December 13/Third Tuesday of Advent
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.” ~ Psalm 34.19
The holidays do not pair well with grief and sorrow, but many experience these emotions with special intensity during this season. What leaves us more brokenhearted than losing someone we love? In the face of such loss we are disoriented, devastated, wounded by a million shards of pain. When a beloved person is gone, our lives are never the same again. We may feel that God has walked out on us; we may be angry, raging that if He had really loved us this would not have happened. The psalmist clearly knew this kind of pain — the Hebrew words for “broken-hearted” and “crushed in spirit” connote being shattered and pulverized. But the psalmist also knew this: God does not forsake us in times of searing, terrible grief. Our Lord not only loves us, he is close to us — again, the Hebrew is instructive, as the word for “close” is associated with the inward parts of a human being. Amid the pain and suffering, God remains present to us. No matter how much we wail and shake our fists, He will abide with us. We do not walk through the valley of the shadow of death alone; He is there to comfort us as we trudge along in the darkness, wondering whether there will ever be light again. At such times, prayer is a challenge. Tears come readily; words may not. No matter: even when we are so numb that we cannot feel His presence, God surrounds us with love, wiping away our tears, binding up our wounds. And if we truly let ourselves abide in him, and release ourselves into his comforting embrace, even as we grieve we may once again come to trust his promise that love is stronger than death.
Lord of heaven and earth, Stay by my side as I journey through times of loss and pain, and grant me the healing comfort of your presence. Amen.
To hear Roberta Flack and Donnie Hathaway sing “Come Ye Disconsolate,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmnnMHGvVJc
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121322.cfm
