Take refuge in the Sacred Heart of Jesus

me all you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will refresh you.” [Mt. 11:28]

In Mt. 11;28-30, the evangelist speaks to us about the “hesed” of God, that is, the “loving mercy” made incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ. We pine for this loving mercy which we honor specifically on the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In my own lifetime, my devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is, I am sure, pivotal in my decision to say “yes” to the Lord’s invitation to follow him into the priesthood. Because I was quick to learn that life on planet earth can be fickle, troublesome, sorrowful, fodder for anxiety, I took solace in this beautiful passage from the Second Gospel and how Jesus invites all of us who are finding life burdensome to find refuge from the pain in him. In the following, there are some instances which perhaps you, the reader, can identify with. Instances in which you are plagued by circumstances beyond your control which yield pain, sorrow, anxiety, depression, physical disease. In each of these, the Lord beckons to find comfort in him, in particular, in his heart, the locus of God’s

“hesed,” his loving mercy. On June 16, the Church pays homage to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is not a feast day but an actual solemnity, one of the feasts of the Lord. May all of us, each in our own way, find a way to honor the loving mercy of God made flesh in Jesus. He is our hope and, in the words of the “Te Deum,” “ we shall never hope in vain.”

“My life is spinning out of control— I can’t take this constant rushing, when I want to sleep, I can’t. When I don’t want to sleep, I find myself dozing off.” And Jesus says: “Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.” [Mt. 11:28]

“My husband and I haven’t been intimate in years. I feel like a parched desert yearning for even a drop of water. I feel empty—unloved and unlovable.” And Jesus says: “Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.” [Mt. 11:28]

“My kids and I don’t see eye-toeye on just about any issue. They speak a language which is foreign to me. And they don’t want to spend any time with me. In fact, they never want to be seen in my company when they are with their friends. It seems like their friends come before their family.” And Jesus says: “Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.” [Mt. 11:28]

“Does anyone know how humiliating it is for me to be unemployed after dedicating the past twenty years of my life to a big banking firm? Now, I’m lucky if I can find a job as a branch manager. I live in a town that I love but for how much longer? Creditors are hounding me. Bills go unpaid. My kids have no clue what’s going on and, sometimes, I wish my wife didn’t either.” And Jesus says: “Come to

“Just when I think that I’m out of the woods with my battle with one cancer, I just learned that another cancer has reared its ugly head in my body. I’m scared. I’m young. I have kids—and I don’t want to leave them. I don’t want them to lose their faith if I die. I don’t want them to blame God for what genetics has done to me.” And Jesus says: “Come to me you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will refresh you.” [Mt. 11:28]

“Twenty years of marriage, four kids and my husband tells me that he no longer wants to be married. What did I do wrong? Why has the loved that united us dissolved? Will somebody pinch me and tell me that it’s just a bad dream?” And Jesus says: “Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will refresh you.” [Mt. 11:28]

These are just a few vignettes from the hearts of parishioners who are in pain; just a few insights into the hearts of people who populate our pews, sometimes on a daily basis. But the word is out—Jesus doesn’t want us to suffer alone. His Sacred Heart beckons: “come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will refresh you.” [Mt. 11:28] The Heart calls—“what are we waiting for?” Let go, let Jesus!

Trusting in God leads to water he places in ‘Bitter Valleys’

“further up and further in” is an excellent description of the spiritual life. However, after a quick online search, I found that the phrase was already the name for an online group, and I figured that I might have copyright problems if I used it.

When I heard through the diocesan grapevine that “The Catholic Spirit” was looking for a regular column writer, I went to my superior and asked what she thought about my sending in my name. She said it was a great idea! So, encouraged by the blessing of obedience, I emailed the editors, giving the link to the articles that I have written, and applying for the position. They replied immediately and graciously welcomed me aboard.

When everything was arranged, I told my Sisters in the Community that I would be writing a regular column for the “Spirit.” They were used to my writing, and they took this new development in stride. One of their few questions was, “What will you call the column?” For, besides the title of the individual article, the column itself usually has a title.

I had thought about this, and my first choice for a title was “Further Up and Further In,” from “The Last Battle” in C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. I am a fervent Narnia fan, and I believe that

The next suggestion immediately came to my mind: “A Place of Springs.” This is part of a verse from Psalm 84, a hymn sung by pilgrims as they make their way to the house of God. They rejoice as they look forward to entering God’s presence and in verse 6, they reflect on the difficulties that they have encountered.

There are several translations of verse 6: “As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs.” Another translation says, “As they pass through the Valley of the Balsam they make there a water hole.”

These are both valid translations, but the one I am familiar with is from the Grail Psalms that are used in the Liturgy of the Hours, which all priests and religious recite. This translation says, “As they go through the Bitter Valley they make it a place of springs.” I don’t know where the Valley of Baca is; I assume it’s in the Holy Land somewhere, but I know very well where the different Bitter Valleys are through which I have struggled at various times in my life.

We all have our Bitter Valley and many of us have several of them: valleys of depression and despair, of financial hardship, of broken relationships, of difficulties and problems of every kind. We have only to look back over our life and we can remember them and the anguish and turmoil that we experienced as we trudged slowly and with difficulty, one small, painful step at a time.

What I love about this verse is that I don’t need to do anything to change the Bitter Valley except to keep going and not to give up. My very endurance transforms it “into a place of springs.” I may not realize it at the time, but looking back it may become clear that my persistence made a difference. Or others may notice how the passage through that Bitter Valley changed me. It may have taught me compassion, trust in God, the power of grace. After struggling through it I may see more clearly the beauty and wonder of the people I love, the truth of our faith, and, most important, how much God loves me.

I probably won’t see these things while I am in the Valley, but if I continue to make just one more step along its path, and then another and another, I will find the water that is there because of my trust in God.

My articles are my own pilgrimage songs, flowing from my struggles in different Bitter Valleys. I pray that those who read them may find them to be also “a place of springs.”

Sister Gabriela of the Incarnation is a member of the Discalced Carmelites order in Flemington www.flemingtoncarmel.org.

How to report abuse

If you were sexually abused by a member of the clergy or anyone representing the Catholic Church, or you know of someone who was, you are encouraged to report that abuse to local law enforcement, the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency at 1-877-NJ ABUSE (652-2873) or 1-800-835-5510 (TTY/TDD for the deaf), and also the Diocesan Response Officer at (908) 930-4558 (24 hours/7 days a week).