THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Offaly columnist says there are moments when our hearts ache with disappointment, loss or guilt

“HE heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3.) There are moments in life when words fail, when our hearts ache under the quiet weight of disappointment, loss, fear or guilt. Sometimes we smile on the outside while silently wondering if anyone truly sees what we carry. But God sees.

And not only does He see, He cares. His heart breaks for every wound that breaks ours. His love reaches into the places we hide, not to condemn, but to heal. When we finally stop running, stop pretending, and turn toward Him, something begins to change. We discover that the call to follow Jesus is not a call into duty or fear, it is a call into freedom, forgiveness, mercy, hope and healing. But God sees what no one else can. He sees the tears that never fall, the struggles we hide behind our smiles, the ache we cannot name. And into that tender, sacred place of our brokenness, He speaks softly: “Come to Me… and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). It’s here, in the mystery of surrender, that the journey of following Christ truly begins.

He knows our pain and meets us there

There is no wound too deep for His touch. No past too dark for His mercy. No fear too great for His peace. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

(Psalm 34:18.) Perhaps you’ve walked through seasons when faith felt distant, when prayer seemed to echo into silence. Maybe you’ve carried regret for things done or left undone. Yet even there, Christ meets us. He kneels beside our pain and whispers, “You are mine. You are loved. You are not beyond healing.” It is often in those quiet, hidden moments, when tears fall and words falter, that His grace does its deepest work. He doesn’t rush us. He simply holds us until the pieces of our heart begin to fit together again.

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The cross that sets us free

To follow Jesus is to walk a paradox, a path where suffering leads to joy, and surrender leads to freedom. He calls us to take up our cross, yet He also promises, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30). How can both be true? Because we are never asked to carry our crosses alone. The cross we bear with Him becomes a bridge to freedom. The pain we offer to Him becomes transformed by grace. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36.) True freedom is not found in doing whatever pleases us, it’s found in doing what pleases God. It is freedom from guilt, fear and shame. Freedom from bitterness and resentment. Freedom from the endless striving to prove our worth.

Following Christ doesn’t bind us; it releases us from the chains we didn’t even know we wore. We live in a world where storms rage, both around us and within us. Yet Scripture reminds us: “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10). To follow Jesus is not to walk an easy path, but to be equipped for the battle, not with weapons of anger or fear, but with truth, righteousness, peace, faith, mercy, hope and love. Faith becomes our shield when doubts attack. Prayer becomes our breath when hope feels thin. Scripture becomes our compass when the path grows dark. Daily Eucharist is the food that fills us with His grace and strength to keep going always no matter what befalls us. We do not fight alone, for the battle is the Lord’s, and He has already won. The cross that once looked like defeat became the doorway to victory. And through that same cross, we too are set free. As Pope Leo reminds us, “The joy of the Gospel and our daily Eucharist fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus.” Those who accept His invitation find not restriction, but release. To follow Christ is to step into the wide, unbounded grace of God, where sin no longer defines us, where failure is not final, and where love is always greater than our wounds.

The healing love of Jesus

Healing in Christ is not just physical; it’s deeply spiritual and emotional. It’s the kind that restores what life has broken and breathes life into what grief has silenced. “He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners.” (Isaiah 61:1.) Some wounds are healed in a moment; others take time. Some scars remain, not to shame us, but to remind us that grace carried us through. Even in our most painful chapters, God is writing redemption. When you open your heart to His love, He begins to replace fear with faith, bitterness with peace, and despair with hope. He doesn’t erase your story, He transforms it.

Called to bring healing to others

Once you have experienced His healing, something remarkable happens: you begin to see others through His eyes. You start to notice the pain behind someone’s smile, the quiet cry behind their silence. And suddenly, compassion becomes your mission. “As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love.” (John 15:9.)

