Your personal saviour and mine

by Letters Editor · March 24, 2011

From: John Lee, Johannesburg

A happy, recent development in our priests� homilies (and in Pope Benedict�s talks) is the frequency with which reference is made to the urgency for a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prior to Vatican II, the faith was often taught as a sort of philosophy, a system of do�s and forbidding don�ts. This �personal relationship� terminology was seen as �Protestant� by many Catholics.

If materialism, hoarding money, power and prestige, watching television, rugby, football, cricket, gambling and playing the lotto, pornography and violent and sexually explicit movies take first place in our lives, we are breaking the first commandment and are guilty of idolatry by worshipping today�s false gods and by dethroning God as the Lord and Saviour of our lives.

In this era of mercy, Christ has urgent need of victim souls to help enflesh and apply the fruits of the victory won through his cross and resurrection.

This is something the Blessed Mother is calling for frequently in her apparitions. What a privilege we have as co-redeemers to be ambassadors for Christ, the redeemer, actualising and bringing about what St Paul writes of in Col 1:24: �I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ�s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the Church.�

As victim souls, empowered by frequent Confession and Communion, daily prayer of the Rosary, the chaplet of Divine Mercy, Scripture reading, and surrendering our wills for God�s intentions, we can help bring about the salvation of our lukewarm, non-believing and estranged relatives, loved-ones, enemies and even those unknown to us. We can actually be partakers and co-redeemers in applying Christ�s work of redemption.

Consecration to the alliance of the hearts of Jesus and Mary could be a first step. Next, one way to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour in a special way is by praying the following �miracle� prayer (propagated by the Servite Fathers)�preferably after Holy Communion, often and intensely, from the heart:

Lord Jesus, I come before you just as I am. I am sorry for my sins. I repent of my sins. Please forgive me. In your name, I forgive all others for what they have done against me.

I renounce Satan, the evil spirits and their works, I give you my entire life, Jesus, now and forever. I invite you into my life Jesus. I accept you as my personal Lord, God and Saviour. Heal me, change me, and strengthen me in body, soul and spirit.

Come, Lord Jesus, cover me, wash me with your precious blood, and fill me with your Holy Spirit. I love you Lord Jesus. I shall follow you every day of my life. Amen

The call of the 5th century Pope, St Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church, is as urgent as ever: �Unless a man accepts Jesus Christ as his own personal saviour, the victory won by Jesus on the cross will avail him nothing.