Amigos and Christo: on the road to friendship

When I look back on my childhood, I cannot avoid the memories of lonely school days. The hard truth is that I never really had any friends, something that is hard to understand as a child and can leave deep marks. I often felt left out, like I didn't belong anywhere. It was a time when I sometimes felt small and invisible.

But in 2011, everything slowly began to change. At the invitation of my first confessor, I went with a group of young people to the World Youth Days, where "Amigos en Christo" was the theme for the Archdiocese. That word, that phrase - "Friends in Christ" - entered my life as a kind of hopeful promise. There, surrounded by young people of the same faith, I felt for the first time what it means to experience friendship in Christ. It was a wonderful sensation, a beginning of something new.

It took years before I really came out of my shell, but step by step I dared to open myself. The realization that I was not alone, that there were others who accepted me as I was, gave me the courage to go on a journey of discovery, to get to know myself better and to make sincere contact with others.

Now that I live here in Roermond, I can say that I have finally found real friends. Real amigos and Christo. Friends with whom I share my life, friends who know my joys and my difficulties, and who are truly there for me. Life feels blessed with them by my side. It moves me sometimes when I look back on the road I have traveled, and I see how God has led me. It has not always been easy, but step by step He has taken care of me.

Friendship is something very special, something precious. And I truly believe that it is a blessing to have friends who not only stand beside you, but also believe with you. When I look at the path I have traveled, I am grateful for the friends I have, and it makes me happy to know that we may continue together, guided by our Amigo, Christo.