Avant-propos - Studia Moralia

72 DENNIS J. BILLY
ten resembles friendship. After the fall, therefore, it is important
to distinguish between true friendship and other relationships
“of some slight resemblance.” 25 Aelred’s discussion of the differences
between “carnal” and “spiritual” friendship presupposes
and springs from this underlying theological premise. 26
3. Redemption. Aelred’s doctrine of the fall helps one to understand
how the disharmony between charity and friendship
crept into human affairs. Aelred recognizes its importance in
this regard, but refuses to dwell on it. His theology of friendship
is eminently positive, one that flows from the love of God who,
through the death of Christ, enables a person once again to enjoy
the friendship of God. In Aelred’s mind, “Christ himself set
up a definite goal for friendship when he said: ‘Greater love than
this no man hath, than a man lay down his life for his friends.’” 27
Through his redemptive suffering, a healing process begins that
will eventually make them co-extensive. In Jesus, charity and
friendship once again exist in close harmony. Through him,
original sin is overcome and its effects will eventually be completely
wiped out:
And so in friendship are joined honor and charm, truth and joy,
sweetness and good-will, affection and action. And all these take
their beginning from Christ, advance through Christ, and are perfected
in Christ. Therefore, not too steep or unnatural does the ascent
appear from Christ, as the inspiration of the love by which we
love our friend, to Christ giving himself to us as our Friend for us
to love, so that charm may follow upon charm, sweetness upon
sweetness and affection upon affection. And thus, friend cleaving
to friend in the spirit of Christ, is made with Christ but one heart
and one soul, and so mounting aloft through degrees of love to
friendship with Christ, he is made one spirit with him in one kiss.
Aspiring to this kiss the saintly soul cries out: ‘Let him kiss me with
the kiss of his mouth.’ 28
25 DSA 1:60 [CCCM 1:299(358-59); SF 64].
26 See DSA 1:39-49 [CCCM 1:295-97(220-79); SF 59-61].
27 DSA 2:33 [CCCM 1:309(238-39); SF 78].
28 DSA 2:20-21 [CCCM 1:306(143-55); SF 74-75].