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How Do You Fix a Broken Heart?

31/1/2024

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, February 4th, 2024:
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Psalm 147

R. Sing praises to the Lord who heals the broken-hearted. or R. Alleluia!

How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.

R. Sing praises to the Lord who heals the broken-hearted. or R. Alleluia!

The Lord heals the broken-hearted, and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.

R. Sing praises to the Lord who heals the broken-hearted. or R. Alleluia!

Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is be-yond measure. The Lord lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground.

R. Sing praises to the Lord who heals the broken-hearted. or R. Alleluia!

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

French fries. Ice cream. Cookies. Cake! When I am broken-hearted, these are the things I reach for. Whether it be heartbreak caused by an ex-boyfriend, a lost friendship, an estranged family member, or witnessing the hurtful actions of one person (or group of persons) toward another, heartbreak sucks. Heartbreak can literally feel like there is a hole in your heart. And personally, I want to fill that hole left in my heart with something, anything that will make the emptiness and hurt go away. And the easiest filler for me is something tangibly comforting… and delicious. But that really doesn’t fix my heartbreak.

Like many people, I want to fix things when they are broken! However, fixing broken things is one thing. Fixing broken people? That’s a whole different thing altogether. Human heartbreak is ultimately the loss of a relationship. Romantic or platonic, it doesn’t matter. And if I have learned anything it is:

We were made for relationship!
We are in relationship with every part of God’s creation.

It blows my mind every time I think that God didn’t need to create me – He wanted to. He wanted a relationship with me. Even when I do heart-breaking things! He can fix that. He can fix me. The writer of Psalm 147 is very clear about God’s power to heal the brokenhearted. True healing comes from the One whose heart broke first. The One who created us. As humanity chose over and over again not to love God as He loved them, His heart broke. Yet He continued to reach out to us to offer healing for the brokenness we felt and oftentimes caused.

God did not leave His creation alone; just as He does not leave me alone. He doesn’t do the turning away in our relationship, I do. I make the choice to let Him fix me, heal me, love me…or not. God gave me that freedom trusting that I will come back to Him always. Broken heart and all. What greater gift is there than that?

Okay, there is one thing greater. To show how much He wants to do this for me, He sent His only Son – who literally broke! – in order to reconcile our relationship.

Through Christ’s sacrifice, Christ’s love, I am reconciled to God. And it’s not just me! It’s all of humanity. God created all to know and witness that love. Broken as we are, God loves us unconditionally. Always. And if we are all given this gift of healing love, then let us constantly remind one another of that important fact! Being capable of love and receiving love are important. But knowing we are loved makes all the difference. When I know I am loved, the brokenness falls away. When I know that I am loved, I know how to love another. And when we love others so they know they are loved, broken hearts can be fixed.

Aurea Sadi

2 Comments

In the Blink of His Eye

30/1/2024

1 Comment

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, February 4th, 2024:
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Job
7.1-4, 6-7

Job spoke to his friends: “Does not the human being have a hard service on earth, and are not their days like the days of a labourer? Like a slave who longs for the shadow, and like a labourer who looks for their wages, so I am allotted months of emptiness, and nights of misery are apportioned to me.

“When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I rise?’ But the night is long, and I am full of tossing until dawn.

“My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and come to their end without hope. Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never again see good.”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

When I was relatively new to being in a relationship with Jesus, I decided to commit myself to a weekly hour of adoration at our parish. I signed up and, at the appointed time, arrived at the church. There I was, just me and Jesus and a whole, big empty church. I knelt in prayer for what felt like at least 45 minutes, and when I rose from my knees and checked the time, found that about five minutes had passed. I had no idea how I was going to get through a full hour. I wandered to the back of the church to a little table that had reading materials on it and found a booklet on Job. Taking it back to my seat, I began to read about this devoted man who suffered for years and remained faithful to God. I’ve never forgotten that hour of adoration. The Lord used that hour and my desire to be nearer to Him to speak directly to me, assuring me that, regardless of any trial, I can trust in Him.

And there have been trials. Like Job’s lament in this reading, there have been days where it seemed that the chaos would never end, and when I lay down at night to rest, my mind would continue to turn whatever the current issue was over and over, trying to use my humanness to solve it. I’d wake the next morning more exhausted and even less equipped than the day before to deal with whatever was going on. I would sink further into a pit of despair, wishing my time away and praying only for my will to be done.

When I am finally taken to my knees and throw my hands up in surrender, I remember where my will needs to go. I need to let go and trust in Him. It hasn’t always resulted in the road becoming suddenly easier, but when I remember to place my will in His hands, I find that my soul is lighter. I rest easier at night, knowing that this, too, will eventually pass, and there will come a day when, while I may remember whatever the situation was, I will no longer feel the pain. I will look back at it and be able to see the growth and gift that came of it. Days that, without Him, feel endless, will indeed have passed more swiftly than the blink of an eye because I am held in the Saviour’s hand. I don’t want to waste even one of those blinks of an eye. I want each one to be a testament to His glory.

Let us pray: Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness, even amid the storm. Help me to remember that Your hand is always on the rudder of my ship, guiding me to the destination You have planned for me. Grace me with the wisdom to always trust in Your plan and the sure knowledge that suffering brings me closer to You, and to give all the glory to You. Amen.

