“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. If you would like a complete look into the details of the image, check out this document.
The dark clouds convey storminess and suffering, yet light breaks through around the Cross, showing how Jesus dispels pain and shines through darkness. As Scripture says, “In the storm wind and tempest the Lord comes, and the clouds are the dust of his feet” (Nahum 1:3).
The winding road leading to Christ mirrors the golden wound in our sacred heart image, symbolizing both suffering and hope for healing. This path recalls kintsugi, the Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery with gold, reminding us that Christ’s love makes our hearts whole again in a way both beautiful and unexpected.
The flowers spring from the rays of light, reminding us that, like the sun, Christ gives life. Lilies symbolize the Resurrection and new life in Him, as well as Joseph and Mary. Roses, lavender, and chamomile at the bottom left signify healing, peace, and purity.
The little girl, a child of divorce, walks a dirt path in a frayed white dress, a purple cord marking her suffering. She pauses to pick flowers, symbols of wonder, childlikeness, and hope. Though her face is hidden, her posture shows she is moved by Christ’s love bringing something new. She also recalls Charles Péguy’s Portal of the Mystery of Hope.
The basket of flowers recalls both life’s fleeting nature and its abundance. In art it can be allegory, romance, or an offering to God. Here it evokes Matthew 6:27–30: “Consider the lilies…if God so clothes the grass of the field, will He not much more clothe you?”
Jesus’ expression is somber; He takes no joy in suffering. His face echoes Michael Corsini’s Christ in Let the Children of Divorce Come to Me, our first commissioned work, inviting us to see the two images together. How do they speak to you?
The five wounds of Christ radiate light, bringing warmth and life: “By His wounds, we are healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Paired with St. Mechthilde’s prayer, they also mark our five-year anniversary as a ministry, revealing—as St. Bernard wrote—“the great mystery of His compassion.”
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?