God, or our efforts to live a holy and devout life. On the contrary, the family relationship, the necessity of unity with one established Church, the obedience to legitimate authority, the intercession of others, and the recognition of extraordinary holiness are all evident in the Scriptures.

Should all Christians have a personal relationship with Christ? Of course. That is not in question. The question is whether or not it is appropriate for this relationship to be exclusive of all others, and defined by our own preferences, and the answer to that, from a Biblical standpoint, is no.

Dani