Sandy Graves

1 Comment

Enter a Sacred Place

26/1/2024

2 Comments

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, January 28th, 2024:
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mark
1.21-28

The disciples went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing the man and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching — with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

At once Jesus’ fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Today’s Gospel reading is an important one – as is the Gospel reading every day – but this one in particular stands out because it touches on the reality of the spiritual warfare at play behind the scenes in our lives. The topics of possession and exorcism are so important, and I believe they should be taught with the utmost care and knowledge of Catholic teaching. I encourage all to seek out grounded, solid, Catholic answers to any questions in this area. Because I feel I am highly under-qualified to teach anything on this matter “with authority,” as the Gospel discusses, I’d like simply to share with you the things that stand out for me as I pray with this passage. When something a little too big to grasp looms in front of me, sometimes I find it helpful to listen to the Holy Spirit in my littleness and to notice His goodness in this.
As I reflect with this Scripture, I notice that the man with an unclean spirit is “in their synagogue,” where Jesus is teaching. Without a doubt, some dark things have happened in this man’s life and something has gone terribly wrong for him to be touched so deeply by this unclean spirit – and yet, he is in the synagogue. Before we see the battle between this man and the demon, before we see him call out mockingly or witness Jesus’ intervention into his life and heart, we learn this simple fact: the man has made his way into the synagogue. This tells me that no matter how dark things become in our lives, when our lives are full of sin and we feel stuck we must get ourselves into the Sacred Places where we can encounter Jesus.
The first and foremost Sacred Place is in the pew of a church where, close by, the altar and tabernacle give unwavering power and grace day and night. Let us put ourselves in this Sacred Place the next time doubt assails us or darkness creeps over us. Let us put ourselves at the Eucharistic table, in the confessional, in a Sacred Place of sacramental grace, which will never fail to lighten the darkness. Let us sit ourselves down to read sacred Scripture or to share our hearts with a spiritual director or priest. Remembering that St Paul calls our bodies “temples of the Holy Spirit,” let us enter a Sacred Place just by wrapping a rosary around our hands and asking Mary for help or God for mercy.
However we choose our Sacred Place, let us remember always to go “into the synagogue” – go into the heart of Christ, which is His Church. Let us bring our whole selves there, in honesty and poverty, and Jesus, when called upon, will never fail to answer us!

Sr. Angela Burnham

2 Comments

Affairs of the Lord

25/1/2024

4 Comments

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, January 28th, 2024:
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Corinthians
7.32-35

Brothers and sisters, I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided.

The unmarried woman and the virgin are concerned about the affairs of the Lord, so that they may be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is concerned about the affairs of the world, how to please her husband.

I say this for your own benefit, not to put any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and unhindered devotion to the Lord.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Two of my favourite “unmarried women" in the Bible are Ruth and Rahab. Well, I’m speaking of Ruth after she became a widow, which makes her unmarried for the purposes of this reflection.

What did it mean for Ruth and Rahab to be “concerned about the affairs of the Lord”?

Ruth was completely devoted to the sole relationship in her life – her relationship with her mother-in-law, Naomi. Ruth was concerned about Naomi’s well-being. She went with Naomi to a new and unknown land because she knew that the Lord had placed this one relationship in her life and that she ought to be faithful to it. It was through Ruth’s faithfulness to her mother-in-law that she, as a woman of Moab, discovered the God of Israel.

Similarly, Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute, knew that the Lord was calling her to be a part of His “affairs” by hiding and guiding two Israelite spies. Through her interactions with them, and through the changes that came about in her day-to-day living from then onwards, Rahab discovered the Lord and stayed faithful to Him.

Just like Ruth and Rahab, each woman, be she married, unmarried or in a complicated state of life, is called to be “concerned about the affairs of the Lord” and faithful to Him in all her doings.

As an unmarried woman, I have recently come to peace with the fact that all my energy does not need to be consumed by self-pity for my state in life. I do not need to compare myself to all and sundry around me. I need only be concerned about the affairs that the Lord has placed in my hands. I am blessed with a fulfilling job as a high school teacher in an amazing Christian school, and I know it is my duty to strive to be more like Jesus in my interactions with my students and my co-workers.

The Lord has also placed me in the midst of a vibrant church community. As a part of various ministries, I need to aim to be Christ-like in my interactions and relationships with those around me. I am truly fortunate to have the time and the capacity to be “concerned about the affairs of the Lord” through my work and my parish community.

I recognise that God gives us a vocation to keep us close to Him and to give us the capacity to be as holy as possible in our respective states of life. I firmly believe that I am meant to be single and “unmarried” as I start 2024. God knows that this is what is best for me at this point in time. Every person who crosses my path is who I need for this moment. Each one of you reading this reflection is meant to benefit from my ponderings about the “unmarried woman” who is “concerned about the affairs of the Lord.” Like Ruth and Rahab, all we need do is remain faithful to Our Creator to the best of our abilities.

Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing me a sense of peace about my state in life for now. Thank you for introducing me to suitable role models like Ruth and Rahab from your Holy Bible. Bless me with devotion and dedication to do your will. Amen.

Rebecca D'mello

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How Do You Fix a Broken Heart?

​A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, February 4th, 2024:Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

In the Blink of His Eye

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, February 4th, 2024:​Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Enter a Sacred Place

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, January 28th, 2024:Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Affairs of the Lord

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, January 28th, 2024:Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Archives

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, February 4th, 2024:
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, February 4th, 2024:
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, January 28th, 2024:
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, January 28th, 2024:
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time