Happy Companionship

"God sends us friends to be our firm support in the whirlpool of the struggle. In the company of friends we will find strength to attain our sublime ideal."

St. Maximilian Kolbe

Relationships are good, so long as they are grounded in the Lord. Companionship is a gift from God, to be able to share the thoughts of one's heart with another person and to draw closer to Jesus Christ. Good friends are truly a treasure, and God grants noble friends to those whom it pleases Him to do so. We must ask the Lord with a holy and humble spirit, to send us friends after His own Heart. The Lord Himself said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8). There are many types of relationships, but any good relationship is based on a loyal friendship.

The human heart has an unquenchable desire to be loved, but it can only be satisfied by the love of God. Many hearts go in search of relationships in order that they may be satisfied. This thirst for love in anyone, save God, could never suffice, not even in holy marriages. Why is this? This is because God has so created the human heart that anything less than God simply cannot fill and satisfy the heart. God Alone can satisfy the human heart, and no relationship, no matter how noble, could ever suffice. Although human beings do not have the capacity to love another as wholly and perfectly as God does, God desires people to cultivate and nurture relationships that are grounded in Him. God Himself said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him." Genesis 2:18

God's initial desire and intent for humanity was to create a family to live with Him for all eternity in eternal happiness. Family is at the Heart of God. He so desired the friendship of another, although He is perfect in Himself and has no need of anyone to make Him happy, that He created the human person to love and to be loved. This desire of companionship that the human person embodies, is a reflection of Him Who first desired companionship with us. It is natural to desire friendships, for this is how Our Good Lord made us. However, as soon as God is removed from a friendship, or He is put on a lower rung, evil and sin are the fruits that are produced, albeit rotten fruit. This is so prevalent in society, where friendships are actually the cause of so much sin because they are not grounded in the Lord. A genuine desire for holiness and a sincere desire to love God on the part of the other person, is key for a healthy and fruitful friendship. Sadly, there are not many people that embody these noble desires, yet there are more than perhaps initially thought.

"There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship."

St. Thomas Aquinas

A priest had told me once in confession that by reciting the Holy Rosary, the Blessed Mother sends the faithful good friends. God honors those who strive to follow in His ways. The Blessed Mother, with devotion to her Holy Rosary, obtains countless favors and graces. She is the perfect mother, and what mother does not want her children to have good and healthy relationships? Let us entreat Our Lady by praying the Rosary, that we may honor her and serve God by our friendships.

St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us.