O most dear, most loyal, most faithful friend, Jesus Christ, you have joined yourself to us in eternal brotherhood and friendship, and betrothed us forever to righteousness through faith.
O how unfaithful is the world! How false and dishonest is the friendship of this world, how fickle are human hearts, and how much can change when times are good. And because I am also a man and cannot do anything by my own strength, yes, and often prove to be unfaithful and a bad friend to my neighbor, I beg you now for mercy! Do not impute my disloyalty to me, do not let me receive a hypocrite’s reward, as you say, “The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.” But rather give me a true and loyal heart towards my friends, so that I do not forsake them in their cross and poverty, nor that I am ashamed of them. For you are not ashamed of me in my poverty and misery.
Give me also a true friend, who loves me as he loves himself, just as you also love me, my dearest and eternal friend. Give me a friend to whom I can talk, as easily as if I were talking to myself. Yes, as easily as if I were talking even to you, O faithful heart! Such a loyal friend had David in Jonathan and Hushai. How united were their hearts! And yet, alas, how the highest of all friendship and unity is within the Holy Trinity! How God became friends with men through your incarnation, O Lord Christ, and through the love of the Holy Spirit!
O Lord Christ, give me a friend who is your friend. A friend who loves you, who is one in heart, spirit, and mind with you. A friend who does not love me in word and tongue, but in deed and in truth. A friend who takes my misery upon himself, who does not love me for the sake of wealth, honor, or fun, but from the bottom of his heart, just as you, my Lord Christ, love me. For you love me not for the sake of any benefit, but out of sincere, pure love and mercy, getting nothing in return.
Give me, O most precious friend, such a true friend, who will be of my heart and mind. A friend who will not hate me because of my infirmities, but will rather hit me and rebuke me out of love, who will heal my infirmities. Such a friend would do me as much good as if my head were anointed with oil. Give me a friend who would not tire of my cross, whose friendship would not cease, even when honor, possessions, and all temporal things are lost, even when the world despises me, shames me, and persecutes me. O what a great treasure is such a friend! O my Lord and God, let me fear you that I may have such a friend, as the Scripture says, “A person who fears the Lord can make real friendships.”1
Woe to him who is alone when he falls, who is forced to try to help himself up again. Do not leave me without a friend when I fall. O Lord, my God, help me when I fall! And let me, above all things, remain forever in your everlasting love and friendship. Amen.
1 Sirach 6:17 quoted here as Scripture, “die Schrifft”
