The Love of Friends

“When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Child, your sins are forgiven.’” (Mark 2:1-5)

I have been praying the gospels, a practice one of the women from the Prayer Ministry at St. Ann’s, taught me. It is amazing how each time I do this God reveals some truth to me and I am drawn closer to him. I love this gospel story because it not only speaks about the faith of the paralytic but also of the great faith that his friends had. It also speaks of the great love these men had for one another. As I prepared to give a witness at my parish on Monday, I looked back on all the healing God has done in my life especially these past 8 years. I recalled all the wonderful people he has brought into my life especially the love and friendship of the women I met on my Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) weekend. I have come to realize how important it is to have friends that share our same faith and love for the Lord. We are called to help one another on this faith journey. Sometimes our friends have to carry us to Jesus, just as they did the paralytic, because we are so broken. And sometimes we have to carry our friends.

We aren’t meant to walk this journey alone. I know how difficult it is to open up to others, to make myself vulnerable, but this is what we must do in order to have a relationship with one another. And it is only through this vulnerability that we are able to love. Friendships require a mutual exchange of love, it can never be one sided. The other thing I found difficult to do was to receive love. For me it is so much easier to give of myself than to receive help from others. But I have had to learn to accept the love and support that my friends offer to me. They can’t help me get closer to our Lord if I am unwilling to receive their love for me.