Litany for the Sick and Preparation for Death

LORD, have mercy upon him (her or me).
Christ, have mercy upon him, &c.
Lord, have mercy upon him, &c.

From all his sins and offences, and the punishment due to them,
From all temptations, and the snares of the Devil,
From all impatience, and repining at thy just chastisements,
From dejection of spirit, and diffidence in thy mercies,
From all undue fears of death, and all immoderate desires of life.
From distraction of mind, and neglect of his preparation for eternity,
By thy Cross and Passion,
By thy Death and Burial,
By thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension,
By the grace of the Holy Ghost the Comforter,
In the hour of death and in the day of judgment,

Deliver him (her or me), O Lord!

We sinners beseech thee to hear us.

That it would please thee to comfort him in his sorrows, and enable him to look beyond death, to the blessed state it leads to,
That it would please thee to remind him of all thy mercies, and by them encourage him to a sure confidence in thee,
That thou wouldst vouchsafe him the grace to order all his temporal affairs with prudence, justice, and charity; and with a free and quiet mind wholly to attend to dispose himself for heaven,
That thou wouldst sanctify this thy fatherly correction of him; that the sense of his weakness may add strength to his faith, and seriousness to his repentance,
That thou wouldst vouchsafe him the grace to confess sincerely; to repent of all his sins, and grant him perfect remission and forgiveness of them,
That thou wouldst vouchsafe him the grace heartily to forgive all those that have offended him; and to satisfy, to the utmost of his power, whoever hath suffered the least prejudice by him,
That being thus reconciled to thee, and to all the world, he may, with assured hope and steadfast faith, receive the sacrament of thy blessed body; and may the strength of that heavenly food cheer his fainting spirits, and carry him on with joy, in thy favor, to the end,
That a patient submission under the pains of his sickness may expiate the punishment due to his sins, diminish his love of this world, and increase his desire of the next,
That in whatever thy providence hath ordained concerning him, he may readily acquiesce, and both in life and death be always thine,

We beseech Thee to hear us!

Son of God, We beseech Thee to hear us!
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord!

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Hear us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us!

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Our Father, &c.

O Lord, hear my prayer. And let my cry come unto thee.

Let us pray.

ALMIGHTY and eternal God, in whose hands are life and death; whose infinite wisdom disposes all things advantageously for them who love thee; behold thy servant, whom thou hast cast upon a bed of sickness; comfort, we beseech thee, his afflicted spirit; increase his faith, strengthen his hope, and perfect his charity: sanctify for him all his sufferings; and if thy mercy shall restore him to his health, may he carefully correct the errors of his past life. If it please thee to call him out of this world, grant that he may pass safely through the shades of death, transported by thy holy angels into the mansions of bliss, where no fear shall trouble him, no pain afflict him, nor grief disturb the quiet of his mind; but pure delight, unspeakable joys, and perfect security shall be forever confirmed to him, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer before receiving the Viaticum, or the Holy Communion.

O DEAR Jesus, I adore thee with all my heart; I give thee thanks for that infinite love which thou showedst to poor sinners in dying for them on the cross, and for thy unspeakable goodness, displayed in this heavenly banquet. Hither thou art now pleased to invite me, but how can I approach—I who have so ungratefully offended thee, and who have lived so unworthy of my profession!

I acknowledge, O God, that I am a sinner, a poor miserable sinner. Thou alone art my hope, to thee I raise my eyes, who art rich in mercy; who art my Advocate, and most powerful Mediator. I commit my cause into thy hands. Help me now in my distress! let thy precious blood, the infinite treasure of thy merits, supply all my deficiencies, while I partake of this sacred food. Thou knowest my weakness, thou knowest my unworthiness; thou seest how unfit I am, through the multitude and enormity of my sins, to appear before thy judgment-seat: I tremble at that dreadful hour when my manifold transgressions shall be laid before me. What shall I do then, O Keeper of Men! What must become of me, if my iniquities are to decide my eternal destiny? O Jesus, let me not go alone into that place of terror: come thou into my soul, accompany it to the tribunal of God; there let all thy mercies plead for me! though I have nothing to trust to in myself, yet upon thy infinite goodness I have every reason to rely. Let us, then, my soul, confidently recur to the mercies of our Lord; there let us shelter ourselves in the virtue of his blessed wounds; there, though our sins cry aloud for justice, his precious blood still cries louder for mercy. It is on this mercy I depend; in this I hope; and in this hope I desire to die: come, dear Jesus, now into my soul, and possess it forever.

Thou art my Lord and my God; behold I am thy servant: give me understanding and strengthen me, that I may ever conform to thy holy will.

Thou art the Lamb of God, the spotless Lamb who takest away the sins of the world. Take from me all that is sinful, and give me that which is pleasing in thy sight.

Thou art my love and my joy, my God, and my all; thou art my portion and inheritance; it is thou who wilt restore my inheritance to me.

