During Mass recently I was particularly struck by the words of the first reading:

“A faithful friend is a sure shelter,
whoever finds one has found a rare treasure.
A faithful friend is something beyond price,
there is no measuring his worth.
A faithful friend is the elixir of life,
and those who fear the Lord will find one” (Ecclesiasticus 6:5-17).

These words prompted me to reflect on some of the friendships in my life, both current and former. Most of us, during our journey through life, encounter individuals who we refer to as friends. Perhaps we have friends from our school days, friends from our workplace, or friends from our church community.

But as life moves on and we change jobs or move house, we inevitably lose touch with most of our friends. Slowly, more of our friends move into what could be called the ‘Facebook friends’ category – people who we knew once but now no longer see or communicate with in person.

Thankfully, through all of life’s changes, some friendships endure. Such friendships are precious, and to be treasured. If you are blessed with such a friendship, take a moment to give thanks to God for the gift of your friend, and try to express your gratitude to that person for their friendship.

On Good Friday (April 18) and ANZAC Day (April 25) we will recall the greatest act of friendship and of love that can be made – the laying down of one’s life for another (John 15:13). May such examples inspire us to love and treasure our friends more than ever, and, above all, to deepen our friendship with the friend par excellence, Jesus Christ.

Further Reading
Celebrating Friendship and Support: A Reflection from Father Frank Jones (Archdiocese of Brisbane)
Evangelising through Authentic Friendship (Word on Fire)
The Canons of Friendship (Alice von Hildebrand, Catholic Culture)

Image: Lightstock
Words: Matthew Biddle