Prayer for the dying is vital, because “each person receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ.” (CCC 1022).
You can pray with your loved one in his or her final moments even if he or she is not conscious. Have the faith to believe they can hear you and can pray with you.
Our loved ones need our spiritual assistance to help them overcome the final attacks of the devil and to prepare their souls for true repentance and reconciliation with God. Do everything in your power to help them receive their Last Rites and if this is not possible, pray in hope for the mercy of God and for final perseverance.
Last Rites are crucial for faithful Catholics because these are the final prayers and blessings your dying loved one will receive before final judgement and the afterlife. The administration of the Last Rites, only available for Catholic Chrisitians, is a final cleansing. The Last Rites will prepare your dying loved one to enter heaven rather than hell. The Last Rites give by the priest will offer the dying soul a final confession and absolution of sins, and will also offer a blessing through the anointing of oil, and finally, will offer final holy Communion (called Viaticum), which literally means “with you on the way.”
Be vigilant and pray fervently during your loved one’s final moments. Pray without ceasing and call upon the angels and saints to guide you.
"I found myself in a strange cottage where an elderly man was dying amidst great torments. All about the bed was a multitude of demons and the family, who were crying. When I began to pray, the spirits of darkness fled, with hissing and threats directed at me. The soul became calm and, filled with trust, rested in the Lord."
Begin by leading your loved one in a prayer of reconciliation.
Prayer of Reconciliation
Now let us turn with confidence to the Lord and ask his forgiveness for all our sins.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
AMEN.
Act of Contrition
O my God,
I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins,
because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell;
but most of all because they offend Thee, my God,
Who are all good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins, to do penance,
and to amend my life.
AMEN.
Prayer for the Dying is Powerful
Another very powerful prayer for the dying is the Divine Mercy Chaplet. You can pray this prayer with or without the beads. The prayers are listed below for this prayer for the dying.
St. Faustina Kowalska, whom Jesus gave many mystical experiences in addition to the devotion to the Divine Mercy, writes about the importance of prayer for the dying.
She says, “Pray as much as you can for the dying. By your entreaties, obtain for them trust in My mercy, because they have most need of trust, and have it the least. Be assured that the grace of eternal salvation for certain souls in their final moment depends on your prayer. You know the whole abyss of My mercy, so draw upon it for yourself and especially for poor sinners. Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul” (Diary, 1777).
The Divine Mercy
St. Faustina’s Prayer for Sinners
O Jesus, eternal Truth, our Life, I call upon You and I beg Your mercy for poor sinners. O sweetest Heart of my Lord, full of pity and unfathomable mercy, I plead with You for poor sinners. O Most Sacred Heart, Fount of Mercy from which gush forth rays of inconceivable graces upon the entire human race, I beg of You light for poor sinners. O Jesus, be mindful of Your own bitter Passion and do not permit the loss of souls redeemed at so dear a price of Your most precious Blood. O Jesus, when I consider the great price of Your Blood, I rejoice at its immensity, for one drop alone would have been enough for the salvation of all sinners. Although sin is an abyss of wickedness and ingratitude, the price paid for us can never be equalled. Therefore, let every soul trust in the Passion of the Lord, and place its hope in His mercy. God will not deny His mercy to anyone. Heaven and earth may change, but God’s mercy will never be exhausted. Oh, what immense joy burns in my heart when I contemplate Your incomprehensible goodness, O Jesus! I desire to bring all sinners to Your feet that they may glorify Your mercy throughout endless ages (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 72).
Opening Prayer
You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!
Our Father
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
1x on each decade
The Eternal Father
Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
10x on Each Decade
For the Sake of His Sorrowful Passion
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Saint Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, is the patron saint of the dying. He will intercede for us for a happy death. Pray now to Saint Joseph for his intercession on the soul of your loved one. Say the name of your dying loved one and ask St. Joseph to pray for them as they transition into the afterlife. Then pray the “St. Joseph Terror of Demons” prayer.
St. Joseph, Terror of Demons, Pray for Us!
Saint Joseph, Terror of Demons,
Cast thy solemn gaze upon the devil and all his minions and protect us with thy mighty staff. Thou fled through the night to avoid the devil’s wicked designs; now with the power of God, smite the demons as they flee from thee! Grant special protection, we pray, for children, fathers, mothers, families, and the dying. By God’s grace, no demon dares approach while thou art near, so we beg of thee, St. Joseph, always be near to us! Saint Joseph, the terror of demons, pray for us.
AMEN.
Prayer the Scriptures
with Your Dying Loved One
Psalms 23, a Psalm of David
The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads me; he restores my soul. He guides me along right paths for the sake of his name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me. You set a table before me in front of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Indeed, goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD for endless days.
The Gospel of John Chapter 14:1-4
Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not, would I have told you
that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.”
Learn about the Holy Souls
on death and everlasting life. Pray the Holy Souls in Purgatory Chaplet.
“When the Lord comes in glory, and all his angels with him, death will be no more and all things will be subject to him. But at the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory, contemplating ‘in full light, God himself triune and one, exactly as he is’” (Lumen Gentium 49).
All of us, however, in varying degrees and in different ways share in the same charity towards God and our neighbors, and we all sing the one hymn of glory to our God. All, indeed, who are of Christ and who have his Spirit form one Church and in Christ cleave together (CCC, 954).
What the Saints Say about the Afterlife
“As the separation of the soul from the body is the death of the body, so the separation of God from the soul is the death of the soul. And this death of the soul is the true death….Thus the violation of God’s commandment is the cause of all types of death, both of soul and body, whether in the present life or in that endless chastisement. And death, properly speaking, is this: for the soul to be unharnessed from divine grace and to be yoked to sin. This death, for those who have their wits, is truly dreadful and something to be avoided. This, for those who think aright, is more terrible than the chastisement of Gehenna. From this let us also flee with all our might. Let us cast away, let us reject all things, bid farewell to all things: to all relationships, actions and intentions that drag us downward, separate us from God and produce such death. He who is frightened of this death and has preserved himself from it will not be alarmed by the oncoming death of the body, for in him the true life dwells, and bodily death, so far from taking true life away, renders it inalienable.” – St. Gregory Palamas
“For some time I have felt the need to offer myself to the Lord as a victim for poor sinners and for souls in purgatory. This desire has grown continuously in my heart, until now it has become a powerful passion. I made this offering to the Lord, imploring Him to lay on me the punishments that are prepared for sinners and for souls in purgatory, even multiplying them upon me a hundredfold as long as He converts and saves sinners and quickly releases the souls in purgatory.” – St. Padre Pio