Friendship

"He is not ashamed to call them “brothers” saying: I will proclaim your name to my brethren, in the midst of the assembly I will praise you." Heb 2:12

It is difficult to overstate the importance of friends, especially soul friends, people who walk with us in faith. When we stop to think about all the times in our lives when we were struggling with important decisions, it was almost always the advice or the prayer of a friend or mentor that settled us. In my early days as a friar, there was an older priest who was forever warning us not to miss the forest for the trees, and his mentoring words of wisdom often come back to me when I start to stare at a problem so closely that I fail to see the big picture. Stepping back from a difficulty is always in order when we try too hard to do the right thing.

Knowing how important friendship is, however, is not enough. We cannot simply pray for friends to help us; the gospel demands that we become friends to one another. Listening to the ache of friends, sharing their joys, feeding them when they are hungry, and delighting in their everyday triumphs, is as powerful a sign of God's love as Jesus' miracles.

Today, rejoice in those who remind you by their love of the presence of the living God.

What have you learned about friendship that you most treasure?