My reflection is from Living Faith:
When they just cry out, the Lord hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. Psalm 34:18–19
“Have you ever been crushed in spirit? Brokenhearted? In distress? Crying out to God? I call those experiences ‘the school no one ever wants to attend,’ the school of pain, and loss and losing one’s grip on hope. of course, no one ever wants to register for such a school, but I’ve come to believe there is much important learning that can come to us from these excruciating moments that we might not come to by any other way.
Where is God at these times? The psalmist tells us the Holy One is close to the brokenhearted. The Holy One offers us his presence, walking beside us accompanying us a showing us that we are not alone or abandoned. May we do and be the same for others.” Sr. Chris Koellhoffe