NOTES for Sir 6:5-17
5 Sweet language will multiply friends: and a fairspeaking tongue will increase kind greetings. |
6 Be in peace with many: nevertheless have but one counsellor of a thousand. |
7 If thou wouldest get a friend, prove him first and be not hasty to credit him. |
8 For some man is a friend for his own occasion, and will not abide in the day of thy trouble. |
9 And there is a friend, who being turned to enmity, and strife will discover thy reproach. |
10 Again, some friend is a companion at the table, and will not continue in the day of thy affliction. |
11 But in thy prosperity he will be as thyself, and will be bold over thy servants. |
12 If thou be brought low, he will be against thee, and will hide himself from thy face. |
13 Separate thyself from thine enemies, and take heed of thy friends. |
14 A faithful friend is a strong defence: and he that hath found such an one hath found a treasure. |
15 Nothing doth countervail a faithful friend, and his excellency is invaluable. |
16 A faithful friend is the medicine of life; and they that fear the Lord shall find him. |
17 Whoso feareth the Lord shall direct his friendship aright: for as he is, so shall his neighbour be also. |
Hide
Jesus, son of Sirach, shows us yet another trap. A fairly common human mistake is to think that good relations and friendship are the same thing. Are they not? Here is what today's reading says: "Let those who live with you in peace be many, but let your adviser be one out of a thousand." Peaceful relationships are important and necessary. Yet for some reason we often think that everyone with whom we have good relations needs to be told every detail of our life and asked for advice in every situation. On the other hand, some of us consider anyone who speaks kindly to us our best friend and demand openness and complete trust from that person. Jesus, son of Sirach, speaks to us today about distance. We need to remember that degrees of trust should differ. We must neither impose our openness nor demand openness from others; neither impose our advice nor listen to every piece of advice. And it often turns out that this is not nearly as obvious as one might think.
Readings for 28 February 2025
After registering, you can subscribe to any Bible reading plan. Personalized settings and other services for registered users are planned, so we recommend registering now. Registration is free. | ||
