Faithful Friends

     "Tell me your testimony."

   Before I really started getting involved in my faith life, I didn’t have stellar friends. Instead of asking me about my week, they would ask me for homework answers. The friends in my classes made me feel strange. I can remember praying during the moment of silence and when I opened my eyes everyone would be staring at me. I would say Grace in the cafeteria, and they would stare at me while chatting with each other (honestly, they were probably talking about the homework assignments I didn’t give them the answers to). They did not give me the best mindset because I felt strange whenever I prayed in front of them.

     However, Catholicism was imperative at the end of my senior year. My mom was sick in the hospital and I wanted to pray. I would pray during the moment of silence that she could come home. We could celebrate my graduation and her healing as a family. I would say Grace in the cafeteria before eating the leftovers of the dinner from the previous night. Several of my mom’s friends brought dinner for my dad, sisters, and me when she was in the hospital. As a matter of fact, some of those women were in her Bible study.

     Even though I was not in a Bible study like her, I interacted with God during the prayers of petition at Mass. The lectors always mentioned my mom’s name when they offered up prayers to the sick. I also interacted with God by obtaining the Eucharist at the hospital from the priest who worked there. He was so kind and my parents enjoyed talking to him. I couldn’t imagine working there nor seeing what he saw during his shifts.

     The hospital my mom was at was 30 minutes away. When I went to see her a few times, I was astounded. Her room was covered in balloons and flowers. There were cards, magazines, books, and gift bags on all of the tables. It was even more amazing that some of her friends would be sitting with her when I showed up. I saw my mom smile and laugh in her hospital bed while she talked to them.
Later I would’ve asked what was funny, but I was busy acknowledging that my prayers were answered: my mom was released from the hospital. My sisters and I decorated the house before she got home so we could celebrate her healing (I’d say it looked almost as good as her hospital room). A few weeks later, the house was decorated again for my graduation party. I was honored that some of my mom’s friends came.
Since some of her friends came, it made me think about when my international relations teacher talked about friendship a few weeks earlier. He told us to determine our friendships after graduation. Because of seeing my mom’s friends at my party and the hospital several times, that was my God moment. I had to switch up my friendships. The friendship detox happened in the fall after graduation. Because of that, that fall was the most fun I had had in a long time. I did not follow, text, or meet up with specific people anymore.

     The summer before my second year of college, I was getting ready to transfer to UVA and I wanted to start making friends in the right setting. I signed up to join Catholic Hoos and was asked to join a “Small Group”. After the first meeting that year, I knew that I would be thankful for those friends. We didn’t ask each other for homework answers. We asked each other about our high, low, awkward, and God moments of the week.

     As for my mom’s friends, I text them often because I’ve formed friendships with them. Whenever they come over to visit my mom, I always snatch a moment to say hi. How could I not? They are “faithful friends” (as mentioned in the book of Sirach). Besides Catholic and motherly friends, I have non-Catholic friends and they respect me.

     Changing those friendships has impacted my faith life for the better because prayer isn’t ostracizing to me anymore. I’m not anxious when I see my friends. In my faith life now, I am at ease in my small group and enjoy talking about readings with my Catholic friends in and out of my bible study. The Lord has taught me that “The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Proverbs 12:26). I now interact with God by asking Him to help me choose my friends. Because of my mindset with the faithful friends that God has given me, my paths are straight. I don’t want to be led astray.

My name is Bella Binder, and I am a third year from Ashburn, Virginia. My hidden talent is hula hooping! I did it for show-and-tell in kindergarten and blew everybody’s minds. I got back into it over winter break. My favorite pastimes are practicing calligraphy and spending time with my friends.