Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you:  love one another.

Jesus laid down his life for us, not just as our Savior, but also as our truest friend. It is hard to imagine God being our friend and yet Jesus sacrificed himself for us and is always with us in good times and bad. He loves us with everything he is and his greatest commandment asks us to love God and others with all that we are. Even more astounding is the fact that he chose us to be his friends, disciples, and beloved ones. All he asks in return is that we share his infinite love with those around us and bear abundant fruit that will remain always. We should be honored, humbled, and grateful for this joyous truth: Jesus is our friend, our beginning and our end.

Do we act like Jesus is our friend? Do we treat his teachings as coming from someone who truly loves us? What can we do to imitate his love?

O Lord, you chose us to be your friends, give us the graces we need to bear much fruit.

Amen.