Through death, the Christian enters eternal life (Rom. 6:23). Belief in the resurrection anchors the Christian’s hope in the face of suffering and death. Because death is anticipated and integrated into one’s daily life, the Christian can embrace death serenely as the culmination of life.
20 April 2024, New Mexico, Steven Zimmerman – I had a different piece planned for today, but my wife received some news that changed my direction. Yesterday, 19 April, my wife’s grandmother died.
My wife’s current state of mind is between sadness and joy; knowing that her grandmother is no longer suffering gives her some hope, yet the pain of losing her is overwhelming.
“Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.” (Rev. 14:13)
There is a natural longing in the human heart for peace, friendship, love, and happiness—for a purposeful and worthwhile life. And there is an even deeper longing, sometimes quiet or hidden. This longing is to discover the ultimate meaning of life, know God’s love, and share in a destiny beyond the horizon of death.
St Augustine of Hippo, one of the great teachers of the Church, wrote: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
Our understanding of death, as Catholic Christians, is inseparable from our experience of life.
According to God’s plan, we are created for holiness and eternal life with Him. Our nature has been wounded through original sin, and we experience suffering and death. Dying was not part of God’s original plan, but it is the reality of our lives to die.
When we look at death from a perspective that lacks faith, it is frightening. Death is a mystery for those outside of God’s Grace and the Salvation of Christ. At death, we are stripped of all our attachments, and our body lies corrupt in a grave. Our immortal soul, when we die, goes to meet the Lord. Standing there, before the Lord, in judgment, our lives are laid bare, and we face God’s Judgement.
For us, as Catholics and Christians who have faith, we can approach death with a sense of peace and trust. There is a longing to return home with the Lord in each of us.
We hope in eternal life and know that Jesus Christ has conquered death by dying on the cross. By rising from the dead, Christ opened the gates of heaven for each of us. We are not lost, nor do we view death as a mystery with fear.
Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
When a person dies, those who believe in Christ and have accepted His mercy and Salvation will enter heaven. However, if a person dies without being completely free of the marks of sin, they will go to Purgatory to be cleaned up and made ready to enter into the presence of God.
Even during Purgatory’s purification process, there is still the joyful hope of entering God’s Kingdom.
What about those who have rejected Christ? If one freely chooses to turn away from the Mercy and Salvation He offers, they will be condemned by their actions and choices. They have decided to turn away from the possibility of eternal life with God. This, my friends, is the tragedy of hell.
But this does not mean that those who have not known Christ in this life are excluded from the salvation he brings. The Bible says God “desires all people to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4).
The Church and her sacraments are open to all who come seeking the salvation Jesus Christ offers. The RCIA process is easy, and God’s forgiveness through His Son, Jesus Christ, releases your burdens after baptism. Even confession is a great way to return to the Church if you’ve not attended Mass in quite some time. God is waiting to welcome you into the Body of Christ wherever you are.
What happens to those barred from baptism, joining the Church, or not knowing Christ or His Church? Do they have any hope? Yes, they do. If they sincerely seek God and strive to do his will as far as they know it, salvation will still be through the redeeming love of Jesus Christ, but in ways perhaps unknown to us.
All people are called by God to know him and to please him. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “The desire for God is written in the human heart because man is created by God and for God, and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for” (CCC 27).
God freely gives everyone the grace to respond to his call. “Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and eternal life” (CCC 1996).
So what happens to those who have the desire for God written on their hearts and are moved by grace to respond to him but never hear the gospel or know of Jesus? The Church teaches that they may attain salvation. Quoting from Vatican II document Lumen Gentium, the Catechism explains, “Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience—those too may achieve eternal salvation” (CCC 847).
When Christ comes again, and He will come again, our bodies will share in the Resurrection. God will then reveal the hidden purposes of his creation and reconcile all things in Christ.
For those justified by Christ, they will live in the presence of God for all eternity. This hope gives us joy, even when we suffer in this life; this hope gives us reason to keep close to Jesus Christ by living lives of faith and love.
When we die, at the end of our lives, in old age or sickness, can we prepare for death? Can we prepare before we are ill? How can we do that? Simple, by prayer, acts of love, going to Confession and Mass. When ill, call your parish priest for the Anointing of the Sick. All these things will help you prepare for death and help you along the road to God’s Kingdom.
We are assured of God’s mercy and supported by the Church’s prayers. Every Christian hopes to die in a state of grace, reconciled with God and at peace with others. The sacraments allow us to remain in this state.
We hope to see God face to face in heaven, to be wrapped up in His joy, love, and happiness forever in the company of all the Angels and Saints.
