Friendship and Separation

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to reflect on the actions of friendship and intimacy that have drawn us close to Jesus unconditional love.

Friendship 

The reading from the Book of Sirach contrasts Friendship, False and True.

* [6:5–17] One of several poems Ben Sira wrote on friendship; see also 9:10–16; 12:8–18; 13:1–23; 19:13–17; 22:19–26; 27:16–21. True friends are discerned not by prosperity (v. 11), but through the trials of adversity: distress, quarrels (v. 9), sorrow (v. 10) and misfortune (v. 12). Such friends are rare, a gift from God (vv. 14–17). (Sirach, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 119 declares the Glories of God’s Law.

* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. (Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Mark presents Jesus Teaching about Divorce.

* [10:2–9] In the dialogue between Jesus and the Pharisees on the subject of divorce, Jesus declares that the law of Moses permitted divorce (Dt 24:1) only because of the hardness of your hearts (Mk 10:4–5). In citing Gn 1:27 and 2:24 Jesus proclaims permanence to be the divine intent from the beginning concerning human marriage (Mk 10:6–8). He reaffirms this with the declaration that what God has joined together, no human being must separate (Mk 10:9). See further the notes on Mt 5:31–32; 19:3–9. (Mark, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

Andy Alexander, S.J. comments that the grace of this gospel is to hear the call to fidelity in it. Obviously, marriages sometimes prove to have been unwise, at times nothing close to "sacramental." Sometimes, infidelity or abuse, carelessness or selfishness, make the union so damaged that it requires heroic love to save it, if it can be saved. The same can be said about celibate commitments.

Lord, we pray for all married and celibate persons. We thank you for the gifts of fidelity that you have given to so many. Please give generosity and love, healing and peace, wherever it is needed. And give your special blessings to those who have suffered all the pains of divorce or the struggles of celibacy. Let them know your love and tender mercy as they seek new ways of following you, in faith and trust. (Alexander, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “Mutual servants, equally serving,” by Tertullian, 160-225 A.D.

"Where are we to find language adequately to express the happiness of that marriage which the church cements, the oblation confirms, the benediction signs and seals, the angels celebrate, and the Father holds as approved? For all around the earth young people do not rightly and lawfully wed without their parents' consent. What kind of yoke is that of two believers who share one hope, one desire, one discipline, one service? (Ephesians 4:4) They enjoy kinship in spirit and in flesh. They are mutual servants with no discrepancy of interests. Truly they are 'two in one flesh' (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5; Ephesians 5:31). Where the flesh is one, the spirit is one as well. Together they pray, together bow down, together perform their fasts, mutually teaching, mutually entreating, mutually upholding. In the church of God they hold an equal place. (Romans 12:15; 15:6; Galatians 3:28; 1 Corinthians 12:12) They stand equally at the banquet of God, equally in crises, equally facing persecutions, and equally in refreshments. Neither hides anything from the other. Neither neglects the other. Neither is troublesome to the other (Philippians 1:27)."(excerpt from TO HIS WIFE 2.8) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Sirach 6:5-17 comments that a faithful person is true and loyal, keeps his commitments, and is steadfast in his affection. He or she doesn’t waver depending on circumstances or walk away when the going gets hard. We all know how helpful it can be to have a friend who is a “sturdy shelter” when we undergo grief or suffering (Sirach 6:14). By their willingness to listen and their steady companionship, faithful friends can calm frayed nerves and soothe our wounded souls. They rejoice in our blessings, weep over our sorrows, and bear with our faults. In so doing, they reflect the patient fidelity of our God.

Steadfast, loyal friends are a blessing from the Lord that point us to the most faithful friend of all: Jesus. He is God. He is always available, always loving, always ready to forgive. He is our truest and best Friend, “more loyal than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).

Today, praise Jesus for being such a faithful friend. Then ask him to help you cultivate friendships that reflect his faithful love.

