It sounds exaggerated and we could dismiss it as just another example of religious hyperbole. “In God alone is my soul at rest; from God comes my help. God alone is my rock, my stronghold, my fortress; I stand firm” (Ps 61/62: 1-2).

In reality we find our rest, comfort, peace with friends or family; our help, too, comes from their support, from doctors, medicine, possibly even from the words of a stranger written in a book. It doesn't seem simply to come from God alone. Yet, when we put the help and support of all these along with God we must admit that they can fail, through no fault of their own -- or through their own fault. A friend can end a relationship; a dispute can take away support; illness, incapacity and death can remove our earthly “rock” from us, no matter how faithful she has been. There is some point to giving our pure attention to God, apart from all those who mediate that grace and goodness to us.

“God alone is my rock, my stronghold, my fortress; I stand firm.”

— Don Talafous OSB
dtalafous@csbsju.edu

Saint John’s Abbey
Saint John’s University

Editor’s Note: A suggestion for a unique Christmas gift: Fr. Don Talafous’s new book, a collection of his reflections. They offer hope and encouragement. While they come from the mind, heart, and PC of a Catholic Benedictine, these reflections appeal to church-goers, skeptics, and even those of little if any relation to organized religion. Order here: Musings: A Benedictine on Christian Life