Having Jesus as our real and everlasting friend
Today I came across a very beautiful word which comforted me a lot. It came from the English mystic and Cistercian Abbot of Rievaulx, St Aelred (1110-12 January 1167). He wrote: Friends are those with whom we do not fear to open our hearts.
If there is a friend with whom we are full of confidence to open our hearts with and pour our deepest secrets to is Jesus. I was deeply touched by Pope Francis’ message for the International Day of Persons with disabilities, given in Saint John Lateran, Rome on 20 November 2021, when he precisely spoke about Jesus as being our friend:
Jesus is our friend! That is what he told his disciples at the Last Supper (cf. Jn 15:14). His words also speak to us; they shed light on the mystery of our close relationship to him as members of his Church. “Friendship with Jesus cannot be broken. He never leaves us, even though at times it appears that he keeps silent. When we need him, he makes himself known to us; he remains at our side wherever we go” (Christus Vivit, 154). We Christians have received a gift: access to the heart of Jesus and friendship with him. It is a privilege and a blessing, and it becomes our vocation: we are called to be friends of Jesus!
Having Jesus as a friend is an immense consolation. It can turn each of us into a grateful and joyful disciple, one capable of showing that our frailties are no obstacle to living and proclaiming the Gospel. In fact, a trusting and personal friendship with Jesus can serve as the spiritual key to accepting the limitations that all of us have, and thus to be at peace with them. This in turn can lead to a joy that “fills hearts and lives” (Evangelii Gaudium, 1), since, as a great exegete has written, friendship with Jesus is “a spark that kindles the fire of enthusiasm”.
Let us pray to Jesus so as he helps us get closer to him and get deeper into his friendship with us:
Lord Jesus I long for Your closeness every moment of my life. Jesus, I want to know You better. Lord, I want to know You personally and intimately and to be identified with You in every area of my life. Help me day by day to grow in grace and in a knowledge of You. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior. Amen.
Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap
