April 23, 2018

TREASURED FRIENDSHIPS

Sirach 6:14-17

A faithful friend is a strong shelter,
And he who finds one finds a treasure.
There is nothing that can take the place of a faithful friend,
And there is no way to measure his worth.
A faithful friend is a medicine of life,
And those who fear the Lord will find him.
He who fears the Lord guides his friendship rightly,
Because as he is, so also is his neighbor.

Personal Challenge

Our modern culture makes it difficult to find the faithful friend such as the one that is pointed out in this passage. We live in a very individualistic thinking society which makes it challenging to find a friend that is interested in investing in this kind of relationship. We also have the challenge of being a very mobile society in that many of us have moved enough that we no longer have friends around us that we have known for a long time or we live far enough apart that we do not get the chance to see each other often enough to build this kind of relationship. Maybe Sirach had the same problem when he said, "And he who finds one finds a treasure." Nonetheless, it is still a worthy goal in life to seek to build relationships with others with the hope that one day a faithful friendship of this type will result. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!