Dear Saints,

A few years ago, an interesting study identified three hallmarks of a true and lasting friendship. The first is time. Time is one of our most valuable treasures, not only because it's limited but also because we can never get it back. To spend time with another is to make a true investment. The second hallmark is vulnerability - that is, the willingness to let another person know us as we really are. True friendship demands trust, and that in turn requires us to share our struggles, weaknesses, and even those things that could potentially be used against us. We cannot truly love another person while keeping ourselves safely guarded.

The third hallmark is the most unexpected: true friends eagerly make connections for one another. For example, when they know someone else who shares a passion with a friend, they make an introduction. In other words, friends always want to expand the circle for the good of their beloved.

Sainthood - that is, friendship with God - bears these same marks. God gives us his time, not because he needs anything from us but because he desires to be with us. He invites us to vulnerability, asking that we bring him our whole selves: fears, failures, hopes, and weaknesses. And God constantly seeks to connect us with others who will lead us closer to true joy.

As saints, our happy task is to allow our friendship with God to become real and transformative, and so find authentic relationship no human study could hope to measure.

Christ’s Peace,

Father Daniel

δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