servants of God are wont to observe that custom. The Scripture tells us of the elder Tobias: “When there was a festival of the Lord, and a good dinner was prepared in Tobias’ house, he said to his son: Go and bring some of our tribe that fear God, to feast with us,”[1] and to rejoice in the Lord. Even God Himself, who surely is not in need of society, seems to say that the company of men is pleasing to Him: “My delight is to be with the children of men;”[2] so He tells us by the wise Solomon. Thus society is a recreation and a pleasure for the soul and the mind.
But the company must be in all respects a suitable one if it is to give pleasure. But not all society gives pleasure, for some may cause annoyance and put an end to enjoyment; that is the case when the companions are not suited to each other. Sometimes when good friends are together there happens to be amongst them or to have come uninvited one who is not looked on favorably by the others, or in whose presence they may not talk confidentially, because they are obliged to show him a certain amount of respect, and to weigh their words when he is there; in such a case there is an end to all pleasure in the gathering; the party is a failure, as the saying goes. And the next day they say: we might have had a very pleasant time of it yesterday if such a one had not been there. Often the absence of one whose society is much sought after by the others spoils the party, so that it is not near so pleasant as it might have been. Ah, they say then, if he were here the party would be complete! And again if all the company are not of the one mind; if one wants to play, the other to sing, the third to talk, the fourth to do this, the fifth that, the party is spoiled again, and there is no amusement. Hence, if there is to be true joy and happiness in a meeting of the kind, the company should consist of good friends who know each other well, love each other truly, and are on such good terms that no one will take what another says in a bad sense, and each is glad on account of the presence of his companions.
Such company is rare in the world. But where can one find such a loving, friendly, and agreeable company? To no purpose should we seek it on earth. “Nothing,” says the Holy Ghost by the wise Ecclesiasticus, “can be compared to a faithful friend, and no weight of gold and silver