“Lord, thank you for your faithfulness to me.” (Meditation on Sirach 6:5-17, 2025)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the Sirach passage on friendship distinguishes between people who abandon us and those who help us become better people. Pope Francis has sought paths for people in our Church, today, to experience love and support if their marriage situation changes. Friar Jude reminds us that God loves everybody and that love needs to be expressed to those in situations that are not desirable.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, considers Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung a mystic who had a deep connection to the divine. Jung made statements that would surprise many Christians, conservative and liberal alike. For example, he saw Jesus’ life and many of the doctrines of the Church as a complete and perfect map and guide for human transformation. He believed in the central importance of rituals, myths, and symbols, which Catholics and Orthodox Christians could appreciate. Although Jung gave Bible passages more meaning and more credibility, he was perceived as an unbeliever by most Protestants. His development of concepts such as shadow, paradox, archetypes, symbols, and the psychological character of human transformation into the Divine made him a true prophet of the soul and a teacher of deep, inner sacramentalism. [2]

Jung believed that if God wants to speak to us, God has to use words that will, first of all, feel like our own thoughts. How else could God come to us? That’s why we have to be taught how to recognize, honor, and allow that sometimes our thoughts are God’s thoughts. That internal trust and authority is necessary to balance out the almost exclusive reliance upon external authority promoted by mainline Christianity. While Scripture, priests, pastors, and the pope may be necessary, Jung recognized that they are all external to the self, and offer us a religion from the outside in. Jung wanted to teach us to honor those same symbols, but from the inside out, to recognize that there are already numinous voices in our deepest depths. If we do not have deep contact with our in-depth self, he believed we could not know God. (Rohr, n.d.)

We are grateful for the friendship that has supported our journey and ponder the movement of the Spirit in the love, compassion, mercy, and faithfulness we have experienced.

References

Alexander, A. (2025, February 28). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved February 28, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/022825.html 

Mark, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 28, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/10?1 

Meditation on Sirach 6:5-17. (2025, February 28). The Word Among Us. Retrieved February 28, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/02/28/1216443/ 

Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 28, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?12 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Carl Jung: An Unexpected Mystic. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 28, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/carl-jung-an-unexpected-mystic/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). What God Has Joined Together. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 28, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=feb28 

Sirach, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 28, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/6?5 

Sin and Separation

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine our attitude to the vices and temptations that may lead us away from acting as disciples of Jesus in service of the “anawim” we encounter on our journey.

The Two Ways

The reading from the Book of Sirach presents some precepts for everyday living.

* [5:1–8] The vices of the rich are pride and independence (vv. 1–2), presumption (v. 3), false security (vv. 4–6), and impenitence (v. 7), which cannot escape the divine wrath (vv. 7–8). Cf. Prv 18:23; 19:1; 28:6. (Sirach, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 1 outlines The Two Ways

* [Psalm 1] A preface to the whole Book of Psalms, contrasting with striking similes the destiny of the good and the wicked. The Psalm views life as activity, as choosing either the good or the bad. Each “way” brings its inevitable consequences. The wise through their good actions will experience rootedness and life, and the wicked, rootlessness and death. (Psalms, PSALM 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Mark instructs on the Temptations to Sin.

* [9:43, 45, 47] Gehenna: see note on Mt 5:22.

* [9:44, 46] These verses, lacking in some important early manuscripts, are here omitted as scribal additions. They simply repeat Mk 9:48 itself a modified citation of Is 66:24.

* [9:49] Everyone will be salted with fire: so the better manuscripts. Some add “every sacrifice will be salted with salt.” The purifying and preservative use of salt in food (Lv 2:13) and the refinement effected through fire refer here to comparable effects in the spiritual life of the disciples of Jesus. (Mark, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Joan Blandin Howard comments that along with the cautions and consequences of sin – losing life, Jesus time and time again offers words of loving encouragement.

“Be not afraid”, “I will never abandon you”, “I loved you first”, “you belong to me”. And many others.  “I will be with you through it all.”  Jesus is telling us, I am and always will be at your side – celebrating joys, confronting disease and death, civil and global chaos.

