Men's Rosary

If we think about it, relationships are a vital part of daily life. We have student teacher relationships, athelete and coach relationships, worker and boss relationships, professional relationships, business and banking relationships, friend relationships, husband and wife relationships, the list goes on!

These relationships help us grow in our personal development and business development. They help us to navigate through the ups and downs of life. They help us to find some joy and sense of well being in the world. But there is a relationship that does provide real joy and contentment and without which these other relationships would limp miserably. That relationship is with Jesus!

The closer we are to Jesus the better off everything is. The ups are more up and the downs are more bearable and actually produce good. Suffering without Christ is just suffering for suffering’s sake!

The way we build and nurture earthly relationships is through communication and spending time with the other. As far as our relationship with Jesus, this is through prayer, adoration and the Mass. It is also through helping others….loving as Chist loves. But the hinge pin is PRAYER.

What would the relationship between husband and wife be like if they never thought of one another throughout the day, never checked in on each other, came home and did not speak with each other but just went on with their plans or work? What if they sat down at a meal and did not speak? It would not be much of a relationship at all!

The sad thing is, we do this every day to Jesus. When we get up and rush out to work…become consumed in our desire to succeed and never think of Jesus. When we come home and jump to whatever we do after work without pausing and thanking God for our day. When we sit down to a meal and rush through to get to the next thing without giving thanks….we do this to Jesus. So what kind of relationship can we expect? It will not be much of one.

Prayer is our way of checking in throughout the day to offer a quick “I love you”. Prayer is our way of giving thanks and acknowledging our limits and our dependence on God for everything. We need to pray every day and throughout the day!

Adoration is the best way to spend time with Jesus. Even if we have nothing to say, He welcomes our visits. He is there waiting to be visited. We all know how terrible it is for someone to be in a nursing home and family does not ever come to visit. Do we do that to Jesus? Take time to visit. It can be a short visit….but visit.

Mass is when we can worship fully and bring everything to Him at Calvary. We enter into the most significant event in human history! Be fully engaged and try to get to weekday Mass when possible.

Jesus wants our relationship. He will freely enter into it. However, He will not chase us down and impose Himself on us. We have free will. The choice is ours. So what kind of relationship do you want to have. Start working on it. Start praying. Start talking to Jesus and spending time hanging out with Him!

“If Christ Jesus dwells in a man as his friend and noble leader, that man can endure all things, for Christ helps and strengthens us and never abondons us.” (St. Teresa of Avila)