A Daughter’s Heart
By: Missionary Team
“There was a small child in front of her father. She was yelling and sobbing, frustrated to tears. At that, her Father pulled her close to his heart and held on as she began to hit him again and again. She wasn’t mad at him, nor did she hate him. She was sad and mad and frustrated with everything that could not be from him. Her heart was broken, and this is why He held her. He was the only one capable of holding her so tight that all the pieces of her heart would glue back together. She continued to hit him over and over, and He continued to hold her and let His shirt soak up her tears and snot. Finally, her energy was spent. She came to rest in her Father’s arms, tear-stained and broken-hearted at the time. He could have done anything in the world to change the external circumstances, but He took that time to hold her close and tell her a story about a girl and her Father.”
Have you ever been so angry and so sad and not known why? Everything seems to rub you the wrong way, and you feel so alone and like no one could possibly understand. I have been there, and it kind of sucks. They say it is the darkest right before dawn, but by that point, you think there will be no dawn. There comes a time when that is the point where the dawn is most evident, exactly like when you reach a point so agonizing that no one can be there but Christ Himself. Mark 15:33-34 says “When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?’ which is translated, ‘MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?’” Jesus felt that same despair as He prepared to die. In that darkness, you can reach out and hold the hands of Christ to unite your pain and suffering to His. Not only does this serve as consolation, but it also serves as a powerful prayer for another. So often we hear about “offering it up” as Catholics, but we forget that this isn’t just about physical pain. In sharing my personal reflection with others, I noticed that most of them wanted to know “why”. Why was she angry and sad? Why was she crying? Why did she hit her Father? I don’t think it matters. The fact of the matter is, she was hurting. Because of this, her Father took her pain and made it His own. He, in His Son, came and experienced that same despair despite having no fault. He did this with pure love and out of a desire to be close to us. In this way, He is able to hold me close, hold my hand, and let me know it will be okay. He has my heart and yours, in His hands.
