“Create in Me an Intact Heart”
Create in Me an Intact Heart, by the Catholic Latina artist Belem Gallaga, was specially commissioned to be our second Christian sacred art image specifically for children of divorce, which to our knowledge and research are the first of their kind in the world. We hope the following descriptions can help you pray with the image and lead you closer to Christ.
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Each detail of the painting has been briefly described to assist you in your contemplation of the work and its details for your own personal healing. Allow the Lord to speak to your heart as you read on.
The clouds are somewhat dark, grey, ominous, and towering, conveying a sense of storminess or suffering in our own background as contrasted with the brighter hues of the rest of the image. However, these clouds are touched by the light and parted in the middle, around the Cross, symbolizing how Jesus can dispel our pain and shine through the darkness. “In the storm wind and tempest the Lord comes, and the clouds are the dust of his feet” (Nahum 1:3).
The winding road which leads to Christ mirrors the two-fold symbol of the golden wound in our LGW sacred heart image, which represents both our suffering and our hope for healing. The path in the sacred heart image can also be understood as reminiscent of ‘kintsugi,’ the ancient Japanese practice of mending broken pottery with gold. Thus, the ground here in Create in Me an Intact Heart is like the heart in the sacred heart image: made intact again in a beautiful and unexpected way by the love of Christ.
The flowers come forth from the rays of light just as sun is necessary for the growth of all flowers. Many of the flowers in the image are lilies: symbolizing the Resurrection and the new life that can come only from faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ. They also represent Joseph and Mary. In the bottom left, we see roses, lavender, and chamomile– all chosen for their symbolic meanings of healing, peace, and purity.
The little girl, a child of divorce, has been walking on the dirt path. Her white dress is frayed and made filthy by the journey, and a purple cord symbolizes her suffering. She stops to pick a few flowers: a sign of her wonder, childlikeness, contemplation, and hope. Although we cannot see her facial expression, we can tell by her posture that she is struck upon realizing that Christ’s love has brought about something new happening in her life. The little girl is also an homage to Charles Péguy’s Portal of the Mystery of Hope. How does the little girl speak to you?
The basket of flowers in the artistic tradition represents many things for us from the fleeting nature of life (Vanitas) to the abundance of life. It can have allegorical or romantic meaning or be seen as a gift and offering in a religious sense. Here it also evokes Matthew 6: 27-30,“And can any of you by being anxious add one cubit to his lifespan?... Consider the lilies and wildflowers of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin…But if God so clothes the grass of the field…will He not much more clothe you, O men of little faith?”
Jesus’ expression is somber. He takes no joy in His or our suffering. His face resembles that of Michael Corsini’s Christ in Let the Children of Divorce Come to Me, the first work of sacred art we commissioned and the similarity is meant to convey that these two images should be seen and understood together. How do they speak together and to you?
The five wounds of Christ are radiating light, bringing warmth and life to everything it touches. By His wounds, we are healed (1 Peter 2:24). These sacred wounds are the center of the image. They are meant to instill wonder and prayerful devotion to these wounds, which was a traditional patristic and medieval way of praying that we hope to continue by pairing this image with a prayer from St. Mecthilde that meditates on each of the five wounds in a special way. Emphasis was also placed on the five wounds because this artwork was commissioned to celebrate our five-year anniversary as a non-profit and aligns with our namesake and mission. “The wounds inflicted on his body have disclosed to us the secrets of his heart; they enable us to contemplate the great mystery of his compassion.” - Saint Bernard of Clarivaux
The name of this artwork was inspired by the famous scriptural prayer of Psalm 51:10 asking God to “Create (bara) in me a clean/pure (ṭāhôr) heart, O God, and renew a right and steadfast spirit within me.”
The use of the Hebrew word ‘bara,’ to create, is especially significant here as it is the word reserved for God's act of creation, highlighting His unique power to bring forth something from nothing. King David by using this word in this prayer is asking for a complete transformation of his heart, a new creation that can only miraculously come from God. Similarly, we too pray for this ‘bara’ of our broken heart from our parents’ divorce.
Create in Me an Intact Heart therefore gives expression to our journey of healing. The little girl seen in the image is intended to be a child of divorce—she has been traveling a path, and her posture is meant to convey hope, sadness, surprise, and more at the sorrow and beauty of the Cross and the five wounds of Jesus.
If you placed yourself in this child's shoes in this scene, then what would you experience?