****** SPIRITUAL GPS *****
It’s
an old religious song, sung at many a tent meetings and revival meetings, but
it has a
lot of truth in it. For those who do not have the recourse to the
sacramental system as we Catholics do, it is their last hope at times when in
trouble. Of course we pray to God and know that He will be there to help
us but we too rely on our friends to help us over the hump in our troubled
lives, along with the graces given to us in the sacraments and prayers to the
Blessed Mother.
As the song says, we have a friend in Jesus and for some that is a wonderful solution to our cares, but we cannot discount the help that our friends give us in our time of need. There is something more tangible when a fellow human has empathy with what is going on in our lives and tries to be there when they are needed. As some say, that is what friendship is all about.
I guess I was brought up in a totally German bloodline that valued friendship as something that was there for life - a friend in need is a friend indeed is the old saying. This is something we have to keep in mind in our Legion work – friends we work with in getting them back to God should be friends for life. We cannot turn them on and off. That is not fair to them and I am sure that is not what Jesus does with our friendship with Him. Heaven knows there are times when he could say He is tired of working with us and taking care of us – but HE IS JESUS and we expect it from Him.
Now, since we are representatives of Jesus to all, we should also do that in our lives. Often times we outgrow friendships that are years in the making in our Legion work either making new friendships or just getting tired of the old ones. We would be in a heck of mess if our Lord did that to us. We cannot do that to our Legion problems or to any other friendship we happen to have. Jesus’s friendship for us is for our lives and we may not need them but maybe they still need us as Legion cases will need us until time comes when we can close the book on their lives. Until that time, they are there needing us and hoping we will respond to that need just as Jesus does.
© Fr. Lou Schangen 2014
As the song says, we have a friend in Jesus and for some that is a wonderful solution to our cares, but we cannot discount the help that our friends give us in our time of need. There is something more tangible when a fellow human has empathy with what is going on in our lives and tries to be there when they are needed. As some say, that is what friendship is all about.
I guess I was brought up in a totally German bloodline that valued friendship as something that was there for life - a friend in need is a friend indeed is the old saying. This is something we have to keep in mind in our Legion work – friends we work with in getting them back to God should be friends for life. We cannot turn them on and off. That is not fair to them and I am sure that is not what Jesus does with our friendship with Him. Heaven knows there are times when he could say He is tired of working with us and taking care of us – but HE IS JESUS and we expect it from Him.
Now, since we are representatives of Jesus to all, we should also do that in our lives. Often times we outgrow friendships that are years in the making in our Legion work either making new friendships or just getting tired of the old ones. We would be in a heck of mess if our Lord did that to us. We cannot do that to our Legion problems or to any other friendship we happen to have. Jesus’s friendship for us is for our lives and we may not need them but maybe they still need us as Legion cases will need us until time comes when we can close the book on their lives. Until that time, they are there needing us and hoping we will respond to that need just as Jesus does.
© Fr. Lou Schangen 2014