Christ as Friend

Merton, Thomas. _The Living Bread_. Farrar, Straus & Cudahy, New York. 1956,
p. 9.

"Love for God is the deepest fulfillment of the powers implanted by
God in our human nature which He has destined for union with Himself.

In loving Him, we discover not only the inner meaning of truths which we
would otherwise never be able to understand, but we also find our true selves in
Him. The charity which is stirred up in our hearts by the Spirit of Christ
acting in the depths of our being makes us begin to be the persons He has
destined us to be in the inscrutable designs of His Providence.

Moved by thegrace of Christ we begin to discover and to know Christ Himself as a friend
knows a friend - by the inner sympathy and understanding which friendship
alone can impart."