True Friendship

St. Thomas Aquinas said that, "There is nothing on this Earth more to be prized than true friendship," Over the past week at Christendom, I realized the truth behind this statement.

In order to fully understand the beauty of true friendship, one must understand what it is. Dr. John Cuddeback (the Philosophy professor at Christendom College) defines true friendship as, "when two people seek true happiness together," Of course, this then requires the definition of true happiness. Being a Catholic, I would define true happiness as seeking holiness- ultimately Heaven- in the best way possible. In other words, becoming more and more united to Christ. To put it all together, true friendship is when two people seek to grow in perfect holiness with each other, helping each other to get as close to Heaven as is possible while on Earth.

If one desires to grow this way through friendship, the two people must agree on some essential things. First, they must both be of the same religion. Now, can two people of different religions have strong friendships? Yes, but there will always be that very important and central difference dividing them from perfect union. While at Christendom, I met an amazing girl. There are some people who, as soon as they meet one another, they click. Their chemistry, personalities, and feelings are a perfect match. That is the way it was with my friend and me. The first thing that I knew we had in common was a strong Catholic faith. Yet, I had no idea what a blessing this was! As the week went on, we started spending more and more of our time together until people began to wonder if we really had only just met each other that week. Several of the other campers even called my friend by my name!

How, in one week, did we manage to become so close? Through our love for God. She had a strong devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and I have a growing devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Marian qualities within her drew me to her, and her beautiful practice of her faith inspired me to strive for an even greater holiness. I hope I did the same for her. All I know is that God brought the two of us together for a reason. This world is big, billions of people populate it, yet God hand-picked the two of us to be at the same camp, and to be in need of each other. Through going to Mass together, attending Adoration at the same time, praying the Rosary on our knees, side-by-side, we were able to witness the beauty of Christ glowing and growing withing each other.

This is true friendship, the kind that will help one take steps closer to Heaven. The kind that inspires deeper devotion. The kind that will last forever.

Pray, asking God to bring this kind of friend into your lives. I've been praying for a long time, and God finally answered my prayers. He will answer yours.

May God bless you all!



Picture by Claude Monet: The Promenade (Sketch).