Dealing with Heartbreak

Gospel Reflection for August 7, 2023

“When Jesus heard of it, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, ‘This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.’ [Jesus] said to them, ‘There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.’ But they said to him, ‘Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.’ Then he said, ‘Bring them here to me,’ and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.” (Mt. 14:13-21 NABRE)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus had just been told that John the Baptist, his cousin, was killed. He had just lost someone very close to Him and simply desired to be by Himself. Jesus probably wanted to spend time with the Father after hearing this heartbreaking news. Yet, a crowd had followed Jesus, and like the good Shepherd, despite His own sadness, He tended to His flock and cared for them.

We have all experienced the deep sadness of losing someone in our lives, whether it be through their passing away, moving away, through the ending of a relationship, or by simply drifting apart. Nothing compares to the pain of losing someone that we love or care about.

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Oftentimes, emotional grief leads us to feeling suffocated, depressed, or alone. The desire to have more time with the person we care about or to restore the relationship we had with them can overwhelm us and cause us to despair.

In these moments of heartbreak, we must follow Jesus’ example by first turning to God in prayer. We should take time to process our sadness and we should look to our good Shepherd to comfort us. We must trust in God during our time of grief and we must remember that He is right with us as we carry our cross.

Emotional pain can be so difficult to handle, but like Jesus, we must lean on the Father and depend on Him to give us the strength we need to continue completing our responsibilities. We should strive to continue doing our best to serve others at work, home, and wherever else. We will find that by turning to God in our pain, rather than avoiding Him, our hearts will be healed and comforted.

“For I will restore your health;
    I will heal your injuries.” (Jeremiah 30:17)

“Blessed are they who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.” (Mt. 5:4)

“Do not fear: I am with you;
    do not be anxious: I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

1. Image from article: Kristen Johnson, “Women are 10 times more likely to have a broken heart, literally,” at health enews, at https://www.ahchealthenews.com/2022/03/22/women-are-10-times-more-likely-to-have-a-broken-heart-literally/