Proverbs — Chapter 17

Melius est buccella sicca cum gaudio, quam domus plena victimis cum jurgio

Better is a dry morsel with joy than a house full of sacrifices with strife. Lapide: The theme of chapter 17 is domestic and social harmony. \"Buccella sicca\" = a dry, hard piece of bread — the most meager fare. \"Domus plena victimis cum jurgio\" = a house overflowing with sacrificial feasts (the richest of meals) but filled with quarreling, bickering, and discord. Lapide: True joy in the family comes not from wealth or sumptuous food but from charity, mutual respect, and peace. He applies this to religious communities: monastic peace and fraternal charity are worth infinitely more than material abundance accompanied by rivalry and resentment.

Omni tempore diligit qui amicus est: et frater in angustiis comprobatur

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is proved in distress. Lapide: True friendship is constant — it does not depend on circumstances, mutual advantage, or pleasant weather. \"Omni tempore\" = in prosperity and adversity, in health and sickness, in honor and disgrace. \"In angustiis comprobatur\" = the true brother (friend) is tested and proven in times of distress — it is adversity that distinguishes the true friend from the flatterer and the fair-weather companion. Lapide cites Cicero (De Amicitia) and Aristotle (Nic. Ethics VIII-IX) on the nature of true friendship, and the supreme example of Christ: \"Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends\" (John 15:13).