{"id":68588,"date":"2014-12-11T17:49:35","date_gmt":"2014-12-11T23:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=68588"},"modified":"2014-12-12T11:05:22","modified_gmt":"2014-12-12T17:05:22","slug":"holidays-sad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2014\/12\/holidays-sad\/","title":{"rendered":"When Holidays Are Sad"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"When<\/a><\/p>\n

Even though Christmas is \u201cthe most wonderful time of the year\u201d and the world seems awash with cheerfulness, color and lights, the holidays can be sad for some.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s sad for some because of the death of a loved one or because it can be a reminder of the broken family someone comes from or because someone is sick and dying or a myriad of other reasons. Often, the result is a feeling of emptiness and absence in what is not but could be or should be.<\/p>\n

Last year my family experienced the loss of a beloved member of our family two days before Thanksgiving. The feelings of sadness and emptiness were present through the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas and for many days afterward. It was hard to remember sometimes, and especially during holidays like Christmas, that God is with us in those moments of sadness.<\/p>\n

Emmanuel, God is With Us
\n<\/b>When Christmas is celebrated and discussed in our faith, we think of the joy and wonderful things that God gave humanity with the birth of Christ. For many, it is easy to excitedly proclaim \u201cOh come, oh come, Emmanuel!\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet in the midst of sadness, it is difficult to celebrate with anticipation the coming of Emmanuel. It’s not easy to comprehend that Emmanuel means \u201cGod is with us.\u201d Yes, we may know what Emmanuel means, but to comprehend Emmanuel in our lives is different and difficult. Especially when we are full of sadness.<\/p>\n

We forget that Emmanuel means that God is really and truly with us in every moment of both joy and sorrow. We forget that the celebration of Christmas is more than just the celebration of the birth of Christ, it is a celebration of the suffering and death of Christ 33 years after his birth. And we forget that suffering and death is part of our reality here on earth too.<\/p>\n

\"Uncle

Uncle David’s Grave<\/p><\/div>\n

Celebrating Death with Emmanuel
\n<\/b>A couple of weeks ago we celebrated the anniversary of my uncle\u2019s passing with mixed emotions of sadness of missing him but joy that he is with God. We still miss him and will always feel a sense of emptiness at his absence, especially during the holidays. I understand the difficulties reconciling a season of joy with a personal season of sadness.<\/p>\n

Last year I wasn\u2019t really able to focus on Advent being a time of preparation for the coming of Christ\u2019s birth because of my uncle\u2019s death. Instead, I just asked God to be with me, unknowingly living the word Emmanuel in my Advent preparation and prayer. So this year part of my Advent prayer has been to focus on Emmanuel. To focus on and be aware of God being with me and me with him.<\/p>\n

And I challenge you to do the same.<\/p>\n

Advent<\/strong> Challenge
\n<\/b>Reach out to someone who may be struggling with sadness during the holiday season and help them see Emmanuel through you.<\/p>\n

\"Advent-2\"<\/a>

Second Week of Advent<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even though Christmas is \u201cthe most wonderful time of the year\u201d and the world seems awash with cheerfulness, color and lights, the holidays can be sad for some. It\u2019s sad for some because of the death of a loved one or because it can be a reminder of the broken family someone comes from or… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[384,55,383,118,1098,2588,2586,50,2890,1192,2587,74,2584,2585],"class_list":{"0":"post-68588","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"tag-advent","8":"tag-catholic-2","9":"tag-christmas","10":"tag-death","11":"tag-depression","12":"tag-emmanuel","13":"tag-emptiness","14":"tag-faith","15":"tag-family","16":"tag-holidays","17":"tag-loneliness","18":"tag-prayer","19":"tag-sad","20":"tag-sadness","21":"entry","22":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":189519,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/grinch-brain\/","url_meta":{"origin":68588,"position":0},"title":"When Christmas Brings Out Your Inner Grinch","author":"Britt Echtenkamp","date":"December 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I went to a major retailer to pick up a couple last minute gifts, when I noticed that a big sign on their front door. 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In Christian tradition, this included praising God for His countless\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7595,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/the-advent-of-black-friday-shopping\/","url_meta":{"origin":68588,"position":2},"title":"The Advent of Black Friday Shopping","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"November 21, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanksgiving is an American holiday, but it is deeply based in Christian tradition. We give thanks only because there is someone that gives us the blessings we receive. It is a wonderful day that gives us an opportunity to gather with our loved ones and be grateful. The day after\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/shopping-sale.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":192082,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/home-holidays-reflection-octave-christmas\/","url_meta":{"origin":68588,"position":3},"title":"Home for the Holidays: a reflection on the Octave of Christmas","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"December 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0I know you might feel a little wilted, Reader, after all the Christmas presents and family and food (and sugar, etc.) I do too. I kind of like it though. The Octave of Christmas is a peaceful time. I deeply enjoyed Christmas Eve with my daughters and our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_1341","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/IMG_1341-e1451253686837-127x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":42913,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/12\/tradition-less-christmas\/","url_meta":{"origin":68588,"position":4},"title":"A Tradition-less Christmas","author":"Elizabeth","date":"December 16, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"When I was younger, the lack of any sort of stable Advent traditions was a point of pride. I\u2019ve spent many a Christmas eve camping out on the floor of the Miami airport during a 5-hour layover playing cards with my siblings, waiting to spend Christmas with family in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Tradition-Less Christmas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/winter-295x190.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":42623,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/12\/beginning-advent-with-a-challenge\/","url_meta":{"origin":68588,"position":5},"title":"Beginning Advent With A Challenge","author":"Elizabeth","date":"December 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This year, the number of days in this holiday season are the shortest it possibly can be. 27 days. Just 27 days separate Thanksgiving and Christmas. 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