You've Got a Friend in Me

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

St. Thomas Aquinas

I came across the above quote on Twitter the other day.  My first reaction was, "well, of course that is true." And I found that I was not alone in my reaction as I received some quick feedback from a few people when I re-posted the quote on Facebook.  

Then it hit me. Per usual with St. Thomas there is more to this quote than meets the eye.  

From a secular point of view a "true" friend would be someone who "has my back."  Someone who would be on "my side" when needed.  Someone who is loyal "to me." (I would often hear this from my students when asked to define "friend." They would also say that a "true" friend would "tell me what I want to hear," "not snitch on me," "not tell me if was doing something wrong," etc.)  But true friendship from Aquinas' point of view, the Christian point of view, is different.

First and foremost a true friend would...well...stand for the truth in charity or love.  St. Paul gives us the standard for this in 1 Corinthians: "Love is patent, love is kind.....it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth." (1 Cor 13: 4,6)  

A true friend knows truth and, out of love, wants that truth to be manifested in my life as a friend.  This is especially true when I might be wrong.  A true friend would not "have my back" in such a situation, but, anchored in love, would tell me the truth in order that I might find my way back towards Truth.

A true friend sacrifices for the sake of the other. Such a person does not keep score for better or worse.  Could you imagine if my best friend (that would be my wife) kept score in our marriage (for the record I would be not doing well I am sure)?  Such score-keeping would undermine our relationship as each person would be waiting for the other to "catch up" and "even the score."  St. Paul speaks to this as well, "It does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury." (1 Cor 13: 5). The true friend continues to give - to love - to call the other to the truth.  In fact, the true friend forgives first and then challenges the other to right the wrong and helps them to do so (to often, in our "litigious" society we demand the apology and restitution before even considering the possibility of forgiveness - "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.").

A true friend "never fails."  The problem with this piece is that all of us fail.  We all sin at the expense of the others in our lives due to concupiscence.  Hence, in the end there is only one "true" friend who is the standard for all friendships: Jesus Christ. "There is nothing on this earth more to be prized" than a true friendship with our Savior.  Ultimately a friendship with Christ becomes the standard and the source of grace for all other friendships.  

I am becoming more convinced every day that this is the fundamental problem with so many in our world today.  They lack an authentic friendship with Jesus (please note that I am not referring to the caricature of Jesus that has been created over the years - I am speaking of the Savior of the world who is the Way, the Truth and Life; Who suffered and died for all of humanity for all time; Who pours Himself out to the world through the Sacraments - especially the Eucharist; Who called sin a sin, forgave and said "sin no more." That is the Jesus I am speaking of). 

Those of us who strive to know, love and follow Jesus are obligated to befriend others as He befriends us.  This is true friendship.  And there is nothing on earth which is more prized.

by Michael Lavigne

Cata-Whatsit?

Let’s face it: Catholicism isn’t always easy to understand. From Scripture to the Sacraments, and social teaching to doctrine, it sometimes seems like an impossibly daunting task to decipher the truths of even the most basic cornerstones of our faith. There are literally thousands of texts floating around about Catholicism, and figuring out whom and what to trust can be overwhelming. But for a true Catholic, apathy is not an option. The tools for understanding your faith are available to you – all you need to do is be willing to look. If you truly want to understand and embrace your faith, here are two places to start.

The Bible

In many homes, the Bible is known for being that large, ungainly book that sits on a corner table, doing an exceptional job of collecting dust. If you really mean to embrace your faith, however, the first step is to crack it open - regularly. Even if you feel like you remember most of the stories from Sunday school or your own reading, don’t let that fool you. There is always something more to be learned from God’s Word to us – don’t miss out!

The initial challenge is finding a Catholic translation of the Bible. There are literally dozens of translations on bookshelves – and a majority of them are not Catholic. Why is this important? To put it simply, other versions of the Bible are incomplete. The Catholic Bible contains 7 canonical books that other translations do not (they were removed after the Protestant Reformation). Catholic translations available are: the Revised Standard Version, the New Revised Standard Version, and the New American Bible.

Scripture is the bedrock of our Catholic faith - but as we all know, sometimes it can be more of a challenge than a joy to read and understand. That’s where a Catholic Study Bible comes in. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible is the most recent such text, and is considered by many to be the best available for Catholics. Study Bibles are designed to present and contextualize Scripture for us, making it that much easier to embrace God’s Word. 

For a little more information on translations of the Bible.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Throughout its history, the Church has issued documents designed to present the doctrines of the faith to believers. Most well known among these in the past was the Baltimore Catechism, in use from 1885 until the early 1990’s. In 1992, Blessed Pope John Paul II approved the issuance of a new Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is still used today.

So where did this Catechism come from, and why should we rely on it? For starters, the new Catechism was nearly ten years in the making – it was no rush job. In 1985, Blessed Pope John Paul II convened a commission of Cardinals and Bishops to begin compiling a new document of Catholic doctrine (Incidentally, the head of that Commission was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – now Pope Benedict XVI). In 1989, the Commission sent out the first draft of the document to every bishop in the Church for their feedback and suggestions. In 1992, the Pope approved the final version of the text, and by 1994 it was in worldwide circulation. It is literally a compendium of the universal faith of the Church, not just the opinions of a chosen few.

The Pope stated that the Catechism "is given to serve as a sure and authentic source book for the teaching of Catholic doctrine." It isn’t necessarily meant to be read from cover to cover, so don’t let the size daunt you. It is designed to concisely present every aspect of Catholic doctrine, in a format that is easy to break down and understand. It’s an invaluable resource for any Catholic.

By Matt Hurd

Matt Hurd is a summer intern for the Office of Lifelong Faith Formation in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. He is currently a junior theology major at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire and is interested in pursuing youth ministry work as a career.