In addition, remember we are temples of the Spirit. Pentecost celebrates this union, this eternal relationship.  We quote Jesus, “I will be with you through it all.”  Dare we add, I will be in you through it all.  I will be with you, I will be in you.  I celebrate with you, I celebrate in you, I weep with you, I weep in you.

Sit with this.
…I am in you through it all. (Howard, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “Why not skip over such passages,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

"This is no trivial subject of inquiry that we propose, but rather it concerns things most urgent, and about which many inquire: namely, whether hell fire has any end. For that it has no end Christ indeed declared when he said, 'Their fire shall not be quenched, and their worm shall not die' (Isaiah 66:24). Yes, I know a chill comes over you on hearing these things. But what am I to do? For this is God's own command... Ordained as we have been to the ministry of the word, we must cause our hearers discomfort when it is necessary for them to hear. We do this not arbitrarily but under command." (excerpt from the HOMILIES ON FIRST CORINTHIANS 9.1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Sirach 5:1-8 comments that the problem with both types of presumption—which the Catechism calls “sins against hope” (2092)— are that they diminish the power of the cross in our lives. If we think we can save ourselves, then we didn’t need Jesus to die for us. And if we presume that he will forgive us even when we willfully sin again and again, then we cheapen the cost of his sacrifice. We take too lightly the depths of his suffering in the shedding of his blood.

The remedy for slipping into such attitudes is to recall the lengths to which God went to save us. Recall that Jesus came to earth and died for you. He came so that you could be reconciled with his Father. He rose from the dead and poured out his Spirit so that you could have all the grace you need to follow him.

Today, gaze at a crucifix and tell the Lord—out loud if possible—how thankful you are that he suffered and died so that you might live. The cost of his sacrifice was so great. May we never take it for granted!

“Lord, help me always remember what you have done for me!” (Meditation on Sirach 5:1-8, 2025)

Friar Jude Winkler notes the warning in Sirach against relying on things without permanence and forgetting the consequences of sin. The wisdom sayings in Mark focus on our responsibility to do good especially in care of the anawim and avoid giving scandal. Friar Jude reminds us that the response of Origen to temptation overlooks the use of Jewish exaggeration in the text from Mark.

James Finley introduces Jesuit scholar Harvey Egan who writes about the Dutch mystic John Ruusbroec. We invite you to use Finley’s instructions to sit with this passage from Ruusbroec’s famous text The Divine Espousals, in which he describes intimate union with God “without difference”.

In this storm of love two spirits struggle—the Spirit of God and our spirit. God, by means of the Holy Spirit, inclines [Godself] toward us, and we are thereby touched in love; our spirit, by means of God’s activity and the amorous power, impels and inclines itself toward God, and thereby God is touched. From these two movements there arises the struggle of love, for in this most profound meeting, in this most intimate and ardent encounter, each spirit is wounded by love. These two spirits, that is, our spirit and God’s Spirit, cast a radiant light upon one another and each reveals to the other its countenance. This makes the two spirits incessantly strive after one another in love. Each demands of the other what it is, and each offers to the other and invites it to accept what it is. This makes these loving spirits lose themselves in one another. God’s touch and his giving of himself, together with our striving in love and our giving of ourselves in return—this is what sets love on a firm foundation. [3] (Finley, n.d.)

We ponder the reality of sin in our environment and seek the guidance of the Spirit to address the damage it does especially to “children” of all ages.

References

Finley, J. (n.d.). John Ruusbroec: The Struggle for Love. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/ 

Howard, J. B. (2025, February 27). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/022725.html 

Mark, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/9?41 

Meditation on Sirach 5:1-8. (2025, February 27). The Word Among Us. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/02/27/1215604/ 

Psalms, PSALM 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/1?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). If Your Hand or Eye Causes You to Sin. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=feb27 

Sirach, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/5?1