Fr Peter Ireorji, MSP - Homily from Friday, March 1, 2019

Though we be friendly with many, only one in a thousand should be our close confidant, or our partner in life. Sirach opens his mini-essay on friendship with this advice: A kind mouth multiplies friends, and gracious lips prompt friendly greetings. We begin with a smile; our first communication, imparted intuitively, is one of interior joy and peace, showing that we are at peace with ourselves and with God. His guidance is both peaceful and cautious, for he counsels: “When you gain a friend, first test him, and don’t be too ready to trust him.” He proceeds to give the positive qualities of a true friend, who will be like “your other self; a treasure beyond price; a sure shelter a life-saving remedy.”  “A faithful friend is the elixir of life.” He is confident that those who fear the Lord will find a faithful friend. In other words, when we relate well to the Lord we will find the right kind of friends, ones we can rely on. When our relationship with the Lord is right it helps us to form good human relationships, marked by faithfulness and generosity. Whether married or single, we are all called to build faithful friendships that mirror the Lord’s faithful love and in turn reveal to others that faithful love of the Lord. Shalom!