“We are so strangely made; the memories that could make us happy pass away;
it is the memories that break our hearts that abide.”
“The Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc” by Mark Twain
Is there anyone among us that is not in need of healing; are any that have not been hurt deeply with the kind of inner wound that abides? Today’s readings give us a glimpse of the source of the spiritual healing that we all long for, hope for, and wait for – and that God has planned for us. Isaiah compares God’s love for us to the love of a mother, saying, “… you shall be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap; as a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you…” Those who mourn will someday rejoice in the love of our God, who knows all our suffering and pain and willingly enters into it as Jesus, our brother.
In the Gospel reading, when Jesus sends out His disciples to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God, He makes it clear that God is watching over each of them. Jesus concerns Himself with the smallest things; what they will eat and where they will sleep. He doesn’t promise the disciples will be welcomed; each person, each town, has the freedom to reject them. At the same time, Jesus warns that rejection of those who bring the Gospel message has consequences: “Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you… I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town."
Each time we are wounded, rejected, or hurt, God knows; He sees every injury and weeps with us. He warns that someday, each person will be called to account for their actions, for each injury inflicted on His beloved disciples. Praying for those who injured us can bring peace and the healing begins, but the scars remain. The memories abide.
Know that God can help you: give Him your wounded heart. Go, sit by the tabernacle, and listen for His voice. He promises, “I have heard your prayers, and seen your tears, and I will heal you” (II Kings 2:5). He has promised, and He will do it. Trust in Him.
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