Before you see that relative you don’t like during the holidays, say this prayer

Loving our own family members can sometimes be the hardest calling.

The holiday season is often a time for family reunions, which can be a mixed bag. If you enter into a situation imagining that it will certainly end up like last time, however, you’re setting yourself up for a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead, put yourself in the right mindset to face that difficult relationship calmly by turning to God and asking for His help and peace …

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of my family. Thank you for every good and peaceful moment I’ve had with them. I choose to surrender the painful and infuriating moments into Your hands, for Your judgment is far more just and wise than my own. As I approach this [day, visit, reunion, gathering, party, etc.], I ask for the graces of humility, kindness, charity, self-control, and self-confidence. I ask that I be rooted in You, Father, that I will remember that I am seen, known, and loved by You. You provide for all I need. Trusting in this, I surrender the outcome to Your will and loving providence. I pray that, even if we cannot heal our relationships completely, that we can move forward with mutual respect and compassion. But even if I do not receive the respect and compassion I desire, I will never stop seeking to love others as well as I am able, trusting that my own need for love is filled to overflowing by You, my God. In the Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.