From St. Clare and St. Francis of Assisi to St. Augustine and St. Ambrose, faithful saints have found support, challenges, and rewards in the gift of friendship. Friends can exhort us, encourage us to draw closer to God, and serve Him alongside us. But true friends are not only a gift – they are a responsibility.
In today’s post, we invite you to reflect on the wisdom of the saints about the gift of friendship, how Christians are called to love and cherish our friends, and more with these 10 quotes.
What True Friendship Is
“Friendship, as has been said, consists in a full commitment of the will to another person with a view to that person’s good.” – St. Pope John Paul II
“True friendship can harbor no suspicion; a friend must speak to a friend as freely as to his second self.” – St. Jerome
“There is no true friendship, Lord, except between those whom You bind together… If your delight is in souls, my friends, let them be loved in God, for they too are changeable, and they will perish and pass away if they are not firmly established in Him. In Him, then, let them be loved; and draw to Him along with you as many souls as you can.” – St. Augustine of Hippo
Friendship Is a Gift from God
“Blessed are those who love You, Lord, and their friends in You. For they are the only ones who will never lose anyone dear to them, since all who are dear to them are in You, our God, who can never be lost.” – St. Augustine of Hippo
“What a great favor God does to those whom He places in the company of good people!”
– St. Teresa of Ávila
“If the bond of your communion is love, devotion, and Christian perfection, then your friendship will be precious indeed: precious because it has its origin in God, because it is maintained in God, and because it will endure forever in Him.” – St. Francis de Sales
Friendship Is a Responsibility
“We would all much better mend our ways if we were as ready to pray for one another as we are to offer one another reproach and rebuke.” – St. Thomas More
“Never rebuke while you’re still indignant about a fault committed – wait until the next day, or even longer. Then calmly, and with a purer intention, make your reprimand. You’ll gain more by a friendly word than by a three-hour quarrel.” – St. Josemaría Escrivá
“For in this way especially does a friend differ from a flatterer. The flatterer speaks to give pleasure, but the friend refrains from nothing, even that which causes pain.” – St. Basil the Great
“Eating and drinking don’t make friendships – such friendship even robbers and murderers have. But if we are friends, if we truly care for one another, let’s help one another spiritually.” – St. John Chrysostom
Sources:
A Dictionary of Quotes from the Saints, Paul Thigpen.
“Saint Quotes,” Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg.