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“Very good, my son,” the old man nodded. “I am going in the same direction. Why don’t we travel together?”
The boy agreed and they continued together. That evening when they had arrived at a campsite, the boy cut his last apple in half, again leaving one half smaller than the other. He offered them to the old man, and the old man took the smaller piece.
And so the boy knew that he had met a good companion with whom he could travel. That night he slept soundly, confident that he had met a good friend. When he awoke the sun was already high in the sky. He rubbed his eyes and looked around, but the old man was gone.
The boy leaped out of his bedroll and ran in search of his burro. But when he went down to the pasture he found them both. The old man had simply moved the burro to where there was better pasture. From that day on they traveled together and became good friends, and eventually the boy found work, and sent money to his mother.
Suggested Reflection
1. Have you ever had a friend who was closer to you than your immediate family members?
2. How would you describe a spiritual friend? How does that differ from other friends?
3. Can persons of the same gender enjoy such spiritual intimacy, without it evolving to physical intimacy?
4. Do you have a spiritual friend? How does that friendship challenge you to grow as a person and Christian? How do you challenge him or her to grow as a person and Christian?
5. Describe what is meant by the following sentence...
A true friendship can become for two persons a sacramental experience.
6. Do you see Jesus as a close friend? What is that friendship like for you?
7. Do you feel it important to select carefully your friends? What criteria do you use to decide whom will be a close friend or not?
8. Have you ever been betrayed by someone? What has that taught you about faithfulness, true friendship, and Christian love?
See next page for Purpose of OneLife and reference to a couple of the writer's written works; and reference to sources.
See next page for Invitation to writer's contemplative village, purpose of OneLife, data on ordering author's book and upcoming devotionals 2008, and material on citations.
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