My Catholic Friend

Recently, I was blessed to spend a part of my weekend with one of my good Catholic friends. I drove an hour and forty minutes to where he lives, and we hung out for approximately fifteen hours, just long enough for me to feel totally moved to write about this individual.
Friday night, I rode with him and a couple of his friends to a high school basketball game in a town about thirty minutes away, and during this car ride, and throughout the events following, I was completely surprised and humbled by the inspiring way in which my friend chooses to live his life. Allow me to paint a picture of my Catholic friend...

The first thing that caught my attention happened as we were leaving his house to head to the game. While getting into the car, I tuned into the conversation between the other two guys to hear my friend insist, "...yea, but we're listening to my music." So, as we made our way to the basketball game, discussing various topics ranging from soccer to college, The City Harmonic's "Mountain Top" and Chris Tomlin's "Amazing Grace" rang out in the background from the car stereo. What struck me from the whole experience was the casualness with which my friend inserted his faith into his world, never coming across as forceful or abrasive, but instead functioning as a gentle and quiet witness to what he knows to be truth. Sure, he could have put on 106.1 and we could have been jamming to "Wrecking Ball" and "Blurred Lines," but instead he allowed praise and worship to our God to flow through the car, navigating us towards the path of holiness.

The second situation in which I found myself in awe of my friend occurred after we arrived at the basketball gym. Upon entering the arena, I realized that I had left my wallet in my car back at his house. However, before I even had the chance to tell my friend that I didn't have any money, he turned to me and said he had me covered. Then later, he paid for my stack of pancakes and a glass of chocolate milk at IHOP. I suppose any nice person would have offered to do the same, especially after knowing that I had left my wallet, but my friend's natural tendency towards kindness and hospitality astounds me and leaves me wishing for the development of the same good habits in my own life.

The rest of the night proceeded ordinarily, and before we knew it, we were walking outside to my jeep, preparing for my drive back home. We exchanged words of goodbye, and then I got in my car and headed home, panged with the familiar sadness which often accompanies the departure of friends. About twenty minutes out, I mentally replayed the moment that I left and thought back on what my friend's last words to me had been before I got into my jeep and drove away. Instead of just saying "goodbye" or "see ya soon," my friend said this to me, "Hey, text me when you get home," to which I sarcastically replied, "Ok mom," and before I closed the door to the jeep he said, "yea, yea, I just want to make sure you get home safe."
Twenty minutes later, while pondering on what would happen if one of us were to die before we saw each other again, these were the words that came to my mind.
To me, these words epitomize exactly what it means to be a Catholic friend: to truly, unashamedly, love someone so much, that you take care to make sure they arrive home safely.
In this world, we spend most of our time either sleeping or interacting with other humans, loving, helping, playing, serving, praying, talking, but in the end, a friend is the one who desires that you make it home to heaven, and will do whatever it takes to get you there.

Dear friend, I know that you are not perfect and that sometimes you doubt your uniqueness and beautiful worth, but I write to let you know that God has put you in my life as a blessing, and I write so others may see the beauty of God in the same way it has been revealed to me this weekend. Tonight I pray that I may grow as witness in the ways I have seen you witness to your friends, that I may grow in hospitality and generosity as you have shown me in the simplest of gestures, and that I may grow as a friend and brother to those around me, that I may share the love of God, the very same love which you have shown me. Brother, I look forward with great excitement to the day I will be with you and all our brothers and sisters in Heaven, praising God for all eternity.

"For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you."
Philemon 1