Divine and human friendship

By living in friendship with God, which is the first friendship we must cultivate and develop, you will learn to make many true friends.⁴⁹ The work which God has done and continues to do for us, to keep us in his friendship, is the same work that he wants to do for many other souls, using us as his instruments.

Friendship is a human value and a means of apostolate.

My children, I have already told you that I believe in human friendship: amico fideli, nulla est comparatio (Sir 6:15) – there is nothing comparable to a faithful friend. Friendship is a treasure we must appreciate for its great human value, and must also use as a means to bring souls to God.

I honestly feel that I am a friend to everyone, and you must feel the same way, because we seek the good of all souls without exception. Even though someone is very far from God, even though they may show great animosity, we must think with St Augustine that “we should not despair of their conversion, because even among those who are openly opposed to us, there are some people who are predestined to be our friends, even though they themselves don’t realise it.”⁵⁰