On friendship and Claudio

I recently became aware of a wonderful resource called Pray As You Go (PAYG).  It is available both through the internet and via an App (I have it on my mobile phone).  Basically, PAYG provides a short daily devotional, which normally includes music, scripture, and thoughts for reflection.  I have got into the habit of listening to it first thing in a morning, and find it to be a great way to start the day.

One day fairly recently the PAYG reading was from the book of Ecclesiasticus (not to be confused with the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes).  The book of Ecclesiasticus isn’t actually in the Bible, it comes from the period between the Old and New Testaments.  I found the passage used, which came from the sixth chapter of the book, very thought-provoking.  It deals with the subject of friendship:

Pleasant speech multiplies friends,
    and gracious lips, friendly greetings.
Let those who are friendly to you be many,
    but one in a thousand your confidant.
When you gain friends, gain them through testing,
    and do not be quick to trust them.
For there are friends when it suits them,
    but they will not be around in time of trouble.
Another is a friend who turns into an enemy,
    and tells of the quarrel to your disgrace.
Others are friends, table companions,
    but they cannot be found in time of affliction.
When things go well, they are your other self,
    and lord it over your servants.
If disaster comes upon you, they turn against you
    and hide themselves.
Stay away from your enemies,
    and be on guard with your friends.
Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter;
    whoever finds one finds a treasure.
Faithful friends are beyond price,
    no amount can balance their worth.
Faithful friends are life-saving medicine;
    those who fear God will find them.
Those who fear the Lord enjoy stable friendship,
    for as they are, so will their neighbours be.

This is a great reminder both of how precious true friends are (‘Faithful friends are beyond price’), but also of the sad truth that some so-called friends may not be there for us when we really need them (‘there are friends when it suits them, but they will not be around in time of trouble’.)

One of the challenges which this passage throws up is to ask myself whether I always act like a true friend to others in their times of need.  As I was pondering the passage, I reflected on the recent goings-on at my local football team, Leicester City.  There can be few people, even those who are not football fans, who have not heard about last season’s fairy-tale happenings.  Leicester City, against odds of 5000/1, managed to become Premier League champions.  The players were stars, but for many, the person who really stood out was manager Claudio Ranieri.  His charm, grace, humility and sense of fun won everyone over.  He became the toast of Leicester!

This season, however, has been a very different story.  The club have really struggled in the Premier League, to such an extent that Ranieri’s job seemed in doubt.  At the beginning of February, the club’s owners issued a statement, saying, "In light of recent speculation, Leicester City Football Club would like to make absolutely clear its unwavering support for its first-team manager Claudio Ranieri.  The entire club is and will remain united behind its manager and behind its players, collectively and firmly focused on the challenges ahead" (my emphases).  Well that seemed clear enough, didn’t it?

Yet less than three weeks after this statement of absolute support and commitment, Ranieri was sacked, to the shock of many in football.  All of which goes to show how much truth is contained in the passage from Ecclesiasticus.

If you find a true friend, treasure them and hang on to them.  Try your best to be a true friend.  And God bless you, Claudio, thanks for everything!