Start a Personal Relationship with Jesus

Your decision to follow Jesus is the most important decision you’ll ever make. We are here to help you start or deepen your relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Step 1: Pray to God

Here is a sample prayer of repentance & belief in the Gospel (cf. Mark 1;15)

God my Father, I believe that you created me for no other reason than love. Yet in many ways I have shunned your love. I repent for each and every one of my sins. Please forgive me. I want to fulfill the purposes you created me for. So starting today, I really want to get to know you, love you and trust you. I want my life to give you pleasure, and I want to become a part of your family.

Lord Jesus, I believe in your love for me. Thank you for dying on the cross to save me from my sins. I ask you to forgive everyone of my sins. I choose to receive your mercy, and recognize you as my Savior and my Lord. Jesus, I trust you, and surrender to you my entire life — past, present and future.

Holy Spirit, Lord and giver of Life, thank you for my life. I ask you to purify me, and fill me with your love, Help me to grow more like Jesus and to use my life to faithfully follow and serve him. Help me to understand your vision and mission for the rest of my life.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.

If you are already a baptized Catholic, we invite you to consider going to Confession to one of our Priests. Two biblical references on the importance of confessing your sins to a priest are:

  • James 5:16, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another.”
  • John 20;22-23, "And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

MORE RESOURCES TO HELP YOU GROW IN PRAYER

How to make a Good Confession?

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

Step 2: Forgive

Forgiveness is clearing or erasing the record of those who have wronged me and not holding a grudge. In the Our Father, we pray, “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.” This prayer challenges to also forgive others, and even to forgive ourselves.

The Lord Jesus gave us the greatest example of forgiveness. In Luke 23:34, Jesus prayed on the cross, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” Yet, forgiving can be a very difficult and big step for some. Perhaps you need to understand what forgiveness is and is not.

What forgiveness is not:

  • It's not - Just words
  • It's not - forgetting
  • It's not - condoning or excusing or enabling or justifying a hurtful action.
  • It's not - Ignoring what happened to you.
  • It's not - reconciliation with the person.

What forgiveness is:

  • It is - a true act of mercy.
  • It is - a way to free yourself of the poison of resentment.
  • It is - a gradual process of offering an undeserved gift to someone who hurt you.
  • It is - an act of the will, empowered by God’s grace.

I invite you to forgive specific people for specific injuries, and release them to the Father’s merciful judgment. Please think right now of the persons that you might need to forgive, beginning with yourself.

Forgiving Ourselves: “In the name of Jesus, I forgive myself, for all the wrong I have done. Amen.”

Forgiving Others: “In the name of Jesus, I forgive (first name of the person), for (mention what they did). Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. Amen.” Repeat this prayer for every person you need to forgive.

Good Job!

Step 3: Get a Bible

Your relationship with Christ is deepened by reading His word. Start with a free bible app and other prayer resources.

Online Bibles:

Bible Apps:

MORE PRAYER & MEDITATION RESOURCES

Step 4: Get Baptized

The Church family of San Pedro is looking forward to the celebration of your baptism and entrance into the worldwide community that is the Catholic Church. Baptism is called the “gateway to life in the Spirit and the door, which gives access to the other sacraments.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT ADULT BAPTISM (RCIA)

Step 5: Get Connected

Get connected with other believers by taking Friends 101 or joining a Small Group.