Most of you reading this are church-going people. You have "walked with Him and talked with Him." You have been brought up Christian and gone to church for years. Yet you may not know Jesus personally.

Philip had spent years with Jesus and seen Him work tremendous miracles. He had even been consulted by Jesus before the multiplication of the loaves and fish (Jn 6:5). However, Jesus had to say to Philip: "After I have been with you all this time, you still do not know Me?" (Jn 14:9)

Many prophets, exorcists, miracle-workers, and others will be shocked on Judgment Day when Jesus will be forced to admit: "I never knew you" (Mt 7:23). We should not carelessly assume we know Jesus on His terms, but should draw ever closer to Him and He will draw close to us (Jas 4:8). We should be talking to Jesus in our own words — not just in church but on the streets, in the stores, in front of the TV, in the bedroom, at work, and in the car. We should talk to Him all day long.

When we wake up in the morning, our first word should be "Jesus." When we close our eyes at night, we should have Jesus on our minds. We should be preoccupied with Jesus, not because we are "religious" but because we're in love with Him.

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, October 16, 2006

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