Like all other people in this great big world, I too have best friends. However, I am also a Eucharistic Youth Leader, and this means I have one common best friend with all other Eucharistic Youth Leader: Jesus! We have a nice and simple relationship like other best friends do. In the morning when I wake up, I always tell Him my dreams that I had had the night before. Luckily, He is always by my side to listen to me. With Him, I start my day with the brightest smile on my face. During these pandemic days, I have to stay inside almost 100 percent of the time, and probably would have gone crazy if I didn’t have Jesus with me. He tells me what to do, and things that I can do to enrich myself. You want to know what He did? He is Leader Triet’s (our League of Chapters Leader) best friend too. He knows that I am bored so He told Triet to give me some work so I can become useful! That has kept me busy and productive through this quarantine.
After a long day, Jesus and I would often “chit chat” about what happened in the day, about what I did and couldn’t do. He knows all my secrets, all my bad habits that I want to get rid of because I tell Him everything. He reassures me that He can help me, tells me to sleep tight so I can have a strong mind and spirit the next day to fight against all the “bad ME” with His help. Having a best friend who will always be there for you is rare, so I am forever grateful that I have Him. But, sometimes, I have made Him sad and disappointed when I break my promises to tell Him everything, to share my burden with Him, and to share my happiness with Him. I would spend more time with my other friends, playing games and doing stuff. My time for Him became shortened, but He asked my fellow Youth Leaders to remind me about Him, to tell me that He is still there waiting for me when I am done with my work. He is never mad at me. When I sit down at the end of the day look up to Him, He shows me His warm smile as always, as if I never left Him, like He does for me, ready to listen to me. In those moments, I felt so disappointed in myself. How could I leave Him alone like that when He never left me? He said He is okay and is glad that I am back, and that He would love to hear all the stories from me. Like before, I tell Him about my day and we have our conversation like nothing ever happened. Sometimes, I am tempted to my bad habits and I feel ashamed to face Him, for He has helped me so much and put so much trust in me. Yet He always comes to find me and is with me to remind me every time I can’t help myself. Thanks to Him, I am not alone in my own fight against my bad self.
As a Eucharistic Youth Leader, I have spent my whole life getting to know Jesus, becoming friends with him, and bringing other people to know Him like I do. Although I am not always good with Jesus, He never leaves me but changes me. So I hope that you will also give yourself a chance to be friends with Him, to let Him have a chance to open your heart like He did to me. Let Him help you to be a better version of yourself. After that, go and bring others to Him and let them have the opportunity to make friends with the best of best friends!
Tran Quynh Van