The Last Habsburg Emperor
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At any given moment during the day, a soul is leaving this world for the next and is coming before Our Lord where his or her eternal destination will be determined. For many, that destination will be a period of purification to prepare them for Heaven, ie. Purgatory. For a few exceptionally holy souls, there will be a direct entry into Heaven. For many others, however, eternity means unending punishment, the likes of which are indescribable and incomprehensible to the human mind.
We need to pray and pray often for all souls who are coming before Our Lord in judgment as heir Earthly lives come to an end.
One of the most important messages conveyed by Jesus to Saint Faustina was the necessity of praying for the dying as a means of helping them to receive Divine Mercy.
During one of the many visits that Our Lord and Savior made to Saint Faustina, Jesus directed her to pray for the dying:
“Pray as much as you can for the dying, pray that they may put their trust in My mercy, for they are the ones most in need of trustfulness, but have it least of all. Know that for some souls the grace of eternal salvation will depend at the last moment on your prayers.” (Diary, 1777).
In her Diary, Saint Faustina recorded a number of instances when she prayed for persons who were dying and her prayers did make the difference between salvation and eternal condemnation.
Jesus told Saint Faustina of the importance of praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the dying. “Write that when they say the Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between my Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior,” Jesus said to her (1541).
In her Diary, Saint Faustina recorded instances when her praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for a dying person helped that person to obtain God’s mercy and to escape the fires of Hell. (See paragraphs 1035 and 1797-98 for example).
The role of Our Blessed Mother cannot be overlooked or minimized when people are dying. Every time we pray the Hail Mary, we are praying for her intercession when we die. “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our deaths. Amen.” So we should be praying the Hail Mary throughout the day to help souls at their moment of their eternal judgment.
We can also pray the Fatima Prayer for the dying periodically throughout the day. At Fatima, Our Blessed Mother taught us this simple but highly important prayer to be added to the Holy Rosary.
“Oh My Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven especially those in most need of it.”
To this prayer, we can add the names of specific persons that we know are approaching the end of their lives.
We should also pray for the intercession of Saint Joseph. As the Foster Father of Jesus and the Patron of a Happy Death, Saint Joseph’s intercession can be a powerful aid to those who are dying.
We can also pray for the intercession of Saint Dismas, the Good Thief. As he hung crucified next to Our Lord, Saint Dismas sought Jesus’s mercy and assistance and Jesus embraced him with mercy. Having experienced God’s mercy even in the last moments of his Earthly life, Saint Dismas’s intercession can help dying persons.
The month of November is dedicated to the Holy Souls. During this month, we remember and pray for those who have died. We pray to assist those in Purgatory to make it to Heaven. We should also be praying for those who are about to die, that they will open themselves to God’s mercy and be spared the fires of eternal damnation.
We should especially pray for the dying when we are at Mass. At no time in this life are we closer to the Thrice Holy God than when Jesus is present with us in the Holy Eucharist. Similarly we should pray for the dying when we are in Eucharistic Adoration, because again Jesus is present with us in the Holy Eucharist.
Once a soul is condemned to Hell, no prayers or penances or any other human effort can help them. The time to help souls is before Judgment. Again as Jesus told Saint Faustina, “Know that for some souls the grace of eternal salvation will depend at the last moment on your prayers.”
After reading this article, please say a prayer for the dying…that they will embrace God’s infinite Mercy even as they draw their final breaths.
Bryan J. Dickerson is an author and historian specializing in military and naval history, and Catholicism. He earned his BA in History from Rowan University (NJ), MA in American History from Monmouth University (NJ) and a graduate Certificate in Archival Studies from Louisiana State University. His writings have appeared online and in print in such publications as Columbia (the magazine of the Knights of Columbus) and Celebrate Life (the magazine of the American Life League). He is a 4th Degree member of the Knights of Columbus and a Past Grand Knight of a council in New Jersey. His book The Liberators of Pilsen: the U.S. 16th Armored Division in World War II Czechoslovakia was published by McFarland Books in 2018 and his book Dive Bomber Down: James A. Nist Naval Aviator in the Pacific War is now available from McFarland Books. He has also self-published sixeen books, including In the Name of COVID: The Assault on Religious Freedom in 2020. A former U.S. Navy Reserve Religious Program Specialist 1st Class (Fleet Marine Force), he mobilized and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom twice. He and his wife Lisa have four children and live in southern New Jersey.
