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There’s a quote in Nicholas Sparks’ book ‘At First Sight’ that speaks volumes about love. “The emotion that can break your heart is sometimes the very one that heals it…” Interesting, huh? The exact emotion that brings a smile to our face and warms our heart, can also be the very emotion that cuts us so deep that scars are left. Heartache is a feeling that everyone feels at some point in their life. Whether it’s a broken heart from a failed relationship between partners or an emotional rollercoaster that leaves two family members estranged, brokenness is experienced by everyone – sometimes more times than one.
What do you do when you’re left with a broken heart? How do you pick up the pieces that once fit together perfectly? The answer is prayer. Powerful prayers for healing a broken heart can truly be life changing – and ultimately the game changer to drive you into the direction towards a new chapter in life. In fact, those prayers can become the building blocks to the new foundation that you’re faced with rebuilding.
One of the most powerful prayers for healing a broken heart comes from Psalms 147:3. The words brokenhearted are within the text and it reinforces the power the Lord has. The scripture is short, sweet, and to the point.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Every day, the Lord hears our cries and prayers. From time to time, we may feel unheard or wonder if he is active in our day-to-day. The truth is he will never give us more than we can handle; moreover, he knows that plan of action and will guide us down the roads that our life is destined to travel. Psalms 147:3 reminds Christians that the Lord does hear your cries for help and he will heal the wounds that you are suffering from. As you deal with your broken heart, try to look at the bigger picture and come away from the situation with lessons learned and newfound wisdom. Not only will you be stronger because of the trials and tribulations, but one day you’ll look back on this experience and discover profound hope.
Revelation 21:4 is another beautiful reminder of how powerful prayers for healing a broken heart are effective. When you’re crying, you may think that you’re alone – but, you’re not! The Lord never leaves your side. Even though you can’t see his physical shape, it’s important to know that he is always by your side. This reminder is stated again and again throughout scripture.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
While you’re in the moment of mourning, whether it’s a failed relationship or the loss of a loved one, it’s important to remember that the pain will eventually pass. The good, the bad, and the indifferent always passes and brings forth new experiences that help cultivate who we are meant to be. Don’t allow your broken heart to darken your presence. Despite how difficult it may seem, try to walk forward, and take each day one step at a time. With that said, healing takes time – and that’s important to remember.
When you talk to the Lord, try reciting this powerful prayer for a broken heart:
“Heavenly Father, there is a pain implanted in my heart that doesn’t seem to go away. It has crushed me, it aches, I can no longer bear it. This pain of the past consumes my thoughts daily. It hurts so much, Father, these tears that fall long to see joy once again. Give me peace in my heart, please, I’m crying out to you: hear my prayer.”
Not only does this prayer exude esteemed honesty, but it allows you to be vulnerable to the Lord. You’re in pain and that’s understandably normal and expected. Ask for peace and the desire to experience joy again. The Lord understands your struggle and wants to heal your broken heart. Be patient and give him the opportunity to help you. Be mindful of the time it takes to actually heal a broken heart and remember it is not an overnight fix. Your heart didn’t become full and content in a day; therefore, it will not heal over the course of a day either. Use this experience to cultivate your present and future relationships. Try to discover ways you can better yourself from this experience and what lessons can be learned – everything happens for a defined reason.
Before we part ways friend, I want to leave you with one last powerful prayer for healing a broken heart. It’s one that is centered on the theme of Psalm 46: 1-2 which says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the sea.” This prayer demonstrates your trust in the Lord and recognizes the power Jesus Christ has.
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In the first reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah, the Lord said:
“Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind. Instead there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create. No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there, or the sound of crying.” ~ Isaiah 65:17-19
God knows when we have a broken heart and he does not want us to hurt, be sad, or cry anymore. God is close to the brokenhearted. It is not His will that we suffer. He does not want us to suffer anymore. God wants to take our suffering away from us and bring us happiness instead. We are His children and He loves us deeply. He wants us to be happy.
In the gospel today, Jesus said that, “a prophet has no honor in his native place.” But, when he came into Galilee, “the Galileans welcomed him.” And that is still a timeless piece of wisdom for us as well. Sometimes those closest to us hurt us the most, just like the people in Jesus’s hometown treated him.
The next time that a family member or friend hurts us, we should remember that the same thing happened to Jesus too. It’s pretty sad really, that strangers sometimes treat us better and more respectfully than those who are closest to us. Strangers are often more open to seeing a person for who they really are.
That’s not always the case though, because the royal official who came to see Jesus in today’s gospel, did so because he loved his son deeply. The royal official went to extremes to find Jesus, because he thought that he was a miracle worker and that there was a chance that he might be able to save his dying son.
Jesus sounded a little exasperated when he said, “unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” But, the sorrow and suffering must have shown on the royal official’s face when he asked Jesus to heal his son. Jesus was compassionate toward him, and even if he seemed a little frustrated initially, out of his deep compassion he granted the royal official’s request.
