Grief is a universal emotion, but how we grieve differs from person to person. If you are attending a religious memorial you may choose to bring a card for the bereaved. More than focusing too much on choosing the best or right thing to say, remember that the person who is grieving will benefit most from a heartfelt message.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- Religious Sympathy Quotes for the Loss of a Mother
- Religious Sympathy Quotes for Loss of a Father
- Religious Sympathy Quotes for the Loss of a Grandparent
- Religious Sympathy Quotes for Loss of an Aunt or Uncle
- Religious Sympathy Quotes for the Loss of a Husband, Wife, or Partner
Listed below are some faith-based condolence offerings. If you are unsure about how religious you would like to be or what is appropriate for your situation, choose a quote that seems more universal.
Religious Quotes for the Loss of a Mother
When someone loses their mom, life can feel like it is moving in slow motion. Consider choosing a condolence message that speaks about women, their strength and resilience in the face of difficulties.
- “Ha’makom yenahem etkhem betokh she’ar avelei Tziyonvi’Yerushalayim (May God console you among the other mourners of Zion and Jerusalem).”— (Judaism)
- “Listen to the wind, it talks. Listen to the silence, it speaks. Listen to your heart, it knows.” — Unknown, (Native American)
- “The Great Spirit is in all things; He is in the air we breathe. The Great Spirit is our Father, but the Earth is our Mother. She nourishes us, that which we put into the ground she returns to us…” — Big Thunder, Wabanaki Algonquin, (Native American)
- “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.’” — John 11:25, (Christian)
- “We cannot see her, but she is with us. A mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence.” — A Mother’s Parable by Temple Baily, (Judaism)
- “God takes nothing from the world until He puts something else in its place.” — Midrash HaGadol by Rabbi David Adani, (Judaism)
- ”Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:6-7, (Christian)
- “It may be hard today to see past your sorrows, but the goddess is always there to comfort you through all your tomorrows.” — (Wiccan)
- “The love a son has for his mother is none of these. For none of these grasp the one that is loved, and none of these is held in an eternal clasp within her love.” — (Judaism)
- “Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” — Mahatma Gandhi, (Hindu)
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Religious Sympathy Quotes for Loss of a Father
Fathers are often known for their teachings. If you have the ability, recall a story about this individual and add it to the condolence card with one of the sympathy quotes from below.
- “For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ” — Colossians 2:5, (Christian)
- “Breathing in, breathing out; Moving forward, moving back; Living, dying, coming, going — like two arrows meeting in flight; in the midst of nothingness is the road that goes directly to my true home.” — Gesshu Soko, (Buddhist)
- “We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love…and then we return home.” — (Australian Aboriginal)
- “If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts happiness follows them like a never departing shadow.” — Buddha, (Buddhist)
- “May the stars carry your sadness away, may the flowers fill your heart with beauty, may hope forever wipe away your tears, and, above all, may silence make you strong.” — Chief Dan George, (Native American)
- “Who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” — 2 Corinthians 1:4, (Christian)
- “If I had not fallen, I would not have picked myself up; If I did not sit in darkness, I would not have seen the light.” — Orchot Tzadikim, (Judaism)
- “We belong to A***h and to A***h we shall return.” — (Muslim)
- “May our Lord bless and comfort you and your family during this time of grief.” — (Christian)
- “As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death.” — Leonardo Da Vinci, (Spiritual)
Religious Sympathy Quotes for the Loss of a Grandparent
Grandparents are the sages of the family. In addition to one of the condolences below, you may want to recognize this quality with an additional phrase or two.
- “Grief never ends… But it changes. It’s a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness, not a lack of faith… It is the price of love.” — Vicki Harrison, (Spiritual)
- “For they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” — Luke 20:36, (Christian)
- “All five manners of my fleeting form and the four elements of existence return to nothing. I put my neck below the unsheathed sword. Its blow is but a breath of wind.” — Suketomo, (Zen Buddhist)
- “When you were born, you cried, and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.” — Cherokee, (Native American)
- “What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.” —Blackfoot, (Native American)
- “As long as we live, they too will live; for they are now a part of us; as we remember them.” —(Judaism)
- “I will build an altar from the broken fragments of my heart.” — Rabbi Yehuda HaChasid, (Judaism)
- “Trying to understand is like straining through muddy water. Have the patience to wait! Be still and allow the mud to settle.” — Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, (Taoist)
- “You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.” — (Irish)
- “Man is born with his hands clenched, but his are open in death because on entering the world he desires to grasp everything, but on leaving, he takes nothing away.” — The Talmud, (Judaism)
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Religious Sympathy Quotes for Loss of a Son or Daughter
No parent wants to bury a child. Conveying your deep sympathy, and your support during this difficult time will be an appreciated sentiment.
