Making friends can be an obstacle that some people have to conquer. People who are usually shy or not confident in themselves often find themselves in a tough spot. Low self-image and self-esteem can be major factors whenever one tries to reach out to the other. There are always a bunch of insecurities we carry whenever we attend various social gatherings. However, our insecurities are only externalities; what matters most is our self-identity as baptized Christians: “I am a child of God.”
Getting in touch with our primary identity as a child of God allows us to be more confident with our skin, behavior, and ourselves. This empowers us to go beyond our comfort zone, away from shyness and the fear of embarrassment, for we are expressing and sharing our God-given gifts and talents with others. Doing anything, even making friends, as a child of God will give us the confidence to socialize with a group of people.
Through this prayer, we ask for the grace of greater awareness and sensitivity of our identity as a child of God. Rooting from this confidence, we may become bolder in living life to the fullest, even in making friends and further expanding our circles of interest.
Prayer to make friends
O Christ Jesus,
The only begotten Son of God, allow me to gain confidence from you that I may be able to make new friends. I long to expand my horizons in life as I continue to meet new perspectives. In sharing our views, hobbies, favorites, and the things we enjoy, we may be able to live life to the full under the warmth of your presence.
I am aware of my infirmities, Lord Jesus Christ. They have paralyzed and confined me within the towering walls of my insecurities. I often compare myself to others and see what I lack. In my envy, I often speak ill of my neighbor in trying to place them in a bad light. I have become spiteful of others, and the sin of anger and pride seeped into my heart like poison. I frequently forget the gifts that you have entrusted to me. Its luster is smeared in bitterness. Its vigor is drained in frustration. Its goodness is lost in the darkness of my heart. From the brokenness of my spirit, I hope to rise from its ruins and see myself more clearly in your light. Cleanse my heart from what contaminates it and burdens my spirit.
Being a true friend to anyone you meet, my dear Jesus, please make my heart like yours. May I also be welcoming to my co-journeyers along the way. May I be confident in meeting new people in my life. May I become a genuine friend and companion in my relationships. Let my true self overcome the shadows of my insecurities. May my efforts to make new friends allow me to live my life fully as a happy child of God.
Amen.
Short prayer to make friends
O Jesus, a true friend and companion, help me to find like-minded friends. Make my heart and spirit like yours as I meet and make new friends wherever I go. Amen.
Word of God
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing, but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.
John 15: 12-15 NRSVUE
Prayer to Saint Philip of Neri in fostering friendships
O cheerful Saint Philip of Neri, you became a warm light to those you met. Growing up under the care and guidance of your family, you developed a genuine relationship with the people around you and between you and God. You exuded a shining example of piety and devotion in reciting the psalms and hearing God’s Word. Where you were placed, you excelled and bore the fruits of your efforts.
Following God’s call in your life, you began your pilgrimage to Rome. Being led by the Spirit in your journeys, you met and made friends along the way. They welcomed you into their homes and fostered a friendship worthy of the graces of heaven. Your kind and tender spirit radiated the face of Christ and made His unconditional love known to your friends. Your cheerfulness showed joy in following the footsteps of Christ.
I pray that my heart be transformed and expanded and welcome the people in my life as I foster my friendships. I also seek the patronage of the Holy Spirit to lead me through the long and winding roads of this journey called life. Through the friends I meet, we may accompany one another, guide one another, and bring one another closer to our heavenly union with the Father.
Saint Philip of Neri, pray for us. Amen.
Further reflection
Fostering new friendships with the people we meet can be daunting for some. But it should not be. We should allow the seeds of friendship to sprout naturally. Building relationships always takes time, and it cannot be forced. The Spirit which lingers among relationships stirs each other’s hearts into opening towards one another.
Allowing others to be a part of our lives gives us a greater and more profound sense of ourselves and our identity as a child of God. We cannot live on our own. We need companions to be with us. Even when we feel that we don’t want nor welcome anyone into our lives, He will continuously send someone who will extend His heavenly concern and affection for us. We have read about the many times when the Israelites were unfaithful to God, ungrateful, and even despising Him. Yet, God was faithful to His covenant with them: They will be His chosen people, and He will be their God.
The life of Jesus in the gospels showed us a clear example of making friends. It is through invitation. As Jesus departed Nazareth to proclaim the Word to the Israelites, he made friends throughout his journeys. He formed the apostles, who became his inner circle. As a result, he had a multitude of followers who would patiently walk and listen to him along the way. He made friends with the rich and the poor, the sick and the able, the weak and the strong, and the saint and the sinner. Jesus opened His doors to everyone and knocked on their hearts. He invited them to be with Him, for they were given a chance to have a taste of heaven through His unending charity and joyful following to the will of God, like a true son of the Father.
