““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”. Divine Mercy in My Soul # 1777
What if eternity in Heaven depended upon your prayer alone?
How many souls walk through life today in terror of death? How many Christians fear to face God in His Righteous Judgment? Watching some die is a traumatic experience for sure. When someone receives that diagnosis that has a time limit set, the terror in the heart is tremendous. I’ve known of people who were diagnosed with terminal cancer who’s reactions ranged from sheer panic and depression to total peace.
What’s the difference between these people? Faith.
So few are ready to face the moment of death. Many fears even for the Christian come to mind. “What if?” is sorta inevitable. Worries and doubts can settle in the mind if not the heart.
I’ve faced fear of this moment through visionary graces of God and wondered if the ‘eternal destiny’ of loved ones. Both personal worry and wonder for the loved one’s soul can be overbearing.
Fear is a horrible disease. What of the fear of the person laying in a bed moments from their last breath?
I’ve buried two dads. My father and father-in-law. Both were men of strength and fortitude to whom I looked up. My dad died 30 years ago and my father-in-law this past January. I’ve offered the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for both. I asked God to place me at their bedside as I offered this prayer. In His great Divine Mercy, I know my prayer was answered. And, I know the promise of Jesus was kept.
“I realize more and more how much every soul needs God’s mercy throughout life and particularly at the hour of death. This chaplet mitigates God’s anger, as He Himself told me.” Divine Mercy in My Soul # 1036
“At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the pardon is the same. When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God’s anger is placated, unfathomable mercy envelops the soul, and the very depths of My tender mercy are moved for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of My Son.” Divine Mercy in My Soul # 811
Pray for the dying, they need your prayers. They are terrified of ‘the end’ they face and of the judgment they will face on the other side. They need you. It doesn’t matter when you’re praying for the dying, even decades after their death – pray! God is timeless and will make your prayer matter for them in that moment – your prayers matter. That Chaplet of Divine Mercy matters.
Pray!!!