Archbishop encourages friendship at annual Eighth Grade Mass

Friends are important to eighth-graders, and they’re important to Archbishop Michael G. McGovern, too.

At the Jan. 29 Eighth Grade Mass at St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha, the archbishop spoke about friendship to a cathedral packed with nearly a thousand Omaha-area eighth-graders. The Mass is a decades-old tradition during Catholic Schools Week in the archdiocese, drawing students from more than 25 Catholic schools.

Archbishop McGovern chose “Vos Autem Dixi Amicos,” as his episcopal motto, echoing Jesus’ words in the Gospel of St. John, “But I have called you friends.”

“Isn’t it something to think that Jesus Christ, Redeemer of the World, said ‘I’m calling you friend’? That’s incredible,” the archbishop said in his homily.

“Jesus Christ is the truest best friend any of us can ever have,” he said, “and it’s because of that friendship that we can experience peace and joy. We can experience a sense of hope in our lives even when times are difficult.”

The archbishop called on the eighth-graders to maintain a friendship with Jesus – drawing closer to Him through prayer, Scripture and the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation – and to be friends with each other, too.

Archbishop McGovern shared some of Pope Francis’ thoughts on friendship, from a message the late pope gave to youth:

“Friendship is one of life’s gifts and a grace from God. Through our friends, the Lord refines us and leads us to maturity. Faithful friends, who stand at our side in times of difficulty, are also a reflection of the Lord’s love, His gentle and consoling presence in our lives.

“The experience of friendship teaches us to be open, understanding and caring towards others, to come out of our own comfortable isolation and to share our lives with others. For this reason, ‘there is nothing so precious as a faithful friend’ (Sir 6:15).”

The archbishop said his prayer for the eighth-graders is that the “Holy Spirit helps us to become good friends, true friends, loving friends, caring friends, forgiving friends.”

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