I didn’t believe it until I heard him say it myself. Early July 2017, Pope Francis told a crowd of 33,000 in Rome that “a personal relationship with Jesus Christ” is dangerous.
Quote: “There are those who believe you can have a personal, direct and immediate relationship with Jesus Christ, outside of the communion and mediation of the church. These temptations are dangerous and harmful. They are, in the words of the great Pope Paul VI, “absurd dichotomies.”
This is wrong and this is a lie. Everybody needs Jesus, but nobody “needs” to go through the Catholic Church to be heard by God. On the day that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, the veil in front of the entrance to the Holy of Holies at the Temple was ripped in two from top to bottom showing that access to God was now available to everyone. Our sin kept God’s people from Him, but His death paid the penalty for our sins and gave us the privilege of coming into His presence when we pray.
Read the words of Jesus Himself on how to pray, which is simply talking to Him:
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“ ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,a
but deliver us from the evil one. ’ “
The Bible says,
“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”
-Hebrews 4:16
If you have never done so, ask Christ to come into your life today. What He wants more than anything, is to have a relationship with YOU…which means you need to put your Trust in Him that this is true.