Anne Walsh: Friendship in the Gospels
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Mary, Martha, and Jesus
Jesus seems to take the difference between the attitudes of the two sisters all in stride. He knows them well. He takes each one where she is, as she is. And that’s the first lesson on friendship that I draw from this Gospel story. Being a friend means accepting the other person as they are, where they are, and not trying to change them.
Peter, Andrew, James, and John
Andrew and Simon, James and John knew how and where to catch fish-- and Jesus sensed that they would take the bait and accept his challenge, that they had the skills of reading the signs and of storytelling, of working as interdependent crews, that would make them fishers of people—evangelists.
Jesus and John
John leaned on Jesus’ breast to comfort Him during the last supper. He was the only disciple who didn’t desert Jesus at the trial before Pilate, and at the foot of the Cross. John was so loved by His Master that Jesus entrusted His aging mother into John’s care. John was there when it really mattered. Friends are like that.
Mary and Elizabeth
Every family needs support. And it doesn’t matter what your family looks like—whether it has one parent involved, or two, whether there are two children or six or none at all, whether there are birth parents or foster or adoptive parents, or any other configuration—every family needs support.
Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and Jesus
Sometimes, in any friendship, we get into patterns of relating, and acting in expected ways, just because that’s the way we’ve always done things. Sometimes, it’s great to know that we can rely on friends to act in expected ways—there’s a comfort in that. But sometimes, we need to let our friends out of the boxes into which we’ve placed them. We need to allow our friends to surprise us—or to surprise themselves!
Meet Dr. Anne Walsh, D.Min
Anne Walsh is a native of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, a Master’s in Religious Education, a Diploma in Fine Arts, a Canadian Certificate in Youth Ministry Studies and a Doctor of Ministry degree.
Anne has worked in classroom teaching and teacher training and program support, Campus Ministry, Youth Ministry in Canada, the US and Ireland, and in Religious Education and Adult Faith Formation at the School Board, Parish and Diocesan levels. She has served on the Advisory Committee for Adult Faith Formation for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) since 2001, and was the principal writer for On Good Soil, the Canadian Bishops’ document on Adult Faith Formation. Anne is Chair of the Association of Canadian Catholic Association for Adult Faith Formation.
Anne is a Lay Missionary of the Most Holy Redeemer. She is the Coordinator for Partnership in Mission for the Redemptorists of North America, and is a member of the Redemptorist Adult Faith Formation Team for the Province of Canada, as well as Chair of the Redemptorist General Commission for Partnership in Mission, serving in the Office of Partnership in Mission for the CSsR, and a member of the Redemptorist General Secretariat for Evangelization.