Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom. // Psalm 145:12
I was meeting with my spiritual director recently and as he always does, he opened our session with a short prayer. As I calmed my heart for prayer, he spoke, “Jesus, You are our Friend.”
His prayer was so simple and profound that I continued to reflect on it for days after we had met. Jesus is our Friend. What a gift a good friend is!
Years ago when I was pregnant with my son Henry, I was in the habit of meeting a few friends for lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. My normal favorite menu item became something I could no longer tolerate while pregnant. I would order it, eat it, and then feel sick for hours afterward.
I remember telling my friend Susie, “Please don’t let me get this next time!” And lo and behold, a few weeks later, there we sat once again. As I started to order that same item, forgetting once again the price I would pay, I looked up to see Susie shaking her head, ever so slightly.
She had remembered! I changed my order on the spot, and this time I didn’t get sick.
What a gift a good friend is.
The Alleluia acclamation today emphasizes how we are Jesus’ chosen friends:, “I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord” (John 15:16).
Jesus is our Savior and our Redeemer – and he is also our Friend. He guides us and loves us and supports us. He is the gentle healer, always ready to offer love and direction because He wants every good thing for us.
And He chose us, set apart from the world, to share this love with those around us, which is how we bear fruit that lasts. Jesus is our Friend! With Him at our side, we have everything we need.
Rachel Balducci has a Masters degree from the Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia and teaches at Augusta University. She and her husband Paul have five sons and one daughter and are part of an intentional Christian community in Augusta, Georgia. Rachel is the author of several books and is the co-host of The Gist of CatholicTV. Find out more about her here.
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