Jesus does not want us to suffer and neither does God. There are a lot of people that blame God for their suffering, or get upset with Him that He doesn’t do anything to end their suffering, but God doesn’t normally intervene in our lives. Sometimes out of His great compassion for us He does though, when a genuine miracle occurs. It was a true miracle that Jesus cured the royal official’s son from such a great distance.
The last verse in today’s gospel said, “Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.” The signs and miracles that Jesus performed was out of his great compassion for those who suffer. He did what he could to end the suffering of the people he came in contact with throughout his ministry. However, God doesn’t give us miracles just because we ask for them. Miracles usually occur for the benefit of an entire group of people, so they will truly understand that God is present in their midst.
Maybe what we can take from the readings for mass today, is that God and Jesus both love us deeply, and do not want to see us sad or crying. It is not their will that we suffer. But, when we pray for a miracle, God may, or may not, answer our prayers. Miracles mainly occur so that people will understand that God is real, and come to believe in Him, just like the royal official and his household did.
Prayer for the Brokenhearted
Merciful Lord of Life,
I lift up my heart to you in my suffering
and ask for your comforting help.
I know that you would withhold the thorns of this life
if I could attain eternal life without them.
So I throw myself on your mercy,
resigning myself to this suffering.
Grant me the grace to bear it
and to offer it in union with your sufferings.
No matter what suffering may come my way
let me always trust in you.
Amen.
Related article written by a Holistic Healing physican:
Carolyn M Berghuis, MS, ND, CTN
From Broken Heartedness to Peace
www.acatholic.org
If you know someone whom is afflicted with a deadly disease, recite one of these Catholic prayers for cancer patients. These are some great prayers for bringing comfort and strength to the Lord during this time of suffering.
Prayers #1
St. Peregrine, whom Holy Mother Church has declared Patron of those suffering from Cancer, I confidently turn to you for help in my present sickness. I beg your kind intercession. Ask God to relieve me of this sickness, if it be his Holy Will. Plead with the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Sorrows, whom you loved so tenderly and in union with whom you have suffered the pains of Cancer, that she may help me with her powerful prayers and loving consolation.
But if it should be God’s Holy Will that I bear this sickness, obtain for me courage and strength to accept these trails from the loving hand of God with patience and resignation, because he knows what is best for the salvation of my soul. St. Peregrine, be my friend and patron. Help me to imitate you in accepting suffering, and to unite myself with Jesus Crucified and the Mother of Sorrows, as you did. I offer my pains to God with all the love of my heart, for his glory and the salvation of souls, especially my own. Amen.
Prayer #2
O great St. Peregrine, you have been called “The Mighty,” “The Wonder-Worker,” because of the numerous miracles which you have obtained from God for those who have had recourse to you. For so many years you bore in your own flesh this cancerous disease that destroys the very fiber of our being, and who had recourse to the source of all grace when the power of man could do no more.
You were favored with the vision of Jesus coming down from His Cross to heal your affliction. Ask of God and Our Lady, the cure of the sick whom we entrust to you. (Pause here and silently recall the names of the sick for whom you are praying) Aided in this way by your powerful intercession, we shall sing to God, now and for all eternity, a song of gratitude for His great goodness and mercy. Amen.
Prayer #3
Father, for the strength you have given me I thank you.
For the health you have blessed me with, I thank you.
For the women who are going through breast cancer and their families
I ask you to strengthen and to heal as you see fit.
Lord we know you want us to be in good health and to prosper.
Lord use us to do the work you have for us to do.
For we know time is getting short on this earth.
Lord be with every woman who is sick
and encourage them as only you can.
I know how faithful you are.
You have shown yourself to be everything
you say you are in your Holy Word.
I praise you for you made this body
and you can heal this body.
In Jesus Name I pray.
Amen.
Prayer #4
O God, who gave to St. Peregrine an Angel for his companion, the Mother of God for his Teacher, and Jesus as the Physician of his malady, grant we beseech You through his merits that we may on earth intensely love our Holy Angel, the blessed Virgin Mary, and our Saviour, and in Him bless them forever. Grant that we may receive the favor which we now petition. We ask this through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer #5
Dear Apostle of Emilia and member of the Order of Mary, you spread the Good News by your word, and by your life witnessed to its truth. In union with Jesus crucified, you endured excruciating sufferings so patiently as to be healed miraculously of cancer in the leg. If it is agreeable to God, obtain relief and cure for N., and keep us all from the dread cancer of sin. Amen.
Prayer #6
We implore thy powerful aid, St. Peregrine, for all who are living unworthy of their Christian vocation. May the be converted from a sinful, selfish life, as thou wast by the good example of those who are obedient to Christ’s counsels.
We invoke thy special help, St. Peregrine, for all in religious life that they may remain faithful as thou didst to their vows, and ever steadfast in their commitment to Christ.
We seek thy merciful aid, St. Peregrine, especially for those afflicted or threatened by cancer, by any ailment of the foot, or by any incurable diseases. Please help us quickly to find a cure for cancer, and a remedy for all our human infirmities of soul, mind, and body. Amen.
Prayer #7
St. Peregrine, we come to thee confidently to implore thy aid with God in our necessity. Thou wast converted instantly from a worldly life by the good example of one holy person. Thou wast also cured instantaneously of cancer by God’s grace and unceasing prayer. In thy gracious kindness please ask the Lord to heal us also in body, mind, and soul. May we then also imitate thee in doing His work with renewed vigor and strength. Amen.
Prayer #8
Dear Lord Jesus, it is my will to surrender to you everything that I am and everything that I’m striving to be. I open the deepest recesses of my heart and invite your Holy Spirit to dwell inside of me.
I offer you my life, heart, mind, body, soul, spirit, all my hopes, plans and dreams. I surrender to you my past, present and future problems, habits, character defects, attitudes, livelihood, resources, finances, medical coverage, occupation and all my relationships.
I give you my health, physical appearance, disabilities, family, marriage, children and friendships. I ask you to take Lordship over every aspect of my life. I surrender to you all my hurt, pain, worry, doubt, fear and anxiety, and I ask you to wash me clean.
I release everything into your compassionate care. Please speak to me clearly, Lord. Open my ears to hear your voice. Open my heart to commune with you more deeply. I want to feel your loving embrace. Open the doors that need to be opened and close the doors that need to be closed. Please set my feet upon the straight and narrow road that leads to everlasting life. Amen.
Prayer #9
Precious Lord Jesus, I thank you for your enduring love. You came into the world to set me free from the power of darkness. You embraced a violent death on the cross to pay the penalty on my behalf. You suffered the scourging at the pillar, taking the sickness of humanity upon your own flesh, so that I could be healed.
I come before you now to place all my sin upon your cross and ask for your precious blood to wash me clean. I place the penalty for my sinfulness, all my sickness, diseases and infirmities upon your cross, and for the sake of your sorrowful passion, I ask to be set free. I accept your sacrifice and receive your gift of reconciliation. I confess your Lordship over every aspect of my life, heart, mind, body, soul and spirit.
Through the power of your cross Lord Jesus, I now resist all forms of sin, sickness and disease. I say to all forms of sickness and disease caused by my own disobedience, that you are not God’s good and perfect will for my life, and I enforce the power of the cross upon you right now.
By the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I command all forms of sickness and disease to leave my presence immediately. Jesus bore my infirmities. He was wounded for my transgressions. By his stripes I have been healed. No sickness, pain, death, fear or addiction shall ever be lord over me again. The penalty has been paid in full. I have been ransomed and redeemed, sanctified and set free. Amen.
Prayer #10
God of all creation, you who spoke a simple command and brought forth light from the darkness, I call upon you now to send forth your miracle-working power into every aspect of my being. In the same way that you spoke unto the dust of the ground when you created humankind in your own image, I ask you to send forth your healing power into my body. Send forth your word and command every cell, electrical and chemical impulse, tissue, joint, ligament, organ, gland, muscle, bone and every molecule in my body to come under complete and perfect health, strength, alignment, balance and harmony.
It is through you that I live and move and have my being. With every breath I take, I live under your life-giving grace. I ask you to touch me now with the same miracle-working power that you used when you fashioned me inside my mother’s womb. As surely as you have created me in your image and likeness, you can also recreate me now and restore my health.
Please fill me with your healing power. Cast out all that should not be inside of me. I ask you to mend all that is broken, root out every sickness and disease, open all blocked arteries and veins, restore my internal organs, rebuild my damaged tissues, remove all inflammation and cleanse me of all infections, viruses and destructive forms of bacteria.
Let the warmth of your healing love flood my entire being, so that my body will function the way it was created to be, whole and complete, renewed in your perfect health. I ask this through my Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer #11
Dear Lord Jesus, as I rest in the comfort of your love, I ask to experience your gentle embrace as you tenderly wrap your loving arms around me. I trust your compassionate care will bring peace to my mind, serenity to my heart and renewal to my spirit.
In your loving embrace, I ask that you grant me a peaceful night’s rest. Please purify my dreams, cleanse my subconscious and wash my thoughts with the purity of your infinite love. Please minister to my heart, mind, body, soul and spirit as I rest in your compassionate care tonight.
Please send forth your protective angels to stand guard over me as I sleep. May your angelic army destroy all curses, hindrances and demonic influences that have been sent against my ability to experience a peaceful night’s rest. I ask that your heavenly host protect me as I stay awake and watch over me as I sleep, that awake I may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace. Amen.
Prayer #12
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
Here is one prayer to share and recite at the end of life. This is important to combine the spirit and body during this transitional time.
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