God is refuge, especially in times of danger and fear, pope says

Published: 2004-06-16

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- God is always with us to help us, especially at times of great danger or fear, said Pope John Paul II at his weekly general audience. The pope focused his catechesis June 16 on Psalm 46, which he said "expresses an indestructible faith in God who 'is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help' in our distress." The psalm celebrates the city of Jerusalem as "the city of God, 'the holy place where the most high dwells,'" he said. It is God's presence there that reaffirms the psalmist's conviction that despite any chaos or trouble, "Jerusalem 'will not be disturbed; God will help it,'" the pope said. "Despite the turmoil which makes peoples shudder and kingdoms totter, the faithful find in Zion the peace and serenity that come from communion with God," he said.

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