Faith Friends (06/19/2025)

Yesterday I had lunch with my faith friends. We were brought together through faith, through group scripture study, through loving invitation. We come from different backgrounds, but somehow the LORD uses our time together to highlight what we share. And we love to chat about our lives lived in faith with one another. The LORD brought us together, so we know our relationship is blessed. And we look forward to our exchanges, our lunches with conversation and sharing.

When we get together, we inquire about one another, we catch up on one another’s lives, and we talk about our faith, about scripture. It is a blessing to have the opportunity to share faith with others, to share the struggles as well as the victories, to mull questions over with others who care about us.

As I was driving home, I thought about the blessings I receive when I get together with my faith friends, when I gather with the scripture study group, when I am blessed to be with the women of the parish preparing meals for the community. It is a blessing to share the journey with others who also share our faith, our hope, our love for the LORD and what that looks like in our lives and how that love sends us forth to spend that love with and on others. Those whom we love shape who we become. I learned that from St. Clare of Assisi. She understood the value of faith friends. She was St. Francis’ closest friend and together they discovered “the Way” the LORD had set before them.

As we continue on our journeys of faith, buoyed by hope in the LORD’s promise and how that materializes often in the presence of others who share “the Way” with us, and fueled by the love for our LORD, may we take time to share with faith friends, with individuals with whom we can raise our questions, voice our hopes, and grow in our resolve. Let us remember every step along “the Way” that our job this side of the sod is to become…become the daughters and sons the LORD created us to be…become the disciples Christ calls us to be…become the instruments of the LORD on earth that the Spirit gifts us and guides to be.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.