Homily: March 20-2026, Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent (God is closer)

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 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.”

Have you been brokenhearted before?

Did you know that the Lord was close to you?

You might not have felt it nor realize it, but today’s responsorial psalm affirms it. Psalm 34, reminds that God is not distant from our pain. He is close to it.

This is a beautiful and comforting truth. Always remember it in your heart.

Brokenness is part of the human experience. When Jesus took on our human nature, he experienced this also.

When we look at the crucified Christ, what do we see?

We see Jesus who was broken for us. We see His wounded body. We see His pierced side. We see His suffering, His sadness, His loneliness. He has experienced it all, and so, there is no pain in our lives which He does not understand.

He knows what it is to suffer. He knows what it is to be rejected. He knows what it is to be abandoned.

So when we feel these pains, we are not alone. In a mysterious way, our Lord is very close to us, and we are very close to Him.

St. Mother Teresa once said: “Suffering is a sign that you are so close to Jesus that He can kiss you.”

It is a powerful and challenging thought. In our suffering, Jesus draws near - not to increase our pain, but to be with us in it, and to give us strength through it.

And so today, the Word of God invites us to take one more step forward. If the Lord is close to the brokenhearted, are we also close to them?

We probably cannot fix everyone’s problems, but we can be present for them as they go through it. In Jesus’s name we be present, so our presence carries Jesus’ love.

Mother Teresa also said: “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”

What a beautiful mission! So apt for Lent too.

So today, let us do two things:

First, if we ourselves are broken, let us draw near to Jesus and allow Him to comfort us.

And second, let us become instruments of His love - bringing comfort, kindness, and peace to those who are hurting.

Because when we do that, we become a living sign of this truth: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.

Amen.


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