Virtuous friendships work toward ‘the ultimate good,’ Father Vance says

Father Nick Vance, parochial vicar at Our Lady of Grace in Edina, has spent time reflecting on what makes friendship truly virtuous and how friendship can mirror Jesus’ example.
Virtuous friendships are especially important not just to increase happiness but also to grow in faith, Father Vance suggested to “Practicing Catholic” co-hosts Leah Heselton and Father Tom Margevicius during a segment of the show set to air at 9 p.m. July 24 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
Drawing from teachings from St. Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle, Father Vance said “friendship is, at the heart of it, it’s willing and working for the same good … the good of the other person.”
“(A)ccording to Aquinas, to have a true friendship, we actually both have to have our eyes set on the good,” Father Vance said, adding that “there can be a disconnect in friendship if we realize that we’re actually not on the same page.”
Meanwhile, Aristotle outlined different types of friendship, Father Vance said, such as “friendships based in utility, friendships based in pleasure, and then true virtuous friendships.”
Friendships based in utility might develop when one person can offer something to another and vice versa — a mutually beneficial friendship — while friendships based in pleasure might revolve around a shared activity that is enjoyable, Father Vance said.
Virtuous friendship, Father Vance said, develops when friends “work for the same good, the good of the other person, and indeed the ultimate good, which is union with God and communion with (our) brothers and sisters.”
Virtuous friendship also reflects the relationship between Jesus and God the Father, as expressed in the Gospels — “the incarnation of Jesus makes friendship with God not only possible, but even desirable,” Father Vance said. He went on to say that “by virtue of divine adoption, by virtue of what happens to us in our baptism … there is now something divine in me so that I can actually experience this friendship with God, and it’s purely a gift on his part.”
“Jesus is my savior, he’s my teacher, he’s my master, but only he could start that conversation of, ‘I have called you friends’” (Jn 15:15), Father Vance said.
To hear more from Father Vance about developing and maintaining virtuous friendships, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. July 25 and 2 p.m. July 26.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes an interview with Luke Currier, parishioner of St. Paul in Ham Lake, about his faith journey.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at practicingcatholicshow.com or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.

Facts Only

* Father Nick Vance, parochial vicar at Our Lady of Grace in Edina, reflected on virtuous friendship and Jesus' example.
* Virtuous friendships increase happiness and grow in faith.
* Friendship is rooted in willing action for the good of the other person, based on teachings from St. Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle.
* Aquinas states true friendship requires both parties to focus on the good.
* Aristotle outlined types of friendship: utility, pleasure, and virtuous friendships.
* Utility-based friendships involve mutual benefit; pleasure-based friendships revolve around shared enjoyment.
* Virtuous friendship involves working for the good of the other person and the ultimate good of union with God and communion with others.
* The incarnation of Jesus makes friendship with God desirable.
* Divine adoption provides a means to experience friendship with God as a gift.
* Jesus initiated the concept of friendship with others ("I have called you friends").

Executive Summary

Virtuous friendships are presented as essential for increasing happiness and growing in faith. Father Vance suggests that true friendship, drawing from St. Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle, is rooted in the mutual desire for the good of the other person. While utility and pleasure can form foundations for friendships, truly virtuous friendship develops when companions work toward the shared goal of achieving the "ultimate good," which is union with God and communion with others. This concept mirrors the relationship between Jesus and God the Father, suggesting that divine adoption provides a means for experiencing this friendship with God. The article concludes by directing readers to further resources on developing these relationships.

Full Take

The narrative establishes a framework where human relational ethics are mapped onto theological and philosophical concepts to define virtue in friendship. The transition from Aristotelian categorization (utility, pleasure) to the explicitly divine dimension—union with God—suggests that immanent human relationships gain transcendent significance when aligned with a divine order. The pattern involves using established, respected philosophical systems as a bridge to articulate spiritual truths, which serves to ground an emotional and theological concept in logical structure. The implication is that defining virtue requires integrating relational dynamics (mutual regard) with teleological aims (the ultimate good). A potential area for inquiry is how rigidly separating the practical development of social bonds from the metaphysical reality of divine relationship affects the perceived urgency or accessibility of developing virtuous community life. What does it mean for the structures of virtue to be simultaneously immanent and transcendent in lived experience?

Sentinel — Human

Confidence

This text appears to be transcript material or a summary derived from a recorded interview, characterized by conversational flow and specific, embedded references, pointing toward human authorship reporting on religious commentary.

Signals Detected

Moderate sentence length variance; natural flow interrupted by direct quotes and thematic shifts.

Strong thematic coherence linking Aquinas/Aristotle to religious doctrine, typical of faith-based commentary.

Structure follows an interview/radio segment format; uses clear attribution for specific philosophical claims and scriptural references.

Specific religious doctrine interwoven with classical philosophy (Aquinas, Aristotle) is plausible in this context, though the synthesis relies heavily on the quoted persona.

Human Indicators

The inclusion of specific names (Father Vance, Leah Heselton, Tom Margevicius) and direct references to a specific radio show format suggests grounding in an actual media event.

The integration of theological concepts with philosophical frameworks appears deliberately crafted rather than purely LLM extrapolation.