Adult / Couple
During this month when we celebrate the Feast of All Saints and All Souls, we have been reflecting on death and dying, grief and loss and the consolation and hope our faith brings this reality.
This month we celebrate Thanksgiving - a time to be mindful of all our blessings - including those loved ones who have died.
And we look forward to the new liturgical cycle beginning with the First Sunday of Advent on November 30, 2014.
Pray It!
Prayer Upon Hearing of a Death
Blessed are You, Lord our God,
who are the keeper of the Book of Life.
Today I learned of the death of ___________,
and, as this type of news always does,
it came as a shock.
We know, Lord, that we all must die,
and that you alone keep the dates of our death
within Your Book of Life,
but we still share the shock of death.
That news carries with it the shadow of fear,
for it is a reminder that, someday, I too shall die.
Today, then, I pray for __________
who has passed through the doorway of death,
and I pray for myself as well.
I remember in my prayer
the members of the family
who surely are lost in sorrow at this time.
Support them with Your Holy Spirit
and grant them the courage to embrace this tragic mystery
as part of the plan of life.
Lord, may the news of this death
be for me a holy message
of how not to waste my todays,
how not to be unprepared for the arrival of death
in my own life.
May I best remember _________
by being grateful for life today
and by loving you, my God,
with all my heart, all my strength and all my mind.
Eternal rest to ___________
and divine consolation to all of the family.
Amen+
Ed Hayes ~ Prayers for the Domestic Church
Blessed are You, Lord our God,
who are the keeper of the Book of Life.
Today I learned of the death of ___________,
and, as this type of news always does,
it came as a shock.
We know, Lord, that we all must die,
and that you alone keep the dates of our death
within Your Book of Life,
but we still share the shock of death.
That news carries with it the shadow of fear,
for it is a reminder that, someday, I too shall die.
Today, then, I pray for __________
who has passed through the doorway of death,
and I pray for myself as well.
I remember in my prayer
the members of the family
who surely are lost in sorrow at this time.
Support them with Your Holy Spirit
and grant them the courage to embrace this tragic mystery
as part of the plan of life.
Lord, may the news of this death
be for me a holy message
of how not to waste my todays,
how not to be unprepared for the arrival of death
in my own life.
May I best remember _________
by being grateful for life today
and by loving you, my God,
with all my heart, all my strength and all my mind.
Eternal rest to ___________
and divine consolation to all of the family.
Amen+
Ed Hayes ~ Prayers for the Domestic Church
Read it!
‘GO TELL AUNT RHODY’
Posted by Joan McKamey on May 17, 2012 in Family,
Do you remember that song? It’s part of my childhood. It’s a sad song when you think about it: “Go tell Aunt Rhody…the old grey goose is dead…. She died in the millpond…standing on her head…. The goslings are crying….”
What brought this song to mind? Well, my father-in-law died last Saturday evening. The “health campus” (read: nursing home) where he was cared for is named Mill Pond. And his sons and daughters have done our share of crying in these last several days.
I’m a farm girl, so, yes, I know the difference between a goose and a gander. The song doesn’t exactly match this recent death in my family. (I know the difference between geese and humans, too!) But it came to mind as I sat down to write this posting.
The death of a loved one, even when it’s anticipated, is tough. Both of my parents are still living as is my mother-in-law, so this is the first experience my husband and I have of losing a parent. While parent and child roles were reversed in recent years as my husband’s parents have dealt with health issues, my husband is still his parents’ son. His father is still his daddy. And now his daddy’s gone.
I have no magic words to take away my husband’s pain. I can only listen to him, and hold him, and cry along with him. And I pray. I pray that I can love my husband the way he needs to be loved right now. I pray for healing of this great grief. I pray for good memories to bring a smile back to his face.
A book I pulled off my shelf to take home with me is Coping With Loss: Praying Your Way to Acceptanceby Carol Luebering. Carol writes of the “season of grief” and offers practical help for praying your way through denial, pain, anger, guilt, and depression—to acceptance. I hope it helps us to navigate through our season of grief. Maybe it can help you or a friend who’s grieving, too.
Posted by Joan McKamey on May 17, 2012 in Family,
Do you remember that song? It’s part of my childhood. It’s a sad song when you think about it: “Go tell Aunt Rhody…the old grey goose is dead…. She died in the millpond…standing on her head…. The goslings are crying….”
What brought this song to mind? Well, my father-in-law died last Saturday evening. The “health campus” (read: nursing home) where he was cared for is named Mill Pond. And his sons and daughters have done our share of crying in these last several days.
I’m a farm girl, so, yes, I know the difference between a goose and a gander. The song doesn’t exactly match this recent death in my family. (I know the difference between geese and humans, too!) But it came to mind as I sat down to write this posting.
The death of a loved one, even when it’s anticipated, is tough. Both of my parents are still living as is my mother-in-law, so this is the first experience my husband and I have of losing a parent. While parent and child roles were reversed in recent years as my husband’s parents have dealt with health issues, my husband is still his parents’ son. His father is still his daddy. And now his daddy’s gone.
I have no magic words to take away my husband’s pain. I can only listen to him, and hold him, and cry along with him. And I pray. I pray that I can love my husband the way he needs to be loved right now. I pray for healing of this great grief. I pray for good memories to bring a smile back to his face.
A book I pulled off my shelf to take home with me is Coping With Loss: Praying Your Way to Acceptanceby Carol Luebering. Carol writes of the “season of grief” and offers practical help for praying your way through denial, pain, anger, guilt, and depression—to acceptance. I hope it helps us to navigate through our season of grief. Maybe it can help you or a friend who’s grieving, too.
Share It!
As your family gathers around the Thanksgiving table, give thanks for the family members/relatives/friends who have died and remember them to the Lord. Share what made each one special to you or your family.
Do It!
Each day of Advent check out this link: http://loyolapress.com/liturgical-year-about-advent.htm
for prayers and Advent resources.
for prayers and Advent resources.