Do Catholics believe in a personal relationship with Christ?

Yes Catholics do have a deep relationship with Christ but it is not the Catholic way to shout it from the rooftop,Catholics as a rule live out their lives in quiet love of Christ and with full dependence upon Him.

Catholics do not blow trumpets in the street declaring their faith to one and all,they carry the burden of the cross in union with Christ be it sickness or dissappointments, in short Catholics rely not on their own ability but rather keep Jesus at the very centre of their life for He is their Rock and salvation.

God bless.

Yes, the Catholic Church and the Pope teach us to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But it goes far more deeper then just that.

I can have a "personal relationship" with my mechanic if I wanted to. God Himself wants us to be completely united with Him in Spirit and will. Even the Holy Eucharist speaks of uniting ourselves with Jesus Christ in a way that Protestant cannot. That's to receive the actual Body and Blood of Jesus in way that goes far beyond just a personal relationship.

The last four Popes have emphasized a personal relationship with Christ as Lord, Incarnate God,the One Mediator, the Only Redeemer and Saviour, friend,Director, Example,Confidant,etc.

This is nothing new in Catholicism ,especially in the mystical tradition of the saints and Eucharistic devotion.

Catholic Christianity also emphasizes a corporate relationship with Christ as the head of the Body and as Lord of the Church.

catholics personal relationship christ

We do, and we don't.

I understand where Dr. B is coming from on at least one point; our relationship with Christ is indeed profoundly corporate (from the word "corpus", of course) -- union with His Body through the Eucharist, and with each other in communion as the Body of Christ.

It is the Eucharist that makes our relationship with Christ also profoundly personal. If the Bible can be thought of as His love letters, we have a hard time understanding why anyone who professes a relationship with Him would accept these but reject His touch (in the sacraments) and real union with him in the Eucharist. You can't get much more personal than that -- receiving Christ in body, blood, soul and divinity into yourself. (The church is not called the bride of Christ on a whim.)

Like many other terms, though (such as "born again" and the view that makes "prayer" synonymous with worship -- most likely stemming from an impoverishment of sacrament), we don't view "relationship with Christ" as a "Jesus 'n' me" exclusivity quite apart from the body of believers.

That doesn't mean we don't encounter him individually; as Pope Benedict stated in the article, we certainly do. In that sense another common Protestant term, our "walk with Christ", is appropriate for us as well. What else is our salvation but a journey with Him?

The Church has always taught that the laity and clergy should have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, as well as with Mary and the entire Trinity.

I think the Pope in this statement is definitely affirming this.

We do not believe in the "My Personal Jesus" theme though. Jesus is not my personal anything, he isn't my personal Savior because He didn't die only for me. I have a personal relationship with the Trinity and with Mary and the Church has encouraged my relationship always.

The Pope, the Bishops, the priests, the directors of religious education, the Sunday school teachers, and parents all teach we should each have a personal relationship with Christ. This personal relationship does not dismiss the needs of the faithful to practice their faith. We have been given many gifts in the sacraments that we should not shun. We should also let the fruits of our faith be shared through volunteerism and mercy.

Sentinel said almost everything for me.

I wish that everyone who believes Catholics don't have a personal relationship with Christ could go to just one Mass at my parish, feel what it is like to receive the Eucharist, and spend a quiet hour in meditation on Our Lord's Agony in the Garden.

Now what have I been missing around here?

the answer is easily YES madame speaker, and there's more...Catholics are instructed to accept Christ's call for a family relationship, something many non-Catholic Christians are missing out on with the spin-doctoring of their marketing team.

Christ wants us to have a relationship with all his saints and that includes his mother Mary who reflects Christ's glory.

No one else but those who receive Jesus can know what a personal relationship is.He comes to us in the blessed sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, every day.