How to be His friend

People tend to think that just because we are very busy working, we have no time to make friends with Jesus. Nothing can be further from the truth. Being a friend of Jesus is somewhat but not totally like being a Facebook friend—it’s not just a matter of clicking “Accept” and you become friends with the one who sent the “Friend request”. Jesus is always sending us a “friend request” but like in Facebook, we have to accept it before we can become friends officially. If we dismiss or ignore Jesus’ friend request, no friendship will begin.

With Facebook, we keep in touch with our friends—regularly and frequently talk about things big and small, tragedies or trivia, but we know they’re always there to Like and comment or react in other ways to our posts. Friendship with Jesus is something like that, as taught by the master of prayer and the first woman Doctor of the Church, St. Teresa of Avila who wrote: “Mental prayer is nothing more than an intimate and frequent conversation with a friend whom you know loves you very much.” St. Teresa says that friend is Jesus.

Like most Facebook friends, Jesus affirms you; but unlike some Facebook friends, Jesus will never insult or put you down. The big difference in these friendships is: Facebook friends are in flesh and blood; Jesus is an intangible reality until He grants you the grace to know that He is alive. The pleasures effortlessly derived from Facebook friendships may be strong but fleeting; the fruit of friendship with Jesus may be slow and almost unnoticeable in coming, but mysteriously satisfies forever. It is necessary to believe His promise and do as He commands.