Following Jesus is never a private journey. We are called to carry His light into dark places, to love where others judge, to forgive where others wound, and to speak peace where others sow division. To follow Him is to become a healer in His name, a living witness to the power of mercy, forgiveness, hope and true love. True freedom in Christ is not about escaping suffering, but being transformed through love. It is the kind of freedom that allows us to forgive even when it hurts, to love when it’s inconvenient, and to keep believing when everything within us trembles. This is not weakness, it is divine strength. It is the strength that moves us from self-preservation to self-giving, from fear to faith, from isolation to compassion.

And here the wisdom of Pope Francis speaks tenderly to our hearts: “Rivers do not drink their own water; trees do not eat their own fruit; the sun does not shine on itself, and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. Living for others is a rule of nature. We are all born to help each other. No matter how difficult it is… life is good when you are happy; but much better when others are happy because of you.” To follow Christ, then, is to live for others and to bring healing to others. To let our lives become rivers of refreshment, trees bearing fruit for the hungry, light for those lost in darkness, fragrance for the weary soul. When Christ heals us, it is never just for ourselves, it is so that we, too, may become healers in His name. Our freedom becomes a gift to the world.

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The journey of trust

There will be moments when following Christ feels costly, when faith requires courage and obedience requires sacrifice. But when you walk with Him, you discover that nothing surrendered is ever truly lost. True freedom is not selfish, it overflows. When Christ heals our hearts, He invites us to help heal the hearts of others. We become His hands and feet, His voice of compassion in a weary world. We are called to be light in the darkness, hope in despair, and gentle witnesses of grace. To love rather than judge. To forgive rather than condemn. To serve rather than be served. Because love, His love, is the most powerful force in the world.

Every act of kindness, every word of encouragement, every moment of mercy is a ripple of redemption that reaches further than we will ever see. He redeems every tear, restores every loss, and transforms every “why” into wisdom in His time. He walks beside you when the path is steep, and carries you when your strength fails. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” (Psalm 23:4.) We are never alone. And the same hands that were pierced for us now hold us, lift us, and lead us home. Imagine standing at the edge of a path you’ve never walked before. You’ve heard it’s beautiful, but it’s steep, unfamiliar, and uncertain. You hesitate, “What if I’m not strong enough? What if I fail?” And then you hear His voice, gentle, steady, sure: “Follow Me.” You take one trembling step, and then another. The journey isn’t easy, but slowly, the fear gives way to faith. The weight begins to lift. You realize that the cost of following Jesus is nothing compared to the cost of walking away. For He alone turns sorrow into song, wounds into wisdom, and pain into purpose. He alone brings the freedom no one can take away.

Thought for the week

As your thought for the week, take a few quiet moments to pause in prayer. Ask yourself: What am I still trying to carry alone? Where in my life do I need to experience Christ’s healing touch?

Is there someone I need to forgive, including myself? Then take one small step. Lay that burden at the feet of Jesus. Whisper your hurt to Him in honesty. Ask for His peace. And then look for someone else who might need to feel His love through you. When Jesus calls you to follow Him, it isn’t into bondage but into freedom, the gentle freedom to be healed, forgiven, and whole.

May we each take that step this week, with trembling hearts, open hands, and eyes fixed on the One who walks beside us to walk lighter, love deeper, and live freer because the One who calls you walks beside you.

Let me leave you with one of my prayers for the gentle healing love of Jesus to fill your heart and soul always, "Lord Jesus, You see the hidden wounds of my heart, the fears, the regrets, the hurts I cannot even name. You know how often I try to carry what was never mine to carry. Today, I lay it all at Your feet. Heal what is broken within me. Replace my fear with faith, my restlessness with peace, and my sorrow with hope. Teach me to forgive where I’ve been wounded, to love where I’ve been hardened, and to trust that even in the darkest valleys, You are with me. Set me free from the chains of guilt and shame. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, that I might walk in Your love and reflect Your mercy. Use my life, Lord, to bring comfort to the hurting, light to the weary, and healing to the brokenhearted. Thank You for calling me Your own, for binding up my wounds, and for reminding me that in You, every story can be redeemed. May we walk this week in the gentle freedom of Christ, healed, forgiven, and renewed in His love. And may our life, in word and deed, whisper to others: There is healing here. There is hope here. There is Jesus here. Amen”