Anything that is important— that a person decides they want to make a regular part of their life— requires making an intentional effort to schedule time for.

Father Godfrey Chandya-Lega of Santa Cruz Roman Catholic Church in Tucson addressed his parishioners via the church's Aug. 23 bulletin about the importance of making time on a daily basis to meet with Jesus in prayer in order to solidify and grow a personal relationship with him.

Beginning with reference to a children’s book featuring a boy named Bobby, Chandya-Lega talked about Bobby’s “special friend,” someone who does not move away or reject Bobby out of anger, who remains faithful in all circumstances and is always there to help.

At the end of the book, Bobby’s special friend is revealed to be Jesus, Chandya-Lega said in the bulletin. A picture of him is presented with the question, “Do you know my special friend, Jesus?”

For Chandya-Lega, that question echoes the one that Jesus asked of his disciples: “Who do you say that I am?”

Yet, even among the faithful, those questions, if answered honestly, may lead to a realization among those who would assume they know Jesus that they don’t actually know him as well as they would like to.

“Maybe Jesus is speaking to us today through today’s Scripture readings,” Chandya-Lega said. “Maybe he is inviting us to take time out from our busy schedule to meet him on a daily basis to get to know him better.”

Chandya-Lega also discussed the intentional and daily effort it requires— especially in this busy, modern world— to build that relationship. He gave examples of the effort; such as a man who gets up early to make time to pray, another who makes time in the middle of his day, and a third who reserves time for prayer after his children are in bed.

“Unless there is a commitment to set times for prayer, we probably will not pray,” Chandya-Lega said. “That is just the way we humans are made.”