Abiding Together 2026 Summer Book Study Pick!
"This book is a friendship telling its story. It is friends telling together their experience of friendship in the Lord."
Friendship isn't just a longing--it's a holy calling. We are made for deep, life-giving connection. Yet in a world overwhelmed by digital noise and surface-level interaction, many of us feel more isolated than ever. Friendship in the Lord offers a timeless, grace-filled response to that ache.
Originally published in 1974 and beloved by Catholics for decades, this spiritual classic by Dominican priest Fr. Paul Hinnebusch has been reprinted for a new generation--one that longs for meaningful connection but often doesn't know where to begin. Blending theological depth with heartfelt personal reflection, this book is a moving testament to the real-life beauty of friendship rooted in Christ.
With the wisdom of a teacher, the soul of a mystic, and the voice of a friend, Fr. Hinnebusch reveals how authentic friendship--when founded in the love of Christ--is a pathway to holiness and healing.
Through rich theological insight and powerful stories, you will
- discover how friendship, grounded in the grace of Christ, becomes a participation in the very life of the Trinity;
- learn why the Church--especially St. Thomas Aquinas--has long upheld the love of friendship as one of the most fitting images of our relationship with God;
- reflect on saintly friendships that transformed the Church through mutual encouragement, sacrifice, and prayer--like St. Catherine of Siena and Bl. Raymond of Capua, St. Jane Frances de Chantal and St. Francis de Sales, Bl. Jordan of Saxony and Bl. Diana d'Andalo, and St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary;
- reclaim the art of seeing, appreciating, and honoring others in a world that has forgotten how to love as Christ does.
As Fr. Hinnebusch writes, "Intimacy is a love which accepts me fully even when it sees that I am far from perfect . . . a love which always sees my potentialities for good and draws them to full blossom by the sun of appreciation."
In a culture of loneliness, Friendship in the Lord is a powerful, poetic invitation to rediscover the gift of holy friendship. Whether you're seeking to deepen a current relationship or wondering where to begin, this book offers the guidance and inspiration to find--and become--a friend in the Lord.
