“Blessed be the Lord, my Rock! My refuge and my fortress, my stronghold,
my deliverer, My shield, in whom I trust,” Psalm 144:2

This second verse of the Psalm describes God as a stronghold and steadfast figure or a defender of life. God is the stable part of humanity that will always be there to help and guide us through the hard times in life. Both the first reading and the Psalm portray this image of God as a defender and shield. God is a shield helping to protect us through all of the battles that we face in everyday life. These battles can range from an actual battle against an enemy such as in war or it can be the strength to go on after the death of a dearest loved one. God will be a shield protecting and guiding us through all walks of life.

At Creighton University, I am in the first weeks of a new semester of academics. I can only hope that God will use his inspiration of wisdom to encourage my consistent study habits so that I may be shielded from the failure that accompanies lack of preparedness for assignments and exams. I sometimes am guilty of believing that on an exam if I pray really hard the answer will just come to me. I usually realize that this is not going to help but do so anyway. God does not work like that though. He will help give us the strength to complete the preparation work which is the means to success.

The gospel continues with the idea of God as a shield who gives us the courage to stand up for what is right and provides us with the strength to embrace the consequences of doing the right thing even though it may not follow the accepted societal practices. I often fall into the belief that if it is a law or it is something that people who are older than me do than it must be correct. I do not always take a step back to make sure that the effect of the situation is what God would want to happen. I need to make sure that in every situation I encounter I am doing what is best for all of the people of God not only certain people from a specific place. Everyone is a Child of God !