Friends

Archbishop Dr. Robert Zollitsch, 2013, Freiburg

Friendship - a priceless treasure

True friendship is a lasting gift and a source of support in our lives. People have experienced this through the ages. Two centuries before Christ, Jesus son of Sirach summarized the essence of friendship in an especially clear manner in the Holy Scriptures: “A true friend is like a sturdy tent; those who find one have found a treasure” (Sir 6:14). Like a tent, good friendship gives me protection and shelter when my life becomes stormy. I can go to a true friend when I need advice or help. Even in difficult times, he does not run away from me. He is there for me and supports me. Like a tent that accompanies me on my journey through life, the bond with a friend gives me a home to which I am always glad to return, and that no one can take from me.

Such a friendship does not appear overnight. It proves itself throughout life’s ups and downs, and matures like a fine wine. In confidential discussions and activities together, in listening and in shared silences, the connection grows. Friends know what moves the other, without it even needing to be said. Knowing that you can count on a friend gives a friendship incomparable value. Pastor Schäfer and I have walked together in this way since our school days. We understand and trust each other. This has profoundly shaped our friendship so that we could join hands, as shown in the photo.

In a good friendship like ours, we open up to each other and treat each other with honesty. We can put aside the roles that we must often play in our everyday lives, the facade that we show to the outside world. Friends face each other “unadorned”. They see not only the bright side of the other person, but they may also show their dark side and weaknesses under cover of friendship. As a trusted friend, I have learned to perceive and value the whole person behind his limitations and mistakes.

For me as a Christian, my belief in God is fundamental to my friendship with other people, and therefore important. The connection with a true friend is kept through the friendship that God has shown mankind since the very beginning of the world. He created us in His image, “only a little lower than God” (Psalm 8:6) and has guided us through the entire history of humanity. Eventually, God Himself entered our world as a man, called us His friends, and invited us to return His affection by living our lives in faith. This shared belief has supported the friendship between me and Pastor Schäfer. When I look my friend in the face, I see in him the image of God. This knowledge, shaped by faith, helps me to treat my friend with care and respect, as if I were encountering God Himself. It gives me the respect for the other person’s personality that is only possible with friendship. When my friend is there to help me, I feel in his support the nearness and help of God. When I am at his side, I am able to give him the love with which God carries me through my everyday life. The common belief reminds us both again and again how valuable our friendship is, and how valuable we are to each other.

Archbishop Dr. Robert Zollitsch
Freiburg, December 24, 2013