Brothers and sisters in Christ, in the Holy Gospel today, our Lord Jesus invites us to a completely new relationship with him: an everlasting friendship, a one similar to what He had with His disciples.

Do we still really feel the importance of this invitation? Or are we able to hold on to what our Lord Jesus is offering us here? The purpose of our Lord Jesus taking an earthly ministry of a divine purpose is to introduce His loving Father to us. Not just to introduce but to help us build the same relationship with the Father to the same level He had with the Father. He became the best friend of His disciples and brought Heavenly Joy into their relationship with Him as confirmed in John 15:11, I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.

In today’s world, the challenges that we are facing are perhaps suppressing the importance of this heavenly invitation. We have our daily jobs, chores, responsibilities, commitments, expectations from one end. On the other end, sailing through life is not as smooth as what we want it to be. Sicknesses, frustrations, disappointments, failures are often trying to distract us from our journey with the Lord. Often these distractions can quite be challenging so we easily give up and the relationship with our Lord becomes cold and distant. We become slaves to our own selves and without knowing it our problems and challenges taking precedence over us.

Our Lord Jesus reminds all of us through John 15:16 “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you”. Bearing fruit counts towards one’s endeavour to walk with God into eternal life. Our Lord needs us to bear fruit that remains in us. Loving one another as He did keeps us in Him. That is what enables us to share the divine friendship that is on offer. Are we ready to accept and makes him our best Friend?

Prayer: Abba Father, we pray that we are able to accept your son’s invitation to become a friend to Him and are able to bear fruit of divine inheritance so that we receive the eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen