Meditation on the Presentation of Our Lord

The story of the Presentation of Jesus, as found in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 2, has always been one of my favorites, and has held a special place in my spiritual life as an adult child of divorce. When our parents are divorced, separated, or in a difficult marriage, the struggles in their relationship become the dominant force in the house. … In this beautiful mystery of the Presentation, let us look at the Holy Family, and allow them to teach us and heal us in those places in need of the Lord’s light.

Honor your father...carefully

My parents officially divorced when I was about 17 years old. My father persistently campaigned for a divorce. He confessed that he had been in a relationship with another woman whom he had actually married while on his “vacations” in Egypt. Since I was the eldest of three, my mother would share her pain with me. To this day, being the main witness to her inconsolable weeping is one of the most painful experiences I have had as a 41-year-old man.

I Am Your Father, Too

Though I hid, self-protected and continued to wear the masks that I thought gave me some value, Jesus never stopped seeking the real me underneath. He never abandoned me. All the while, He was patiently working on me, preparing my very calloused and guarded heart to be broken again through the second loss of my dad. But this break would be healing and redemptive, because it would finally let Love Himself enter in. And He came in through another father, His father and now mine – Good St. Joseph. I truly believe everything started with my simple prayer after that providential homily. St. Joseph became the guardian of my healing journey and continues to be my strong and faithful pillar along the way, in both explicit and sometimes hidden ways.

Church Teaching on Being a Child of an Irregular Situation

Every human soul is of more value than the entire universe put together, and each person is created in the image and likeness of God. No human being can escape the loving gaze of God, no matter what the circumstances of his or her origin. No Catholic, and no person, should ever deem oneself of lesser value if he or she comes from an “irregular” situation, for God sees all, knows all, loves all, and desires to save all (1 Timothy 2:3-4).

Personal Vocation, Personal Healing

Upon entering religious life, I tried to hide in the coping mechanisms that had worked for me growing up, such as people-pleasing and anticipating others’ needs. I desired to please the Lord, could follow community customs and was good at serving others. Not only was I good, but was praised for my attentiveness to the needs of others and my generosity in service. As I continued further in formation, those coping mechanisms started to unravel and the truth of the pain I was in surfaced.

Jesus Makes Us Whole

I have heard divorce described as an “ontological wound,” a wound at the very core of our identity. Our parents who created us divide, and so we in turn feel divided. This is certainly strong language, but I think it puts a finger on the intimate and vulnerable wound experienced by adult children of divorce. The pain of the wound can lead us to cry out to God for healing.

Pure Motherly Love

A couple of months ago, I was attending a women’s retreat... where glossy tiles of neutrals and shades of blue formed a gorgeous mosaic of the Blessed Mother. I kept returning my gaze to it, and I heard in prayer: “I see you looking at my mother—her maternal love is so different from what you have seen… My mother is tender, approachable, truly sacrificial, and only able to love fully and purely…”

Saints, First-Person, Healing JourneyAnonymousJuly 2, 2023Life Giving WoundsMary, St. Joseph, trauma, mother relationshipComment

Mary's Response When We Ask, "Why, Lord?"

Ironically, “why” is the one question the Lord has never promised to answer. Even his own mother asks him why and he doesn’t answer her. Well, he does answer her, but not in the way she was probably hoping for. He says, “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” He responds to her question with a question. What could Jesus possibly be teaching us?

First-Person, Healing JourneyMorgan McGinnSeptember 11, 2022prayer, Mary, trust Comments

Holy Home

I am here to tell you some amazingly good news! Jesus said in the Gospel of John, “I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you” (Jn 14:18). God, in His infinite wisdom, knows fully the hearts and minds of all His children. He would never write a desire into our hearts without also providing for its fulfillment!

PoetryStephanie GulyaJune 12, 2022Life Giving WoundsHoly Family, self-protection, Mary, St. Joseph, prayerComment

Remaining Secure in the Father’s Love

This healing journey has been bittersweet for me. I have come to grips with the fact that I am a survivor of child abuse. The term still brings tears to my eyes and probably will for a very long time, only because it can sometimes make me feel like a broken doll, or what may be a more popular term, “damaged goods.”

The Compassion and Promise of Our Lady of Sorrows

The image of the Pieta by William-Adolphe Bouguereau was an image I had glanced at a few times over the years, but I believe the Lord had a specific time for me to be moved by that image, so that I could be led to love Him and His mother more deeply, and to be loved by them both in a new and profound way.

Healing Journey, ArtDaniel A.November 4, 2021Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, prayer, Rosary, St. Simeon Senex, St. Joseph, St. Bridget of Sweden, sorrowComment

Finding a Home with Mary my Mother

First-Person, Stories of HealingTherese RenaeMay 4, 2021MaryComment

The Feast of the Holy Family

Liturgical YearTori FedoraDecember 27, 2020Holy Family, Mary, St. Joseph Comment

La Ayuda de María en el Camino de Sanación [In Spanish]

First-Person, Healing Journey, EspanolGraciela RodriguezSeptember 24, 2020Mary, prayerComment

Mary's Help on the Journey of Healing

I discovered at age eleven that my parents’ marriage was breaking up. The words “broken family” became my reality. Fear of abandonment and loneliness took over and silence filled my days as I continued my everyday childhood activities. My father was busy living his life while my mother was totally overcome by sorrow and betrayal. Being an only child, I became silent and quite withdrawn. What a deep hole was being forged in my heart!

The Assumption: Separation and Fulfillment

Liturgical YearNatasha P. Wilson, Ph.D.August 14, 2020MaryComment

Welcome to the Life-Giving Wounds blog!