- “All beings are unmanifest, or invisible to our physical eyes, before birth, and after death. They manifest between the birth and death only. What is there to grieve about?” — Bhagavad Gita, (Hindu)
- “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” — Romans 15:13, (Christian)
- “On the air they rise and fly an invisible course, gathering nothing, storing nothing. … Joyous and clear like the lake, still as the stone at the door, free from life and death.” — Buddha, (Buddist)
- “This world is shrouded in darkness. Here, only a few can see their way free. These few birds escape from the nest and fly away to the heavens.” — Buddha, (Buddist)
- “As I leave the Earth among the stars, I soar rising higher to Thee and I cannot ask for more. To reach the vast beyond, my spirit is of the universe. The universe is where I belong.” — J. C. High Eagle, (Native American)
- “Grown men can learn from very little children for the hearts of the little children are pure. Therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss.” — Black Elk, Oglala Lakota Sioux, (Native American)
- “There are stars whose radiance is visible on earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world even though they are no longer among the living…” —Hannah Senesh, (Judaism)
- “The Spirit is said to be unexplainable, incomprehensible, and immutable. Knowing the Spirit as such, you should not grieve for the physical body.” — Bhagavad Gita, (Hindu)
- “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” — John 3:16, (Christian)
- “Death is only a launching into the region of the strange Untried; it is but the first salutation to the possibilities of the immense Remote, the Wild, the Watery, the Unshored.” — Moby Dick by Herman Melville, (Spiritual)
Religious Sympathy Quotes for Loss of an Aunt or Uncle
Some people regard their aunts and uncles as big brothers and sisters, or as a surrogate parental figure. You may want to consider that relationship when you chose a condolence message.
- “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” — Buddha, (Buddist)
- “Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” — Isaiah 41:10, (Christian)
- “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” — Corinthians 5:1, (Christian)
- “May the blessings of love be upon you, may its peace abide with you, may its essence illuminate your heart now and forevermore.” — Sufi, (Islamic)
- “All who have died are equal.” — Comanche, (Native American)
- “They are not dead who live in the hearts they leave behind.” — Tuscarora, (Native American)
- “All that is on earth will perish, but the face of your Lord will abide (forever), full of Majesty, Bounty, and Honour.” — Qur’an 55,26-27, (Islamic)
- “The Spirit is neither born nor does it die at any time. It does not come into being or cease to exist. It is unborn, eternal, permanent, and primeval. The Spirit is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.” — Bhagavad Gita, (Hindu)
- “The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large.” — Confucius, (Confucianism)
- “Don’t grieve for me, for now, I’m free! I follow the plan God laid for me. I saw His face, I heard His call, I took His hand and left it all…” — Remembered Joy by Author Unknown, (Judaism)
» MORE: An online memorial is a perfect ending to honor and celebrate someone's life. Create one for free.
Religious Sympathy Quotes for the Loss of a Husband, Wife, or Partner
There is no replacement for the person someone chooses to spend their life with. While nothing can replace that relationship, maybe one of these quotes can help momentarily soothe the grief being felt.
- “When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” — Kahlil Gibran, (Spiritual)
- “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” — Psalms 34:18, (Christian)
- “The impermanence of this floating world I feel over and over. It is hardest to be the one left behind.” — ōtagaki Rengetsu, (Buddhist)
- 54. “Love like fire consumes you until it has nothing left to burn. And then it waits until you have the power to love once again. Such is the love between two lovers that become one.” — (Judaism)
- “Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.” — Rabindranath Tagore, (Brahmo Samaj Hinduism)
- “Don't be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts.” — Hopi, (Native American)
- “My eyes are tearful. My heart is full of anguish, but we will only say what pleases our Lord. O, Ibrahim! We are indeed grieved over your separation.” — Sahih Bukhari & Sahih Muslim, (Sunni Muslim)
- “Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know that are happy.” — Alaskan Inuit Proverb, (Spiritual)
- “When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” — Kahlil Gibran, (Spiritual)
- “Those we have loved or lost have not gone away, they continue to watch over us every day; They are unheard and unseen, but they are always near, walking beside us and always very dear.” — (Wiccan)
Choosing the Right Words to Say
Words will be comforting no matter what they say. As long as they come from your heart, your thoughts and love will be heard