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CARF Foundation

12 August, 23

el mal y el dolor y el duelo

How to overcome pain through faith?

Have you recently suffered a loss? We help you overcome the loss of a loved one from the pillars that gives you the Christian faith.

Bereavement: The experience of overcoming loss

Aunque los seres humanos vivimos el sentimiento de dolor como una de las experiencias más comunes de la vida, siempre estamos desprevenidos ante él y continuamente nos exige aprender y adaptarnos a nuevas circunstancias. El duelo no se refiere solamente a la muerte. Es duelo es una emoción o varias emociones que experimenta el ser humano cuando vive una pérdida de cualquier tipo.

No hay “expertos” en el dolor de una pérdida; siempre tiene una dimensión de originalidad: en la forma cómo se manifiesta, en sus causas, y en las diversas reacciones que desencadena. Son muchas las veces que nos encontramos sufriendo profundamente por motivos y razones que nunca esperamos.

The Holy Father John Paul IIIn his letter, he writes: "Human suffering arouses compassion; it also arouses respect, and in its own way, it is frightening. Indeed, in it is contained the greatness of a specific mystery [...] man, in his suffering, is an intangible mystery."

This human experience moves us to seek the help of others and to offer, in turn, our support. The experience of overcoming griefteaches us to pay more attention to others who suffer. The experience of pain makes the difference between a mature person, who is capable of facing obstacles and difficult situations, and a person who is carried away and absorbed by his or her own

Christian faith as a support to overcome grief

La Fe es el mejor refugio para quienes tienen que pasar por el proceso de superar el duelo de una pérdida de cualquier tipo y particularidad. La Fe nos da la fortaleza, sosiego y la serenidad necesaria para aligerar el dolor del duelo.

Overcoming a loss with serenity

"La resurrección de Jesús no da sólo la certeza de la vida más allá de la muerte, sino que ilumina también el misterio mismo de la muerte de cada uno de nosotros. Si vivimos unidos a Jesús, fieles a Él, seremos capaces de afrontar con esperanza y serenidad incluso el paso de la muerte."  (Pope Francis, General Audience November 27, 2013).

Overcoming loss with hope

will come inexorably. Therefore, what a hollow vanity to center one's existence in this life! Look how so many suffer. Some, because it ends, find it painful to leave it; others, because it lasts, find it boring... There is no room, in any case, for the erroneous sense of justifying our passage on earth as an end.
We must leave this logic behind and anchor ourselves in the other: in the eternal logic. A total change is needed: an emptying of oneself, of self-centered motives, which are outdated, in order to be reborn in Christ, who is eternal. (Furrow, 879)

san josemaría dolor duelo y fe

Overcoming a loss without fear of death

No tengas miedo a la muerte. —Acéptala, desde ahora, generosamente..., cuando Dios quiera..., como Dios quiera..., donde Dios quiera. —No lo dudes: vendrá en el tiempo, en el lugar y del modo que más convenga..., enviada por tu Padre-Dios. —¡Bienvenida sea nuestra hermana la muerte! (Road, 739).

Overcoming a loss with an eye to Heaven

Supernatural vision! Calm! Peace! Look at things, people and events..., with eyes of eternity.
So, any wall that blocks your way - even if, humanly speaking, it is imposing - as soon as you really raise your eyes to Heaven, what a small thing it is!Forge, 996).

Pain and love

By choosing the Incarnation, Jesus Christ quiso experimentar todo el sufrimiento humanamente posible para enseñarnos que el amor puede superar cualquier clase de dolor. Se puede superar el duelo mirando la vida de Jesús y siguiendo su huella.

Pain is a meeting point between the joy of hope and the need for prayer. Christians accept pain with the hope of future joy. They are fully aware of their limits and rely on the help implored from God in prayer.

Suffering is only a part of the journey, a passing place; it is never the final station. Thus, prayer becomes an important moment where suffering finds its meaning and, with God's grace, becomes joy.

Prayer is a fundamental support in the process of coming to terms with and overcoming a loss. The purifying effect of prayer becomes a reality because, every time a person prays, he or she experiences the God's mercy and share their concerns and problems.

However, there are moments in this journey in which the experience of pain forges a man's life. It is no longer a question of accepting or rejecting pain, but of learning to consider suffering as part of our own existence and as part of God's plan for each of us.

When the pain of loss sets in

Grieving the loss of a loved one is natural and inevitable. However, overcoming it is not easy, and sometimes, for various reasons, there are those who remain stuck in this pain. For this reason, there are many Catholic Foundations that offer support, organize groups of accompaniment to return to life after the death of a loved one and overcome their loss.

el mal y el dolor y el duelo

Overcoming grief in peace with God

In order to cope with the pain of grief, one must be aware of the importance of the spiritual accompaniment in those difficult moments. There is no one-size-fits-all prescription; its particularities make each case unique and particular.

They say that "pain comes from the body and suffering from the soul", but it is necessary to help the companions to be serene and "at peace with God", since, in this way, "this serenity is transmitted". Something that, later on, will make mourning easier in some way.

When speaking of people in the process of overcoming grief, priests emphasize one word: hope. Hope helps them to reposition themselves in spiritual terms, to find their place again, even in religious practice, which they may have abandoned. They must be made to see that God did not send them the pain they are experiencing, but that he loves them.

For this reason, Pope Francis encourages, "do not stop talking to Our Lord and to his Mother, the Blessed Virgin. She always helps us.


Bibliography:

Catechism of the Catholic Church
OpusDei.org

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