Rona’s reflection – Friendship  

It’s time to reflect on friendship, to think about who our friends are and what we are willing to do for them. Many people have found comfort during lockdown in catching up with friends using a variety of ways to keep in touch. Who would have thought that Zoom would become so much a part of our daily life?

There are many friendships in the bible. Think of David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, Elijah and Elisha. Jesus’s friendship with Mary Magdalene has a special resonance. It was a measure of the trust placed in His friend that it was Mary Magdalene who was the first witness of His resurrection She was the one chosen to carry the news that Jesus had risen from the dead.

It is reported in John, that Jesus gave a new commandment: ‘As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’ God’s love for us is worth reflecting on when we think about our friendships. So will you try to ‘Love one another’ as God has loved you? 

Recommended book: My Grandfather’s Blessings by Rachael Naomi Remen

Rachel Remen has written a series of stories to remind us of the power of kindness and the joy of being alive. Her grandfather, an orthodox rabbi, saw life as a web of connection and taught her that blessing one another is what fills our emptiness, heals our loneliness and connects us more deeply to life.