Recently I was asked, "What is the. most important spiritual advice you can offer to someone who is trying to be holy?" Try to develop a personal relationship with Jesus like the one St. Francis of Assisi had, I said without hesitation. Do not presume that you already have one, just because you are a Catholic. I was priest for more than 25 years when a retreat master asked me if I had a personal relationship with Jesus.

I felt slightly insulted. I was a priest and baptized Christian from birth, why would he ask such a question? He obviously had something more in mind than belief. He was asking if I had a love relationship with Jesus. It started me thinking in a new way and forced me to .go deeper. I turned to St. Francis for answers. I knew that his love of Jesus was legendary.

Francis understood the importance of focusing on Jesus in times of difficulty. We can so easily get caught up in ourselves at times. Even though we know that the Lord is always with us, ready to draw us higher, we sometimes try to do too much on our own.

Here is a little story that may help make this dearer. St. Francis had a friend named Brother Leo. One day Leo was feeling down because he saw himself as weak, inadequate and miserable.

St. Francis said to Brother Leo: "The sadness of not being perfect is a feeling that is much too human, it can even border on idolatry. Focus your vision outside of yourself, on the beauty, graciousness and compassion of Jesus Christ. The pure of heart praise him from sunrise to sundown. Even when they feel broken, feeble, distracted, insecure and uncertain they are able to abide in his peace."

I found it interesting that the saint refers to self-absorption as a kind of idolatry. Even when you think it's humble to stress your unworthiness, it is still a way of focusing on self. Holy people are not self-absorbed. Besides, who among us is truly worthy?

The pure of heart cancel such thoughts. They know that their holiness comes from the Lord alone, and they praise him from sunrise to sundown. Since you are a member of the mystical body of Christ by baptism, you should realize that you always are united to Jesus as he prays to the Father. At every Mass we all pray "in him, with him and through him." The joy of loving Jesus is a sure sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Joy and Jesus go hand in hand.

St. Francis once posed this question: "Do you want to know one of the best ways to win people over and lead them to the Lord? It consists in giving them joy a and making them happy."

Everything falls into place when you have a love relationship with Jesus Christ.

(P S. If you are a teacher, please bring this article to the classroom for a discussion. A child's happiness may depend on it. Become a messenger of joy)