The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow Psalm 146: 9a Source The very heart of the Christian gospel is that Christ came into the world to heal the bruised reed and the broken spirit, for he is humble and gentle in heart. This is how the prophet Isaiah pictures the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 42:3). Christ is tender and kind to those who are crushed by the tragedies of life, for he is the revelation of the compassionate heart of God, the God who reveals himself as having a particular care for the widows, orphans, aliens, and the poor… The Lord describes himself, through Moses, in these words: "He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing" (Deuteronomy 10:18)… So it should not surprise us when we read through the Gospels and see Christ, all through his ministry, delighting in reaching out to women and men with damaged lives. One of the repeated themes of the Gospels...