Jesus is there for us because He loves us
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS
God's love for us is profound, unconditional, and beautifully expressed throughout the Bible, reminding us that we are cherished and valued. Let's begin with, Romans 5:8 (Nabre), "But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us."
And in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”
Also, 1 John 3:1, “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
These are very powerful verses. These, and other Scripture verses, prove to me that God the Father created us because He loves us, and sent his Son, Jesus, to redeem us. God knows we are an imperfect people, because we are victims of Original Sin. And God does everything possible to make our lives better. All we need to do is say “Yes, Lord, I will do your Will” and mean it. (See Ps. 40:9 “I delight to do your will, my God; your law is in my inner being!”)
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Mt. 11:28-30). We learn from the Lord because He loves us. He gives us a lightened burden, an easier task of our life on earth, and the promise of Eternal Life, when we do His Will.
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” – Matthew 6:26
"If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me." (Matthew 16:24).
It is so difficult to follow him. I have a "House phone" so that certain people can contact me. It turns out that one or more organizations contact me about insurance matters, and other advertising in which I have no interest whatever. The undesirable calls come every 5-10 minutes, just when I am trying to concentrate on writing reflections. It gets so bad at times, I tell these callers what I think of them and their products in a very unfriendly way. When my temper passes, the calls stop. That tells me Satan is trying to steer me away from thoughts about God and all that is Holy. I am already very forgetful, and when I am constantly disturbed, I lose the thread of my writing completely. Please pray for me.
God has created us, He loves us; He sent his Son to redeem us, and all we have to do is AGREE to do His Will. Let’s do it.
Fred Schaeffer, OFS
November 14, 2025