The Angels and saints in heaven are involved in God’s work. We should ask them to pray for us and help us because death is not a barrier but a bridge for those who love one another in Christ. We also pray for the holy souls in purgatory.
We can have comfort in knowing that we are spiritually united, even now in life, with those who have died and that we do have a hope of seeing them again in heaven.
Through death, the Christian enters eternal life (Rom. 6:23). Each of us can enter God’s Kingdom through prayer, the sacraments, and loving one another in Christ. For those who have died, be they strangers to us or my wife’s grandmother, we know we will see them once again when we are called to God’s Kingdom.
Catholic prayers for the dying
The following Catholic prayers may also help you and them at this time:
When the moment of death seems near, the following prayer may be said:
I commend you, my dear brother/sister,
to almighty God,
and entrust you to your Creator.
May you return to Him
who formed you from the dust of the earth.
May holy Mary, the angels, and all the saints
come to meet you as you go forth from this life.
May Christ who was crucified for you
bring you freedom and peace.
May Christ who died for you
admit you into his garden of paradise.
May Christ, the true Shepherd,
Acknowledge you as one of his flock.
May He forgive all your sins,
And set you among those He has chosen.
May you see your Redeemer face to face,
And enjoy the vision of God for ever.
Amen.
Invocation of Our Lady
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known
that anyone who fled to your protection,
implored your help, or sought your intercession
was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence,
I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother.
To you I come,
before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in your mercy, hear and answer me.
Our Lady of Lourdes.
Pray for us.
Prayer at time of death
Go forth, Christian soul, from this world
in the name of God the almighty Father,
who created you,
in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,
who suffered for you,
in the name of the Holy Spirit,
who was poured out upon you,
go forth, faithful Christian,
May you live in peace this day,
may your home be with God in Zion,
with Mary, the virgin Mother of God,
with Joseph, and all the angels and saints.
Catholic prayers for the dying and the sick
Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world,
we pray for your servant N.,
and commend him/her to your mercy.
For his/her sake you came down from heaven;
receive him/her now into the joy of your kingdom.
For though he/she has sinned,
he/she has not denied the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
but has believed in God
and has worshipped his/her Creator.
Amen.
Father, your Son accepted our sufferings
to teach us the virtue of patience in human illness.
Hear the prayers we offer for our sick brother/sister.
May all who suffer pain, illness or disease
realize that they have been chosen to be saints
and know that they are joined to Christ
in his suffering for the salvation of the world.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayers for a peaceful death
All praise and glory are yours, Lord our God,
for you have called us to serve you in love.
Bless all who have grown old in your service
and give N. strength and courage
to continue to follow Jesus your Son.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Catholic prayers for the dying
When the moment of death seems near, the following prayer may be said:
I commend you, my dear brother/sister,
to almighty God,
and entrust you to your Creator.
May you return to Him
who formed you from the dust of the earth.
May holy Mary, the angels, and all the saints
come to meet you as you go forth from this life.
May Christ who was crucified for you
bring you freedom and peace.
May Christ who died for you
admit you into his garden of paradise.
May Christ, the true Shepherd,
Acknowledge you as one of his flock.
May He forgive all your sins,
And set you among those He has chosen.
May you see your Redeemer face to face,
And enjoy the vision of God for ever.
Amen.
Short texts
- What will separate us from the love of Christ? (Rom 8:35)
- Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. (Rom 14:8)
- We shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thes 4:17)
- To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. (Ps 25:1)
- Though I should walk in the valley of the shadow of death, no evil would I fear, for you are with me. (Ps 23:4)
- Into your hands I commend my spirit. (Ps 31:6a)
- Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. (Lk 23:42)
- Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. (Acts 7:59)
Holy Mary, pray for me.
Saint Joseph, pray for me.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony.
Prayers immediately after death
The following prayers may be recited immediately after death and may be repeated in the hours that follow:
Saints of God, come to his/her aid!
Come to meet him/her, Angels of the Lord!
Receive his/her soul and present him/her to God the Most High.
May Christ, who called you, take you to Himself;
may Angels lead you to Abraham’s side.
Give him/her eternal rest, O Lord,
and may your light shine on him/her forever.
Let us pray.
All-powerful and merciful God,
we commend to you N., your servant.
In your mercy and love,
blot out the sins he/she has committed
through human weakness.
In this world he/she has died:
let him/her live with you forever.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
These verses may also be used:
V/. Eternal rest grant unto him/her, O Lord.
R/. And let perpetual light shine upon him/her.
V/. May he/she rest in peace.
R/. Amen.
V/. May his/her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God,
rest in peace.
R/. Amen.
