The Ultimate Friend

By Luciana Ballesteros-Heras

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the King of kings, so across the planet He has many houses called churches, which to me are very healing. My family and I often visit Jesus in our community’s church for the Sunday celebration also known as Mass. It brings me much peace there because the holy church is the closest place on Earth to Heaven, and it is as if you were embracing the mighty King Himself. This holy ceremony is my favorite time and place to worship and glorify the Lord by recalling His word, singing verses of praise, and asking for forgiveness for the dreadful sins I have committed. Jesus’ apostles, who are also named priests or pastors, give exquisite sermons, explaining the true meaning behind the beautiful verses and stories in the Bible, and I listen to them intently. During the Glory, a hymn sung to give praise and glory to Him, a party of angels and saints surround the Church, joyously singing along as an exceptional choir. I can nearly envision God, Jesus, and Mother Mary regally perched upon their ornate thrones, just hovering above the crowd of passionate followers while the lively chorus of the Glory plays on so melodically from both the heavenly and earthly choir. Towards the end of the Mass, the celebrating priest distributes the Eucharist, which is my overall favorite part since I, along with the community, receive the body and blood of Christ. It is such a consoling place in the House of the Lord.

Although Jesus teaches me much about holiness, virtue, and devotion, the most admirable and gracious deed He ever did for me was to suffer through His somber passion, also known as His death. Although He dreaded death and pain as much as any human, Jesus knew that someday He would have to sacrifice Himself to free all humanity to the wonders and glories that reside in Heaven. Firstly, He was condemned to death by Pontious Pilate after being seized by the Roman soldiers in an olive tree garden. The soldiers had every doubt that Jesus was truly our King, so they mocked Jesus abusively, whipped His back until the skin had been entirely dispersed, and finally, they placed a scarring crown of the thorns upon His head, sarcastically declaring that He deserved the kingly crown. Despite His unimaginable pain Jesus diligently took up His cross, which would be used to perform His crucifixion, without complaint because He knew that all this suffering was necessary to open the golden gates of Heaven for us humans, who will return to the paradise when we pass on from this world. Falling three times along the way, He hauled His cross to a skull-shaped hill called Golgotha where He was then crucified alongside two other thieves. That Friday evening His loving followers journeyed to Golgotha, carefully took Jesus down from the cross, wrapped His cold, dead body in a white, linen cloth, buried him in a nearby tomb, and wept over the loss of their beloved Friend. The next Sunday, now renowned as Easter Sunday, two of Jesus’s most amicable companions came to visit Him in the tomb, but when they arrived the cave was completely empty inside except for a wise angel, who explained to the worried disciples that Jesus was neither stolen nor dead but resurrected into Heaven and seated at the right hand of God, His Father. Certainly, after enduring His sorrowful passion, which I could have written on about if I had another paragraph or two, for the sake of all human beings, Jesus Christ should be named and renowned above anyone or anything else as the ultimate Friend.