Anyone ever hear of the Ars Moriendi (Art of Dying)?
It was written during the plague and in it there are these prayers for the dying:
O, Most high God and endless Goodness, most merciful and glorious Trinity, highest affection, love, and charity, have mercy on me, a sinner. To you I fully commend my spirit.
Lord Jesus Christ, for the bitterness that you suffered for me on the cross, and most in that hour when you most blessed soul passed out of your body, have mercy on my soul in its passing.
O glorious Queen of Heaven, mother of mercy and refuge of all sinful people; reconcile me to your sweet son, my Lord Jesus, and pray for me a sinful wretch, to His great mercy, that for love of you, sweet Lady, he will forgive me my sins.
Holy Angels of Heaven, assist me as I pass out of this world and mightily deliver me and keep me from all my adversaries. Take my soul into your blessed company, and especially you my good angel, that have been a continual guardian ordained by God.
The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the virtue of his passion and the sign of the holy cross and the purity of Our Lady, Saint Mary and the blessing of all the saints and the care of all angels and the approval of all the chosen people of God be between me and my enemies, visible and invisible in this hour of my death. Amen.
LargireGrant me a clear end that my life never fall downwards; but give me everlasting glory that is the reward of holy dying.
For the love that made you to be wounded and die for the health and salvation of humankind, most worthy and innocent Son of God, of your blessed Father in heaven, and for the sake of humanity sweet Lord Jesus full of mercy, forgive your servant who has sinned in thought word and deed in all affections, desires, motions, strengths and wits of his soul and body; and in remission of them all forgive your servant, give him that most sufficient correction by which you wash away all the sins of the world and in supply of all his negligence, put to him that holy conversation that you had from the hour of your conception until the hour of your death; also, the fruit of all good deeds that have pleased you and will please you in all your chosen people from the beginning of the world to its end, Sweet Lord Jesus, who lives and reigns with your Father and with the Holy Spirit, One God without end. Amen.
For the union of the most fervent love that stirred and made you, life of all things that live, to be incarnate of our Lady, and with great anguish of your spirit to die for charity and for love of us, we cry to the center of your most benign heart that you forgive the soul of your servant all sins and with your most holy conversation and most worthy merit of your passion fulfill all negligence and omissions, and make him and us all to feel by experience the most superabundant greatness of your mercies; and especially this person our brother, who you have suddenly called before your glorious majesty in the most pleasant manner to you and most profitable to him and us all. Let him be present to you with sweet patience, true repentance, and full remission; with rightful faith, stable hope, and perfect charity, that he may die blessedly, in a perfect state, between your most sweetest embrace and most sweet kissing, into your everlasting praising. Amen.
Into the hands of your unending mercy, holy Father, righteous and most beloved Father, we commend the spirit of our brother, your servant, through the greatness of love that the holy soul of your blessed Son commended himself to you on the cross, praying sincerely that for the inestimable charity your holy Godliness dew fully into yourself the blessed soul of your Son, that now in his last hour you receive sweetly the spirit of our brother, your servant, in the same love. Amen.
St. Michael, the archangel of our Lord Jesus Christ, help us at our highest judgment. O invincible warrior assist our loved one now laboring now greatly in his end and defend him powerfully from the dragon of hell and from all lies of malicious spirits. Furthermore, we pray to you who are so pure and so worthy a minister of God, that in the last hour of the life of our loved one you will receive his soul easily and gently into your holy embrace and bring her into the place of refreshing peace and rest. Amen
Ever pure and blessed virgin Mary, singular help and comfort in every anguish and necessity, help us sweetly, and show to our brother, your servant, your glorious face now in his last need. And chase all his enemies from him through the virtue of you dear beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the holy Cross; and deliver him from all difficulties of body and soul, that he may thank and worship God without end. Amen
My most sweet redeemer, most merciful Jesus, and most kind Lord, for that sorrowful voice that you had in your manhood when you died for us and were so consumed with sorrows and hardship of your passion that you called, forsaken by the Father, do not be far from your brother, your servant, but give him your help, your mercy, in the hour of his death; and be mindful of his grievous affliction and pain of his soul, which in this last hour of his passing, for failing of his spirits, has no strength to call you for help: but by the victory of the cross and by the virtue of your holy passion and loving death, think upon her thoughts of peace and not of affliction, but of mercy and comfort; deliver her fully from all kinds of anguishes. With the same hands that you suffered to be nailed on the cross for her sake with sharp nails, good Jesus and sweet Father, deliver her from the torments ordained for her, and bring her to everlasting bliss and rest, with a voice of exaltation and acknowledgement of your mercy. Amen.
Most merciful Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, in union with commendation that you command you holy soul to you heavenly Father, dying on the cross, we commend to your ineffable pity the soul of our brother, your servant, praying your most merciful goodness that for all the worship and merit of your most holy soul, by which all souls are saved and delivered from the debt of death, have mercy on the soul of our brother, your servant; delivering her mercifully from all miseries and pains and for the love and mediation of your sweet mother, bring her to contemplation of the joy of your sweet and merciful everlasting sight. Amen.
Merciful and kind God. through the greatness of your mercy do away the sin of those who truly repent, and void the blame of sins of the past through the grace of your forgiveness, we beg that you look mercifully on our brother, your servant, and graciously hear him asking with full confession of his heart, remission of all his sins. Renew in him, most merciful Father, all that is corrupt in him by bodily frailty, or fouled with the fraud of the Devil, and gather him into the unity of the body of Holy Church, and make him a member of Holy Redemption. Have mercy, Lord, upon his cries. Have mercy upon his tears, and admit him to the sacrament of your reconciliation as he has no trust but in your mercy, by our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear brother, I commend you to almighty God and commit you to him whose creature you are that when your humanity has paid its debt through death you may turn again to God who formed you of the slime of the earth. When your soul passes out of your body may glorious companies of angels come to welcome you, the victorious host of worthy judges and representatives, the holy apostles meet you. May the pure white shining company of holy confessors with the victories number of glorious martyrs meet you. May the joyful company of holy virgins receive you. And the worthy fellowship of holy patriarchs open to you the place of rest and joy and deem you to be among them that they be among forever. May you never know that which is horrible in darkness, that gnashes in flaming fire. Mat they that punish in torment let you go and not grieve you. May they that follow Satan with all his servants in the coming against you be aghast at the presence of holy angels and flee into darkness of everlasting night, into the great tribulous see of hell. Our Lord arises and his enemies who hate him are scattered about and flee, from his sight. They fail as the smoke fails and as the wax melts before fire, so parish sinners from the face of God as rightful men eat and rejoice in the sight of God. May all the contrary legions and ministers of Satan not dare to impede your journey. May Christ who died for you deliver you from torment. Christ, Gods son bring you to the merry joys of paradise and the true shepherd know you among his sheep. May he cleanse you from all your sins and put you on his right side in the lot of his chosen children that you may see your redeemer face to face; and there assisting to him, see with your eyes the blessed everlasting truth openly and be among the blessed company of the children of God rejoicing in the joy of the contemplations of God with out end. Amen.
