Replies

From: Sirach 6:5-17

Friends and Enemies (Continuation)

[5] A pleasant voice multiplies friends,
and a gracious tongue multiplies courtesies.
[6] Let those that are at peace with you be many,
but let your advisers be one in a thousand.
[7] When you gain a friend, gain him through testing,
and do not trust him hastily.
[8] For there is a friend who is such at his own convenience,
but will not stand by you in your day of trouble.
[9] And there is a friend who changes into an enemy,
and will disclose a quarrel to your disgrace.
[10] And there is a friend who is a table companion,
but will not stand by you in your day of trouble.
[11] In prosperity he will make himself your equal,
and be bold with your servants;
[12] but if you are brought low he will turn against you,
and will hide himself from your presence.
[13] Keep yourself far from your enemies,
and be on guard toward your friends.
[14] A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter:
he that has found one has found a treasure.
[15] There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend,
and no scales can measure his excellence.
[16] A faithful friend is an elixir of life;
and those who fear the Lord will find him.
[17] Whoever fears the Lord directs his friendship aright,
for as he is, so is his neighbor also.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

5:15-6:17. This is the first occasion that Ben Sirach discusses friendship — a sub-
ject that comes up often in his teaching (cf. 9:10-16; 19:13-17; 22:19-26; 37:1-15);
in fact Sirach is the book of the Bible that has most to say on the subject. Here
and in the other passages, what we have is not so much a theoretical discussion
of friendship as a series of concrete situations that show the sort of behavior one
would expect of a friend.

In the Gospel we find instances of Jesus’ close friendships and less about the im-
portance of friendship the extent to which it can go: “Greater love has no man
than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). And St Ambrose,
commenting on v. 14 writes: “Friendship should be constant [...]. You should not
leave a friend in his hour of need, nor do him injury, nor abandon him, because
friendship is a lifelong source of help” (”De Officiis”, 2, 3, 22).

Taking the life of Jesus as an example St. Josemaria Escriva invites his readers
to consider that “A friend is a treasure. Well...you have a friend! For where your
treasure is, there is your heart” (”The Way”, 421).

6:17-37. The teacher now gives his disciples advice on what they need to do to
acquire wisdom.

First, he talks about docility and commitment to the task, using imagery taken
from agricultural work, particularly wearing the yoke (v. 24-25), though he says it
is easy enough to bear. These verses remind us of what Jesus says when he in-
vites us to find true Wisdom and peace of soul in his teaching: “Take my yoke
upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29).

Then, in line with the education tradition of the ancient East, the writer urges his
disciples to listen to their elders, spending time with them and following their ex-
ample. Finally, returning to an idea that runs right through the book, he reminds
his disciple what he must do to be wise — reflect on the commandments of the
Lord and live by them (v. 37). For true maturity comes not so much from age as
from doing the will of God: “You should show the moderation, fortitude, and sense
of responsibility that many people acquire after many long years, in their old age.
You will achieve all this, while you are still young, if you do not lose the superna-
tural outlook of a son of God. For he will give you, more than to the old, those
qualities you need for your apostle’s work” (St. J. Escriva, “The Forge”, 53).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.