Spiritual Friendship: Learning to Be Friends with God and One Another

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Spiritual Friendship

Aelred is clear that a faithful friend will correct us, but he also points out that the timing is important (3.112). What times and places do

you think are most appropriate to correct a friend? When was the last time you corrected a friend? When was the last time you were corrected? Did the time or place of the correction make it easier or harder to receive the correction? What warnings about correcting a friend can we learn from the way Job’s friends attempted to correct him?

In 3.109 Aelred quotes Psalm 141:5, “Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head.”

Aelred wants to make sure Christian leaders understand that being corrected by a friend is an important part of spiritual friendship. Where do you regularly open yourself to correction from a friend? How could you develop a habit of opening yourself to receiving faithful wounds from a friend (Prov 27:6)?