“I love you, LORD, my strength, LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my rock of refuge, my shield, my saving horn, my stronghold!” – Psalm 18:2-3
Do you have a favorite comfort food? Perhaps it’s your mother’s casserole or your grandma’s pie. Are you a chocolate-lover or do you prefer a big dish of ice cream? Perhaps you are simply the kind of person who enjoys a nice glass of wine. Pleasures like these offer us a brief reprieve from the stresses of life. In moderation, they can be wonderful foretastes of the joy we hope for in Heaven.
Unfortunately, we often forget that these pleasures are only a preview and not the feature presentation. Indulging in food, escaping in front of the TV, or surfing the Internet cannot fulfill us, and after a certain point, the more we consume, the less satisfied we become. Thus, the prophet Isaiah challenges us with the question, “Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy?” (55:7). Saint Teresa of Avila offers us this simple admonition in response: “God alone suffices.”
In truth, it is not comfort that we desire. The Latin root for the word comfort literally means, “to strengthen or fortify.” Deep down we really want the strength and the courage to live with abandon; to fly headlong into the fray of life, toward the infinite horizon of God’s love, and overcome the obstacles that block our path. We were made to dare and do great deeds rather than drift along as if we had been drugged by excess consumption. Ultimately, we want to fly, but we cannot fly unless we cling to God, who not only comforts but also strengthens us beneath His wings (Ps. 91:4).
Therefore, let us put our faith in the LORD, our fortress and refuge. As the first reading for this Sunday states, He is compassionate, so what have we to fear? He promises to hear the cries of the poor and answer them with justice. He promises to care for orphans and widows (Exodus 22:26). And he fulfills this promise through Christ Jesus, His Son, Who instructed us to love God with all our heart and love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).
Thus, he has chosen you and me to carry out His promises and care for our neighbors. We will find true comfort, not in earthly delights, but in tending to the needs of widows and orphans. And the tighter we cling to the LORD our Rock, the less we will feel the need to hang on to those things we could be giving to the poor.
LORD God, our Rock and our Salvation, hear our prayer. Strengthen us in the shelter of your wings, that we may fly without fear to the aid of all our neighbors, especially impoverished children. In your compassion, hear their prayers and ours, through Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen.
