In our pursuit of a holy life, we inevitably face periods of confusion, emotional struggle, mistrust, doubt, and spiritual dryness. I encountered many such trials as an undergraduate when I was faced with the end of long-standing relationships, damaged by broken promises, suffered mental struggles, and tried to say no to sin when so many around me were saying yes.
In all these situations, it was no miracle or Pauline apotheosis that allowed me to persevere. It was the gift in front of me that Our Lord had given in His Divine Providence: my friends. Although I didn’t always realize it then, my faithful friends were direct examples of Jesus’ mercy and unconditional love at Mount St. Mary’s. They prayed for me at Holy Mass, taught me about spiritual desolation and prayer, and most importantly encouraged me to see the biggest and brightest picture in the world: that God’s sacrificial love will conquer all.
Many of my friends gave up countless hours to remind me that the virtues of humility, purity, and temperance are never easy, but they are the very path by which Christ draws our hearts to His. Sirach 6:14 tells us, “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter.” This verse came alive for me during my time at the Mount.
When many of us arrive as undergraduates, we’re dropped into a foreign community where everyone is searching for their “college” identity. But what we’re truly looking for is someone who will accept our personality, understand how we think, and embrace our flaws, someone who will inspire us to reach greater heights, ultimately culminating in union with Jesus Christ. This is where Jesus begins to display a precursor to the communion of saints, those holy men and women that direct us to Him, on earth! Jesus, through His own grace, binds us together as a family to reach this goal of union with Him. Think of a chain-link of holy relationships: one person, inspired by another’s faith, begins to lead others toward Heaven, and the process repeats. This kind of friendship becomes a sturdy shelter, a refuge from the confusions of the outside world while pursuing God. In such relationships, we are reminded that we are not just a means to an end or a nameless face in a crowd of students, but we are someone whom God desires to experience His love, especially if our circumstances appear unworthy of it. What a gift!
Mount St. Mary’s is unlike many of the nearby universities, such as Hood College, the University of Maryland-College Park, or McDaniel College. Mount St. Mary’s was founded to educate our minds and to give us a real encounter with Jesus, especially through the Eucharist. Every time my friends received Jesus in the Eucharist, He began to live in them and through them. He offered me inspiration, encouragement, and unconditional love. And every time Jesus is elevated at Mass, He is looking at you, longing to give you the very same gift: a life balanced by friendship, prayer, honesty, and love that draws you to Himself. This reality transformed my life. Through the love and witness of faithful friends, I encountered Jesus Christ touching my heart and telling me: you are loved more than you can imagine. And this allowed me to give it back in some of the core areas of my life, such as being a member of the pep band.
As I started off with my personal ministry, the Pep Band Bible study, I began to see the members of the study not just as fellow students, but as men searching for the very thing I had discovered: a more personal relationship with Love, who is Jesus Christ himself. As time went on, I found myself walking with these men through various struggles, be they academic stress or uncertainty in relationships, or something else entirely. As Our Lord surely knew, these men didn’t need someone with all the answers. They needed someone who had been there, someone who could offer advice or simply an open ear. In other words, they needed a friend.
By the end of my first year as a Bible study leader, Our Lord had drawn together four men who consistently put aside an hour each week by sacrificing time from homework, club sports, and even career ambitions to come and hear Christ’s Scripture. And they came, not because of me, but because Jesus was working through me to listen, to love, and to remind them that union with Christ was far more important than any worldly prize. Through reflection on this, I realized something: at Mount St. Mary’s, the Gospel doesn’t just dwell as ink on pages. It lives in the hearts of those who show up, day after day, week after week, to share life and faith together. Friendship, in the long run, is not about comfort or the ego boost it gives us; it’s about the commitment to journey with someone through the often-rough path to holiness. And surely, Jesus will put seasoned and holy people right in front of you if you just take the time to stop, pray, and realize the virtues your friends display every day.
Looking back on my four years at the Mount, I am grateful for the exceptional friends God placed in my life. These friends didn’t just see me as a classmate, a musician, or another face in the crowd. Rather, I was someone worthy of true friendship. I was a shelter in the storm, a place where sin is replaced by redemptive love, and where healing and hope quietly overcome harm and doubt.
For the undergraduates – whether you’re an incoming freshman or a veteran senior – I pray that during your time at the Mount, God will bless you with the beautiful gift of holy, sturdy friendship. And if you’ve already found it… look for where you can now give it. Because when you leave the Mount, you’ll always remember the gift Our Lord has given you: someone to walk to Heaven with.
