God  is our Refuge and Our Strength
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1)

“Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you…” (1 Peter 5:7)

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” (Ps. 55:22)

There are many examples in Holy Scripture which show how close Our Lord wants to be to us. He is our friend, and He wants us to be His friend. This is a spiritual relationship worth pursuing. Anyone can follow the Lord. He loves us but what He doesn’t love is our sin. It is difficult not to sin, because we are all sinners, myself included. But we can try to better ourselves. Don’t be discouraged. “I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you.” (John 14:18).

Most reflections I write are long, in fact, too long. I think you’ll get more out of shorter reflections like this one. So I wish you well, and hope you’ll follow Jesus, His (and our) Mother Mary, and the Angels and Saints. Tomorrow is the Feast of St. Clare, one of the great Franciscan Saints next to St. Francis of Assisi. Because tomorrow is Sunday, her feast is not celebrated this year (except in Poor Clare communities).
St. Clare pray for us.

God bless you all.

Fred Schaeffer, OFS
August 10, 2024

Home

Index