Once during a discussion with an atheist acquaintance, I was told that it is impossible to truly know Jesus.  No one, he said, can know for sure if Jesus is real.  Basically, he said that we as Christians can only hope that our beliefs are correct.  After all, how to know Jesus seems like too much of a vague concept.  Soon after, I listened to a homily by Fr. Larry Richards that happened to be on the same topic, which became the basis and structure of this post.  Fr. Richards is a pastor in Erie, PA, an author, and the founder and president of “The Reason for our Hope Foundation”.

How to Know Jesus…

“And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:20)

 It is evident from this passage that Jesus is telling us that he is with us, but what does that mean exactly?  Is this to be taken literally, after all, he is not sitting in the chair next to me right now… So then, how is he with us?  How can we come to know Him if we can’t detect him with our 5 senses?

Is it possible to “know” Jesus in our hearts?  Can we say that we know Him with as much confidence as we would say that we know our spouse or best friend?  If we profess to be Christian, hopefully the answer is yes, or that we are striving to get to that point.  Skeptics would say that this is foolishness – that you can’t know someone who lived on the earth centuries ago.  So either we as Christians are correct, or we are crazy.  Luckily, it is possible to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ, just the way we develop relationships with other people.

So how do we get to know Jesus Christ?  Where should we be looking for Him?  By reading Sacred Scripture we can learn about His teachings and history, but how do we take the next step to know Him intimately?

Here are four ways that we can encounter Christ and get to “know” him.  Each of these requires our attention and reflection in order to overcome our tendency for blindness.  And it takes willful perseverance.

We Can Know Jesus by Finding Him in Our Daily Lives & Events

One of the ways that we can come to know Jesus is by keeping a watchful eye for his presence in the events in our lives.  Jesus can be found in our life-changing events as well as in the mundane activities from day-to-day.  It starts by stopping and taking the time to identify the hand of God in what is happening.  Sometimes we can detect patterns in our lives, or see that things seem to align in ways that are not likely due to chance.  People of many religions experience this and have different explanations for it, but it is the hand of God active in our lives.

Prayer is especially useful in figuring out who or what is behind this.  We might ask, “Is this God / Jesus taking action?  In what direction is he leading me?”  When we see how the events in our lives can become opportunities to grow closer to him, we will begin to know him more fully.

The truth is that God (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) are with us and active in our lives, each in his own way.  The Father has a unique plan for each of us.  Jesus is our friend, savior and intercessor, pleading our case.  The Holy Spirit is our advocate and guide, giving us talents to fulfill the will of the Father and keeping us on the road back to him.  But we need to be open to this truth in order to see it for what it is.

Identifying Jesus in Others

Another part of scripture vividly tells us that he comes to us through other people.  Family members, friends, strangers and those that we encounter in our daily living:

 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’  

 Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’  (Matthew 25:34-40)

 Do we recognize Christ in others?  Do we make the most of the opportunities to further the Kingdom of God by helping others and treating them with respect and love?  By doing so, we grow in our relationship with Jesus and The Father.  Keeping a sense of His presence throughout our day aligns us spiritually with Him, and over time we can get to know Him.  To show our love for Jesus, we must show our love for others.

Jesus is Revealed to Us in Response to a Relentless Prayer Life

One of the most important ways to know Christ is through our prayer life.  Prayer seems to be many things to many people these days, but in its purest form, it is simply having a conversation with God.  There are several types of prayer (praise, petition, thanksgiving, contrition, etc.), but all are similar in that we are expressing our concerns, feelings and hopes with God.

The Holy Spirit is doing the will of the Father by drawing us back to him.  Like a magnet, or an ocean current, we are constantly being pulled back to our creator, even if we don’t realize it.  So how much more is God willing to reveal to those who seek him?  Simply, we need to decide that we will keep asking God to make himself known until he does.  And if we do this, he will!  Sometimes in grand fashion… but this is true.  God can reveal and communicate with us in our hearts, but this can only be experienced.

If you are unsure if God exists, ask him!  If he doesn’t answer right away, keep at it!  He will eventually make his presence known.

We should not neglect our prayer life, but look to ever-increase our prayer time and quality.  If we desire a deeper relationship with the Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit, how can we expect to do so if we don’t spend time with them?  Relationships in general either grow or fade away.  If we do not communicate with an old friend for a long time, the relationship suffers.

Let us all renew our commitment to prayer.  Let us pray with focus and emotion, not just “going through the motions” to get it done.  Such prayer is lukewarm and not very effective.  Let us not hold anything back from God!  Finally, a relationship is a two-way street, so remember to listen for the voice of God in our hearts as well, in stillness and without distraction…

Finding Jesus in Ourselves

So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.  Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.  (Ephesians 2:19-22)

 How often do we overlook that Christ is within our very selves?  It is said that the law of God is written into every heart, but through the grace of the sacraments (especially the Eucharist), Christ Himself dwells within us.  As John the Baptist once said, He must increase in our souls as we decrease…  Through realization and reflection on this, holiness is found:

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

 To find Jesus within ourselves, we must deny ourselves and not give in to seek our every whim and pleasure.  In short, we must become selfless, not selfish.  We must be other-oriented.  If we are focused on ourselves, we will be blind to Christ within us.  This is why fasting is an important tool in finding Christ.  But if we practice these physical and spiritual disciplines, we will find Jesus, and indeed know him.

This just touches on a few aspects about how to know Jesus.  Once you do, everything is different, everything is more vibrant and you can find joy even in times of despair.  And it doesn’t end there, we are constantly drawn to know him better and better, and this will eventually come to fulfillment in the next life when we meet him face to face in the Kingdom of Heaven.