Faithful Friend

 “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth. A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds; for he who fears God behaves accordingly, and his friend will be like himself.” (Sirach 6:14-17)

I love the Book of Sirach. When my RCIA candidate got her Catholic bible I told her to read Sirach. It is a wonderful treasure that isn’t found in the Protestant bibles. A faithful friend truly is beyond price. Earlier in this passage from today’s reading we hear examples of friendships that don’t last. 

“One sort of friend is a friend when it suits him, but he will not be with you in time of distress. Another is a friend who becomes an enemy, and tells of the quarrel to your shame. Another is a friend, a boon companion who will not be with you when sorrow comes.” (6:8-10) I am sure most of us can recall friends who fell into one of these examples. And it can be devastating when that happens. When you are experiencing a difficult time in your life you rely on your friends to be there for you, not to abandon you in your time of need. This happens often when someone experiences the death of a loved one and family and friends don’t know what to say or do so they pull away. This happened to me my senior year of high school when my brother was killed in a motorcycle accident. I was actually at my best friend’s house when I received the call from my dad asking me to go home because Kevin had been in an accident. From that day on my friend avoided me. I am sure it was because she didn’t know what to say or do, but it was devastating for me. Not only had I lost my brother, but I lost my best friend.

Over the years people come and go in our lives and that is expected. We are called to live in community but the world is always changing. Often times God places people in our lives for a short time and that is all  that God intended. I have tried to hang onto relationships even after they were meant to change or end. When my mother was dying my priest friend was a source of great comfort and strength. Not too long after that things changed but I didn't want them to. I tried to cling to that relationship which only made things worse. My love had turned from being Christ-like to selfishness. When we start to make things about ourselves then love isn't involved because love is selfless and sacrifice. I had to let go of my own desires and re-focus on Christ. I am learning to embrace the gift of friendship that God places in my life for as long as he wants it to be there. And always reminding myself that the love of God is the only thing that is unchanging. I give thanks to God for the wonderful, like-minded Christian men and women he has placed in my life and try to live in the joy of His love moment by moment.