Devotion 

How Do You Choose Your Friends?

Frances Taylor 

How do we choose our friends? This week's gospel is about this question as much as it is about humility. I'm sure that when we make up an invitation list for a party or other special event we consider a lot of things, but Jesus is trying to tell us something important in this week's gospel that goes beyond just who we invite, he is also telling us to consider some things about ourselves. This can apply to all age groups!

Our children will learn from us and sometimes we need to learn from our children. Are there people we don't include in our circle of friends because of what other people might think? Perhaps people who are of another race, those who earn less money, people whose educational level is not the same as ours? I know that weddings can often be a bone of contention in families because someone feels the need to invite "the boss" or other people of influence even though there has never been any social interaction before. There are parents who don't want their children to befriend other children for some of the reasons mentioned above. Perhaps you know of someone whose relatives or acquaintances become overly friendly when they get a pool, or a vacation home at the Cape or in the mountains.

Jesus is trying to tell us that using people for whatever reason is wrong. Whether we surround ourselves with people of "higher status" or those we consider less than ourselves for the purpose of making ourselves look better is using them. Jesus speaks of the need for humility. Humility is a virtue that I have mentioned before and comes from the same root word as the word for earth. If we are grounded in the fact that we are made in the image and likeness of God, then we have no need to either put ourselves down, or try to life ourselves up. We will also recognize the fact that others are also made in God's image and we will treat them as the images of God that they are.

Prayer 

Lord, teach us to be humble as your Son, Jesus, was humble. May we be more generous and open our hearts to all your people. Amen.