8.102. I tend to keep my faith simple—I just pray directly to Jesus. Isn’t that what matters most?
It is good to pray to Jesus. But to say “I only pray directly to Jesus” while ignoring the Church He founded, the sacraments He instituted, and the saints He glorified, is to cut yourself off from the very channels of grace Christ gave to help you.
The true Catholic Faith is not minimalist—it is incarnational, sacramental, communal, and hierarchical. It involves the Mass, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels and saints, the sacraments, and the visible Church. Christ gave us more than a personal spirituality—He gave us a kingdom.
Below is a comparison between the full Catholic expression of the Faith, and the reduced, Protestant-influenced idea of “just me and Jesus.”
| Category | Traditional Catholic Faith | Minimalist “Just Jesus” Faith | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prayer | To Jesus, Mary, saints, and angels—through the Church | Only directly to Jesus | We honor the saints because they are in Christ and glorify Him |
| Sacraments | Channels of grace instituted by Christ Himself | Often neglected or reduced to symbols | “Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man…” (John 6:53) |
| The Church | The Mystical Body of Christ—visible, hierarchical, sacramental | Viewed as optional or just a support group | “He who hears you hears Me” (Luke 10:16) |
| Devotions | Rosary, Sacred Heart, Divine Office, scapular, novenas | Rejected as “complicated” or “unnecessary” | These deepen faith and help fight spiritual laziness |
| Saints | Friends and intercessors; “a cloud of witnesses” (Heb. 12:1) | Ignored or treated as distractions | The saints bring us closer to Christ, not away from Him |
| Mary | Mother of God, Mediatrix of all graces | Marginalized or seen as “too much” | “Behold your mother” (John 19:27) wasn’t optional |
| Faith Expression | Ritual, beauty, tradition, sacramentals, hierarchy | Simplified, informal, individualistic | Simplicity must not come at the cost of reverence or truth |
| Fruits | Holiness, unity with the saints, strong spiritual life | Individualism, doctrinal confusion, weak faith | “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matt. 7:16) |
Summary:
Praying to Jesus is essential. But Jesus is not divided from His Church, His saints, or His sacraments. To reject all else in favor of a “simple” faith is to reject the very richness Christ gave you.
True simplicity is not “I do the bare minimum”, but “I do all that God has revealed, as faithfully as I can.”
The saints didn’t keep it “simple”—they embraced the full Catholic life, from Latin Mass to Marian devotion, from confession to relics, from daily prayer to self-denial.
As St. Paul said:
“We are no longer strangers… but members of the household of God… built upon the foundation of the apostles.”