Confident of God's Care

Can a woman forget her baby at the breast,

feel no pity for the child she has borne?

Even if these were to forget,

I shall not forget you.

Look I have engraved you on the palms of my hands . . . .
(Is 49:15-16a)

I found the following terrific reflection on these verses in The New Jerusalem Bible: Saints Devotional Edition.  It was written by St. John Eudes who lived between 1601-1680.

"To strengthen us in the holy virtue of confidence our kind and lovable savior assumes the most loving titles possible.  He calls himself, and really is, our friend, our advocate, our shepherd, our brother, our father, our soul, our life, and the spouse of our souls.  And he styles us as his sheep, his brothers and sisters, his children, his portion and inheritance, his soul and his heart. 

He assures us in Scripture that his care for us is unceasing (Ws 12:13), and that he himself will always carry us in his heart (Is 46:3).  Again he promises that even though a mother should forget her child, he will never forget us--that he has us written on his hands so as to have us ever in his sight.  And whoever touches us touches the apple of his eye (Zc 2:12).

He tells us that his Father loves us as he, our Lord, loves him, and that he loves us as the Father loves him (Jn 17:26; 15:9); that he desires that we should be with him in the heart of the eternal Father and seated with him on his throne (Rv 3:21)---in a word, that we should be one with him, and perfectly united with him and his Father (Jn 17:23).

And he also promises us that in the event of our having displeased him, if we return to him with humility, sorrow, confidence in his goodness and the resolve to abandon sin, he will receive us with an embrace, forget all our offenses and clothe us with the robe of his grace and love (Lk 15:21).

After this who will not have confidence, and abandon himself entirely to the care of such a friend, brother, father, and spouse who knows what is best for us and in his extreme goodness leads us to our true end, supreme happiness?"