A group of us were sitting around chatting one evening and a priest friend there with us mentioned the phrase "graced friendship" and it really struck me. Immediately several names came to mind and I silently thanked God for each of those friends. I know what a graced friendship is and I know it's a great blessing!
Graced friendships. I like that. I didn't have to ask him what he meant by those two words, but I couldn't wait to hear him explain it either. He said a graced friendship is a friendship in which you can share the faith with one another. You pray together, learn together and lead each other into a closer relationship with Christ.
YES!
A couple of days later while at Mass a friend, who I most certainly have a graced friendship with, kneeled at the communion rail in front of me and I thought, "A graced friendship is someone God puts into your life - He gives you to each other and because He has ordained it, it's a gift. These frienships in my life that are graced are great blessings to me. I honestly don't know what I would do without them.
So as I have continued thinking about those people I am in graced friendships with, I was thanking our Father for them. I know He put them into my life (probably so I'd bug them instead of Him! It's okay, if they do penances on earth it'll shorten thier purgatory time!).
But it isn't just those few on earth. My greatest graced friendship is with Jesus Himself. He is most certainly my best friend. He calls me to holiness and challenges me. I can tell Him anything and indeed I do tell Him everything. There isn't anything He doesn't know about me.
Whenever I can I sit before our Eucharistic Lord and just looking at Him makes me smile - He IS truly present and that fact is awe inspiring to me. Those I am in graced frienships with also bring a smile to my face. The other day I was pulling out of the grocery store as a friend was pulling in and we waved to one another and I thought how just seeing him brought a smile to my face.
God also gives us graced friendships with the saints. Think about it - who is your confirmation saint? What saint are you named after? They are there to assist, as are all the saints. They have been here on earth, they know what life is all about. They share our joys and sorrows and want to help us make it to heaven. That's what graced friendship does, calls you to heaven. Calls you to a deeper faith and love of Jesus.
Yesterday I was paid a very great compliment when someone requested 20 copies of one of my books. I was greatly honored and humbled and I shared that news with a graced friend and she was genuinely happy for me and shared in my excitement - which is just another attribute of a graced friendship.
2 comments:
I was there when Fr. was talking about Graced Friendships and I too was touched by that phrase and have been thinking a lot about it. It has also called me to thank the my Lord for all the Graced Friendships I have experience over the years and still am blessed with today. God is so good.
Graced friendships are also "spiritual candies". I think that's another blogpost though! :)
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