“I have called you friends.” John 15
When we go the Catechism of the Catholic Church or devote ourselves to discussions of the spiritual life or even do Bible study, we often run into big words like “redemption,” “justification,” and “salvation.” “Friendship” does not figure nearly as prominently, nor get mentioned as often. “Friendship,” sadly, gets relegated to the secular realm or our human-to-human relationships only. Yet, what are we supposed to do with a quote like the one above from John 15? Jesus’ words show that we need to reclaim “friendship” when we talk about our love for the Lord and His love for us. After all, for Jesus, friendship is the ultimate relationship with God and one another.
One of the most common verbs for “love” in the Greek language is phileō (and the Greek word for friend, philos, comes from this verb). In the New Testament, a “friend” is immediately understood as “one who loves.” So, what Jesus calls us to is: to walk the journey of faith together, by the grace of God and as friends, looking always to the interests of others for the sake of the common good.
What distinguishes Jesus’ call to us in John 15 is the fact that He did not merely talk about laying down His life for His friends. He acted, He led by example, He quite literally did lay down His life for His friends. Are we ready to follow His lead? Are we willing to sacrifice in big or small ways? Do we trust that loving God more fully will help us love one another more fully? Do we trust that loving others more fully will help us love God more fully?
Let us pray. “Lord Jesus, you loved your friends and demonstrated acceptance, encouragement, a willing self-sacrifice, and intimacy of mind and heart. Thank you for the friends you have given us. Help us by the example of your friendship and inspire us to love you with all of heart, mind, and soul; and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Amen.”
