Death is part of life and when someone passes away it is always so painful for the people who remain on earth and live the mourning and grief sneaks in.
Even though our loved one is not with us anymore, we should instead be happy for his/her last journey, since that person is going to be next to our beloved Father for eternity.
People who remain are the ones who can contribute to let that person’s memory live forever.
There are so many different ways to honor the memory of someone we loved who passed on, and the best period of the year to do it is, for sure, November, the month dedicated to the late people. More precisely, on the 2nd of November Catholics celebrate All Souls’ Day, the Christian Feast dedicated to all those souls who soared to Heaven and now rest close to the Lord.
Are you longing to celebrate a loved one and their legacy? Do you have a "Heaveniversary" fast-approaching?
Let’s discover some special ways to remember a loved one and express your remembrance.
Why is it important a memorial for a loved one
Memorializing someone we loved and cared for helps us keep that person’s memory alive for the people who remain, and shows everyone how much that person meant to us.
Praying for our loved one who passed away helps us remember how special that person was for us and gives us a chance to celebrate the uniqueness of your past relationship with him/her.
How to honor a loved one who has passed away
We’ve just seen why honoring late people is so important for ourselves.
Let’s discover now, 5 special ideas to remember a loved one who passed away.
1. Give to Charity and Help Others
Helping others always makes us feel better with ourselves. You can do it in the name of your loved one and support a cause close to their heart, and yours.
It will surely help you to keep his/her memory alive.
Consider donating to a charity or helping people in struggle on your loved one’s behalf.
In this way, even the people you helped will know about the existence of your loved one and your great love for him/her.
Furthermore, Charity is one of the Three Theological Virtues, together with Faith and Hope, and behaving in a loving way with others will make you feel like such a good Christian, following Christ’s teachings.
Whatever thing you are going to do, let it be something active.
2. Make loved ones’ burial site unique
Many cemeteries allow people to customize their loved ones’ graves, to express people's remembrance, love and care for them.
By customizing their grave, you will have the chance to express a particular message about that person and let the people who pass in front of it see what kind of person he/she was in life.
If your loved one was particularly devoted to a specific Saint or a Divine attribute of God, you may consider hanging on the grave one of our chaplets, and use it for your prayers when visiting the tomb.
One of them can be the Holy Spirit Chaplet, just down here.
Explore the entire collection of Chaplets for more options and dedicate your prayers to your loved one when visiting his/her burial site.
3. Post your loved ones’ pictures on your altar for prayers
Do you already have a Christian altar for prayers at home?
If you still don’t, we suggest you to follow our complete guide about how to build your own Catholic altar for prayers at home.
Once your altar is all done with crucifix and statues, and the candles are lightened up, choose a photograph of your loved one and address him/her your daily prayers and thoughts.
If you need some ideas about what to reflect on, get some inspiration by reading the Bible verses.
Displaying a picture or a small plaque of your loved one while praying, will strengthen your spiritual connection with him/her and may help you focus on particular memories about the time you spent together.
So, give your loved one his/her own memorial “physical space” in your home, and display his/her picture upon an altar like this one below.
SHOP CRUCIFIXES FOR YOUR ALTAR AT HOME>
4. Host a Heaveniversary dinner
Memories get a special value if shared with your friends and family.
Invite some of your treasured friends to your house for a special meal and share your most precious memories with them.
It will help you all to keep alive the remembrance of a loved one.
You will find out how that which might be a somber day will turn into a true celebration.
5. Plan a quiet day of reflection in memory of a loved one
Even though it has been a year, or several years, your feelings of grief may intensify on your loved one’s death anniversary and the days surrounding the date.
You may find it helpful to plan a day to reflect, remember, read or watch photographs of your loved one.
Generally, even taking a day off work could be useful if you feel like this will help you feel better.
When we lose someone dear, we are invaded by a great grief that never goes away but the path somehow grows easier.
But always remember this:
Death is not the end of our story; Heaven is.
Related Articles:
How to make an altar for prayers at home→
All Souls’ Day and the prayer for souls in Purgatory→
The Three Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope and Love→