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People often rightly associate Theology of the Body with the word “relationship.” Pope Saint John Paul II often talks about how God made us to live in relationship with each other. When people make this connection, however, they usually assume it means only a romantic relationship, such as between a husband and wife. While Pope John Paul does cover marriage extensively, he talks about all kinds of relationships, including friendship. The gift of friendship helps make our lives brighter through the relationships we choose to pursue. And following the wisdom of Aristotle and the doctors of the church who rely upon him, we can break friendship down into three different categories: practical friendship, fun friendship, and virtuous.
Practical Friendship
When we think of practical friendships, we might think of our barber, our coworker, or one of our neighbors. This has some practical purpose that connects us. Without that practical purpose, we might not be inclined to be friends with them. Despite having little in common as far as interests or personalities, we can still enjoy each other’s company. Though we may not actively pursue spending time together, we can still call ourselves friends. Every encounter with another person presents us with an opportunity to see Christ in them. Though practical friendships may seem like the least exciting, they still make our lives better and can draw us closer to God.
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Fun Friendship
Fun friendships refer to the relationships formed when pursuing a common interest or hobby. It means having fun together. This could mean drinking together, laughing together, playing games together. Fun friendships tend to have a little stronger bond than that of practical friendships. That’s because we tend to go out of our way to pursue these friendships when engaging in our interests. Watching movies, cooking, or playing your favorite game can become more enjoyable with a buddy who also appreciates these activities.
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Virtuous Friendship
The highest level of friendship, virtuous friendship, can only form when the friends pursue goodness and truth. In virtuous friendships, friends seek each other’s good, even in the face of adversity. They make sacrifices for each other, which strengthen their bond of friendship. For a classic example, we can think of Frodo and Sam from The Lord of the Rings. Though Sam probably doesn’t want to go to the dangerous, terrible realm of Mordor, he won’t let his friend go there alone.
Friendships come in all shapes and sizes. No matter what kind of friendship we share with the people in our lives, God can bless the friendship and bring good out of it. And through loving others, we can truly experience God’s very love.
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Chris Tarantino is the Communications Director for TOBET. He studied History at The University at Texas A&M and has written for the Tennessee Register and Nashville Catholic.
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This blog and all content on this website is copyrighted, all rights reserved. © 2025 Theology of the Body Evangelization Team, Inc. (TOBET)
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