An Invitation to Know Jesus

(Photo by André Escaleira, Jr./Denver Catholic)

When I began my time in the Diocese of Colorado Springs, I said I was fascinated by Jesus Christ, and I have been for much of my life. What was true then, and what was true in the Scriptures, is only truer today. I am fascinated by the way that Jesus makes himself present in our world today. I am fascinated by Jesus’ words, which echo through the centuries and in your heart and mine. I am fascinated by the way that he loved all those he encountered, and by the way that he loves you and me each and every day of our lives.

When you’re fascinated by someone, especially Our Lord, you want to know more about them. You cannot help but fall in love with them. When you fall in love with Jesus, you want to spend your entire life for him.

Brothers and sisters, I have a little secret for you: God is madly in love with you. He loved you so much that he became man and died to rescue you. He loves you so much that he becomes bread to feed you. God loves you more than you can ever imagine.

In the face of that kind of love, I encourage you to ask yourself where you’re at in your relationship with Jesus.

For those who might be reading this column and do not regularly worship with us on Sundays, I invite you to consider why not. If you have a trusted Catholic in your life, I invite you to enter into conversation with them. Ask about the reason for their faith, hope and love. If you don’t have someone like that in your life, I hope you will consider reaching out to a Catholic church near you.

For those who do pray with us regularly, I encourage you to consider your own relationship with Jesus. St. Peter tells us in his first letter to “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (1 Peter 3:15). I pray that you will be open to deeper conversations with your loved ones about faith, hope, surrender and trust. When I was Bishop of Colorado Springs, I wrote a pastoral letter, Christ Our Hope, for the 2025 Jubilee Year, which might be helpful for these types of conversations.

We are called to be Jesus’ ambassadors of hope in a suffering world. My prayer is that our churches, communities and faithful will be open. We should never struggle alone. We cannot be Christians alone. We need each other.

Lent is coming to a close, and we’re preparing to enter the holiest time of the year, when we remember all that Jesus did for us on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. He endured terrible suffering for you and for me. He died — God died — for us. And he rose from the dead, making sure to leave us with his presence, both in the Spirit and in the Eucharist.

In this sacred time, I pray that we will all be witnesses to the goodness of God to all those we meet. I hope we walk alongside our neighbors, in their curiosity and in their suffering, always pointing to Jesus, who alone gives us hope. I pray that we share the Gospel fervently and freely, inviting others into a loving relationship with Jesus, who loves them most.

On a personal note, these last few months have been challenging for my family and me as well. My mother, Patricia, passed away in January, and my father, Robert, died only a few weeks ago. There has been a lot of transition and difficulty in these weeks, and I’m grateful for your prayers, kind words and care. Both my parents were great people and great Catholics who showed me what it meant to love God and neighbor, and to be loved by them.

I pray that we might have more examples of courageous faith like them, and that we might be boldly and robustly Catholic together, as one community of faith in Northern Colorado.

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Stay tuned for a special Denver Catholic magazine welcoming Archbishop Golka to the Archdiocese of Denver, coming soon to a mailbox or a Catholic church near you! To sign up to receive the Denver Catholic at your home, if you don’t already, click here!