Chosen by God to be Part of His Intimate Circle, the Trinity

“I shall not call you servants anymore, because servants do not know what their master is about. Instead I have called you friends, since I have made known to you everything I learned from my Father” (John 15: 9-17).  

Imagine being a servant in the Whitehouse. You are one of the waitresses/waiters at the elaborate dinner served to special guests/friends of the first family.  Or you are a domestic servant  and you observe the First Family have close friends over to celebrate one of their children’s birthday.  You watch the interactions in awe of the relationship the President and First Lady have with each of their guests. You are not privileged to be a part of the intimacy that exist among their close friends. Oh, how you would love to be, not a servant, but a friend.

Switch now to today’s Gospel.  You and I are not servants but friends of Jesus, of the Trinity. “I have chosen you,” to be my disciples and my friends, one with us in holiness and truth, in love and forgiveness, in justice and generosity to the poor and needy.   “Everything “ , Jesus says to us, “that I have  learned from the Father  shares with you” (cf Jn 15: 9-17).   So why might so many people not experience this friendship, this intimacy with the Lord, with the Trinity, with God?  Like any other relationship, becoming close friends is not magic or automatic. Lots of time is spent with a close friend. Lots of conversation occurs between friends. A friend wants to know everything about his/her friend. So, when this does not happen between us and the Lord, why is that? I might ask myself: Am I taking time to get to know the Lord (He already knows us intimately)? Do I read about Jesus in the Gospels? Do I take the opportunity my parish offers me to study the Scriptures? Do I take time to gaze upon the Lord in love and let the Lord gaze upon me, as wives and husbands enjoy gazing upon one another in this way? Do I take time to show God love by loving, caring about, supporting others—again, husbands and wives do loving things for one another?

Yes, it is my choice to develop this relationship. God stands at the door knocking. Will I open to Him today?