Originally published at Orange County Catholic
FRIENDSHIP IS A GREAT gift when we can be authentic, sharing our hearts without the need to perform or have all the answers.
Jesus offers us this profound friendship, as He says in John 15:15, “I have called you friends because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.” Throughout Scripture, Jesus demonstrates His gentle invitation for people to trust Him with their fears, burdens and desires. Jesus gently presses in and encourages people to reveal themselves more deeply so that they may receive what we are all ultimately seeking: communion.
When we approach God in prayer, we do not always get the answers we seek or the goods we desire. However, this does not mean God does not listen or care about us. In The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis notes, “Friendship… is born when one man says to another ‘What! You too? I thought that no one but myself…’” The more we bring everything into our relationship with Jesus, the greater our thoughts, feelings and desires resonate in His heart, and we will receive the promised gift of communion with God. We then can learn how to define ourselves with Jesus in all things and not
