Did You Know?

Did you know that one of the most extraordinary gifts that we receive in a life of faith is Friendship with God? This is an unthinkable concept in most religions, and in Judaism only a few of the greatest figures such as Abraham and Moses were deemed ‘friends of God.’ In the great ‘drawing near’ of God in the Incarnation, we are offered the unimaginable: friendship with God. JESUS says to His disciples: “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15) Many who have watched the portrayal of JESUS with His disciples in “The Chosen” have remarked on the obvious joy of friendship and warm interaction between them. For many, this was a new understanding of how approachable and welcoming our Lord was and is today! Consider the Lord’s invitation to YOU to walk with Him in life-giving friendship! Friendship – the love that friends have for one another – is indispensable in becoming a mature human person and indispensable in growing in our discipleship! Someone has said that we need five kinds of friends to grow all the way up to the stature of the maturity of Christ (Ephesians 4:15):1) We need prophet-friends, to shake us up and move us out of our comfort (stuck) zones; 2) we need cheerleader-friends, who encourage us and get us back up and into the game when life knocks us down; 3) we need laughing-friends, who can laugh with us and laugh at us to give us perspective and help us not to take ourselves more seriously than God!; 4) we need shoulder-friends with whom we can vent and cry; and 5) we need soul-friends, who pray with us and for us, who help us to remember Whose we are, and encourage (put new heart into) us on our life-journey! In our Lord JESUS we have such a Friend. And in the circle of His friends, (both the living and the saints), we will find true friendship and ourselves learn how to become true friends. Growing in friendship with God is the most important dynamic of a Christian’s life and truly shapes our personality. Are you growing in that friendship? Do you make time for that friendship? Is that friendship a priority in your life? You can look at Lent as an opportunity to answer those questions with a new or a re-newed “Yes!”

The Rite of Election was held last Sunday at the Cathedral - presided over Bishop Weisenburger, Archbishop - Designate of Detroit. Catechumens from St. Andrew’s along with over 800 catechumens and candidates filled the Cathedral - it was standing room only! Our Parish has 7 catechumens this year - Colton James, Justin Crouch, Jocelynn Moreno, Jackie Shabo, Jennifer Sherr, Yuhui Song, and Elizabeth Wisnieski! Remember and pray for them as they complete their Journey to the Easter Sacraments!