Let the powerful force of thy love affect all my faculties; let it entirely change my heart, that for love of thee I may die to the world, who for love of me wast pleased to die on the cross.

Into thy hands I commit and surrender my spirit and remainder of life, and my whole being, whilst I am in possession of it, and have the power of making the offer and sacrifice.

An Act of Thanksgiving, after having received the Holy Communion, or Viaticum.

GLORY and thanksgiving be to thee, O Lord, who in thy sweetness hast been pleased to visit and refresh my poor soul. Now let thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word.

Now thou art come to me, I will not let thee go; now I willingly bid farewell to the world; and with joy I go to thee, my God.

Nothing more, O dear Jesus, nothing more shall separate me from thee. Now I am united to thee, in thee I will live, in thee I will die, and in thee I hope to abide forever.

Now life seems uneasy to me; I desire to be dissolved, and be with Christ; for Christ is my life, and to die will be my gain.

Now I will fear no evils, though I walk in the shadow of death, because thou art with me, O Lord; as the hart pants after the fountains of water, so does my soul after thee; my soul thirsts after the Fountain of Living Water: O when shall I come, and appear before the face of my God!

Give me thy blessing, O Jesus, and establish my soul in everlasting peace; such peace, as only thou canst give; such peace, as it may not be in the power of my enemy to destroy.

O that I were happily united to thee forever; that I were wholly swallowed up and buried in thee! O that my soul were at rest in thy happiness, and in the enjoyment of thee, my God, forever!

What have I more to do with the world? And in heaven what have I to desire but thee, my God?

Into thy hands I commend my spirit; receive me, sweet Jesus! In thee may I rest, and in thy happiness rejoice without end. Amen.

A Prayer before Extreme Unction.

LORD Jesus Christ, who, in thy great mercy, hast provided powerful resources for all our necessities; grant me grace to have recourse to them with such dispositions, that my soul may partake of all those great advantages and salutary effects, which thou hast appointed in their institution. Thou hast instituted the sacrament of Extreme Unction for the benefit of the sick, who in their extremity stand more particularly in need of grace and consolation. I now desire to receive this heavenly medicine, for the ends for which it has been instituted. Grant, I beseech thee, that this holy Unction may produce in me all its happy fruits; by healing my soul, by fortifying me against all temptations, by supporting me in the hour of anguish and distress, and by preparing me for a happy passage, or for whatever may be thy holy will. If thou foreseest that my health will be conducive to thy greater glory, and expedient for my eternal salvation, let this be the means to restore it. I absolutely submit to thy will: I wish not so much to live as to serve thee. Dispose of me as thou knowest best; all I desire is the accomplishment of thy will; give me health or sickness, life or death; give me whatever thou pleasest; not my will but thine be done; it is a greater happiness to fulfil thy will than to enjoy ten thousand lives. How happy should I be, if the destruction of my body could repair the injuries I have offered to thy divine Majesty! My eyes, alas! have seen vanities; my ears have been open to detractions, to profane and unprofitable discourses; my tongue has many ways offended both in speaking and tasting, my hands have contributed to many follies; my feet have often gone astray in the paths of vanity and sin. By this holy anointing, and by the prayers of thy Church, pardon me, O Jesus, all the sins which I have committed by my senses. Let those avenues, through which sin has made its ways into my soul, be now shut to the world. Let my eyes be opened to thee alone. Let my ears be attentive to thy commandments. Let my tongue be solely employed in soliciting for mercy. Let my prayers ascend like incense in thy sight. Let my hands be lifted up to heaven for pardon. Let my feet walk in thy ways, and let my heart be the living temple of the Holy Ghost. Into thy hands, O dear Jesus, I commend my spirit. In thee I will live, in thee I will die, in thee I will abide, and in thee I hope to possess eternal rest forever and ever. Amen.

A Prayer after Extreme Unction.

O MY God, thou hast created, redeemed, and sanctified me; thou hast preserved me in many dangers, both of soul and body. Thou hast nourished me with the adorable sacrament of thy body and blood, and granted me to receive the rites of thy Church, preferably to so many others, who were carried off by a sudden death, without having been favored with those succors which thou hast bestowed upon me, a most ungrateful sinner. For these, and all other blessings, I offer thee innumerable thanks; to thee I resign my heart; receive it for a holocaust. I do not desire to be freed from my pains; thou knowest what is best for me; take from me all murmuring; give me patience to suffer whatever thou pleasest; if it be thy divine pleasure to inflict on my weak body greater punishments than I now suffer, my heart is ready, O Lord, my heart is ready to accept them, and to suffer in whatever manner and measure shall be most conformable to thy will. This one grace I most earnestly beg of thee, my God, that I may die the death of thy elect, and be admitted, after the sufferings and tribulations of this transitory life, into the kingdom of thy glory, there to see and enjoy thee, in the company of the blessed, for all eternity. Amen.