When a loved one dies, we begin a journey of healing called the grieving process. This process can be very difficult. As time goes on and you allow yourself to feel the pain of loss, and with the support of others your grief may lessen. However, when Christmas, a new year, a birthday or an anniversary comes, we feel the absence of our loved ones even more deeply and these holidays may trigger our pain.
We pray that the following coping suggestions, resources, scripture verses, quotes, prayers and support available, will bring you some comfort during the Advent and Christmas season. May God bless you with peace and comfort!
Scripture & Quotes
- Faith
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“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” – Proverbs 15:22
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” – Romans 12:15
“Be gentle with yourself. This is a long and hard journey. Reach out for help if you need to and know that you are not alone.” – TB
“Never let your ego get in the way of asking for help when in desperate need. We have all been helped at a point in our lives.” – Edmond Mbiaka
“The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.” – Henri J.M. Nouwen - Hope
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“…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31
“…the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel.” – Colossians 1:5
“God never promised an easy life. He said that we will have suffering and heartaches, but He also promised that He will be with us, to comfort us and reunite us on the other side.” – Jim Sitton
“Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all.” – Emily Dickinson
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. - Love
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“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13
“NEVER give up! It is not over until GOD says it is over! Fight the good fight and keep the faith. LOVE like you never have and LOVE each other no matter what has happened in the past. LOVE outshines the darkness!” – Dean Synan
“Love is like the wind, you can’t see it but you can feel it.” – Nicholas Sparks, A Walk to Remember
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.” – C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves
Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows
Our mother of sorrows, with strength from above you stood by the cross, sharing in the sufferings of Jesus, and with tender care you bore him in your arms, mourning and weeping.
We praise you for your faith, which accepted the life God planned for you. We praise you for your hope, which trusted that God would do great things in you. We praise you for your love in bearing with Jesus the sorrows of his passion.
Holy Mary, may we follow your example, and stand by all your children who need comfort and love.
Mother of God, stand by us in our trials and care for us in our many needs. Pray for us now and at the hour of our death.
Amen!