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

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Spiritual Friendship

Four Steps to Spiritual Friendship (3.8−13) 8. Therefore you can see the four steps by which we ascend to the perfection of friendship: the first is choice, the second is testing, the third is acceptance, and the fourth is “the highest agreement on both human and divine affairs, combined with good will and affection.” 5

Four Steps to Spiritual Friendship

Choosing

3.14-58

Testing

3.59-75

Accepting

3.76

Enjoying

3.76-87

9. WALTER: I remember that you approved of this definition in the first discussion you had with your friend Ivo; but I wish to know whether this definition holds for everyone, since you have dealt with many different types of friendships. 10. AELRED: Since true friendship cannot exist except among good people—I mean those who can neither desire nor actually do anything contrary to faith or good morals—this definition embraces not every friendship whatsoever, but only that which is true friendship. 11. GRATIAN: Why should we not equally approve of that definition that pleased me so much before yesterday’s

5 Cicero, On Friendship , 6.20.