PRAYERS WHEN DEATH IS NEAR. PRAYER AFTER DEATH. PRAYER FOR MOURNERS. PRAYER AT THE GRAVESIDE.

PRAYERS WHEN DEATH IS NEAR. PRAYER AFTER DEATH. PRAYER FOR MOURNERS. PRAYER AT GRAVESIDE.

To pray with and for the dying person, especially a relative or friend, is not only a demonstration of true charity but also a work of mercy. Aside from the utmost importance of saying an act of perfect contrition, and receiving the Anointing of the Sick, Viaticum and Apostolic Blessing, it is important that the final moments of life be a preparation for the dying person for his definitive encounter with God.

When the soul is about to depart from the body. then more than ever ought they who are present pray earnestly around the dying person’s bed and if he is unable to speak, the HOLY NAME OF JESUS should constantly invoked, and such words as the following again and again repeated…

INTO Your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
O Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit.
Holy Mary, pray for me.
O Mary, mother of grace, mother of mercy, …
protect me /him/her from the enemy, and receive me/him/her at the hour of death.
St. Joseph, pray for me/him/her.
St. Joseph, in company with the Blessed Virgin, Your spouse,
open to me/him/her the [source] of divine mercy.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give you my/his/her heart and my soul.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, assist me in my/his/her last agony [or in my last moment].
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, may I/he/she sleep and rest in peace in your holy company.

When the soul has departed the following Responsory should be said:

COME to his (her) assistance, Saints of God,
come forth to meet him (her), Angels of the Lord:
Receiving his (her) soul: Offering it in the sight of the Most High.

V/. May Christ receive you, who has called you, and may the Angels bear you into Abraham’s bosom. [Luke 16:23]
R/. Receive his (her) soul.
V/. Eternal rest grant unto him (her), O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him (her).
R/. Offering it in the sight of the Most High.
V/. Lord, have mercy on us.
R/. Christ, have mercy on us.
V/. Lord, have mercy on us.
Our Father…
V/. And lead us not into temptation.
R/. But deliver us from evil.
V/. Eternal rest grant unto him (her) O Lord,
R/. And let perpetual light shine upon him (her).
V/. From the gate of hell.
R/. Deliver his (her) soul, O Lord.
V/. May he (she) rest in peace.
R/. Amen.
V/. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R/. And let my cry come unto to you.
V/. The Lord be with you.
R/. And with Your spirit.

Let us pray.
To you, O Lord, do we commend the soul of Your servant N., that being dead to the world he (she) may live unto you; and whatsoever sins he (she) has committed through the frailty of his (her) mortal nature, may You, in Your most merciful goodness, forgive and wash away.
Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.

Then the following prayer for these present may be added:

GRANT, O Lord, that, while we here lament the departure of Your servant, we may ever remember that we are most certainly to follow him (her). Give us grace to prepare for that last hour, by a good life, that we may not be surprised by a sudden death; but be ever watching when You shall call, that so …we may enter into eternal glory.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Meanwhile, if the custom of the place calls for it, let the Passing Bell be rung, reminding all who hear it to pray for the departed soul. The body is then decently laid out, and a light placed before it. A small Crucifix is put in the hands of the deceased, upon his breast, or the bands are themselves placed crosswise, while the body is sprinkled with holy water.

When the family first gathers around the body, before or after it is prepared for burial, all or some of the following prayers may be used. It is most fitting that, where possible, family members take part in preparing the body for burial.

All make the Sign of the Cross. Then one member of the family reads:

My brothers and sisters, Jesus says:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest.
Shoulder my yoke and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.”

The body may then be sprinkled with holy water:

The Lord God lives in his holy temple yet abides in our midst.
Since in Baptism, N. became God’s temple
and the Spirit of God lived in him/her,
with reverence we bless his/her mortal body.

Then one member of the family may say:

With God there is mercy and fullness of redemption;
let us pray as Jesus taught us:

Our Father…

Then this prayer is said:

Into your hands, O Lord,
we humbly entrust our brother/sister N.
In this life you embraced him/her with your tender love;
deliver him/her now from every evil
and bid him/her enter eternal rest.

The old order has passed away:
welcome him/her then into paradise,
where there will be no sorrow, no weeping nor pain,
but the fullness of peace and joy
with your Son and the Holy Spirit
forever and ever.
R/. Amen.

All may sign the forehead of the deceased with the Sign of the Cross. One member of the family says:

Blessed are those who have died in the Lord;
let them rest from their labors
for their good deeds go with them.

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.

May the love of God and the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ
bless and console us
and gently wipe every tear from our eyes:
in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
R/. Amen.

Prayers for Mourners

• Lord God,
  you are attentive to the voice of our pleading.
  Let us find in your Son
  comfort in our sadness,
  certainty in our doubt,
  and courage to live through this hour.
  Make our faith strong
  through Christ our Lord.
  R/. Amen.
   
• Lord,
  N. is gone now from this earthly dwelling,
  and has left behind those who mourn his/her absence.
  Grant that we may hold his/her memory dear,
  never bitter for what we have lost
  nor in regret for the past,
  but always in hope of the eternal Kingdom
  where you will bring us together again.
  Through Christ our Lord.
  R/. Amen.
   
• May the love of God and the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ
  bless and console us
  and gently wipe every tear from our eyes:
  in the name of the Father,
  and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
  R/. Amen.

For those who mourn the death of a child:

• O Lord, whose ways are beyond understanding,
  listen to the prayers of your faithful people:
  that those weighed down by grief
  at the loss of this little child
  may find reassurance in your infinite goodness.
  Through Christ our Lord.
  R/.  Amen.

Prayers at Graveside

• Lord Jesus Christ,
  by your own three days in the tomb,
  you hallowed the graves of all who believe in you
  and so made the grave a sign of hope
  that promises resurrection
  even as it claims our mortal bodies.
  
  Grant that our brother/sister, N., may sleep here in peace
  until you awaken him/her to glory,
  for you are the resurrection and the life.
  Then he/she will see you face to face
  and in your light will see light
  and know the splendor of God,
  for you live and reign forever and ever.
  R/. Amen.
   
• O God,
  by whose mercy the faithful departed find rest,
  send your holy Angel to watch over this grave.
  Through Christ our Lord.
  R/. Amen.

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