This picture is called “Escorting Souls to Heaven” by Howard David Johnson.

By praying for the dying, we are in fact walking that soul as far as we can home, to our Lord..

A few months ago, I was with a good friend who was passing on from this world, to eternal life. I sat at his bedside and through our Lord, managed to break the selfish bonds I had attached to him. I started to pray. There were a few souls in the room with him at this time who were conversing about the old days when our friend was in better shape and spirits. Rather then continue in the small talk, I listened to the voice telling me to get to work. In doing so, quickly recruited them to pray with me.

I opened my purse and grabbed the rosary given to me that belonged to my mother, after she had passed away. Along with the rosary, I grabbed a pamphlet that contained the prayers for Divine Mercy given to Saint Faustina by our Lord. The second I began to pray, I could feel something like a hammer smashing all selfishness of fear of breaking up the party, and getting down to work as to why I was there in the first place. I wasn’t called to this mans bedside for a party with friends we had in common. No. I was there to ensure he had an escort home to our Lord.

When my mother passed away many years ago, I sat at her bedside with my brothers and sisters crying not only for losing her, but understanding now that I had grown attached to her and was mourning for my loss rather then praying for her gain. I wasted all that time at her side for myself, rather then in prayer for her soul.

While at my friends side, later that first night, deep in prayer, I could see his fear melt away. He went from slashing his arms around, to holding tight. At this time he was semi conscious and I noticed he faintly started to pray with me. I could hear ever so slightly at times when I would recite the Hail Mary, him reaching for the words from a very deep place in his heart. Using all his might to hang on to each word in a faint whisper with all his strength. I stayed with my friend until 3:30 AM when a word of peace came to my heart. I knew our Lord was telling me to go home and rest as my friends condition was not changing.

I got home and fell asleep on my couch. Not even changing into pajamas. I managed to get a couple hours of rest and quickly woke at 7 AM, with that inner voice in my heart calling to me to get to the hospital. I entered the hospital and to my friends bedside before 7:45. I immediately began to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet. Before I could finish, while half way through the fifth chaplet, my friend Fred’s soul was handed over to our Lord. I finished the Chaplet, said good by and left my friends body satisfied, knowing there will be more time to gather with friends to reminisce about the good old days when he was here.

There was a story recently sent to me about a group of people would would sit with the dying who did not have family to sit with them as they were passing on called “No One Dies Alone“. I was deeply saddened to read this article as the group was just there sitting and holding hands with them. Although they were showing them mercy, no prayers were offered as the group did not believe in God. A snip from the article:

Barbara Farkas is certain about what happens after death. It is the end, she says; there is no heaven, no hell, no journey that lies ahead. Her conviction hasn’t changed, no matter how many times she has sat with the dying.

Well Barbara Farkas, I am certain that there is God, heaven, hell and eternal life. I know this for fact. It was the voice of my Lord that woke me to go and attend to my friend. “In death, the body separates from the soul, the human body decays, and the soul goes to meet God, while awaiting its reunion with its glorified body” (C 997). Death, judgment, heaven and hell, the last things we all will go through. I pray and ask my readers to pray for Barbara Farkas that her heart be converted, That she may, through the Immaculate heart of Mary, to the Sacred Heart of our Lord, give Him the glory and honor of the work she is doing, rather then seek it for her own. It is not her thoughts that are driving her, but that of our Lord. I pray she sees Him working in her by doing this soon.

So often we hear of such story’s, I can’t help but see through the medias attempt to sterilize the death of a human being and equate it to that of a death of a pet. Or even to launch a preemptive strike on our morals again to push for making euthanasia for people acceptable. Call it knowing the truth in the spin cycle of this article. You see, euthanasia is legal in Oregon and the first thing we read in this article is:

Volunteering to aid terminal patients at a hospital, a woman finds patience, calm and compassion she didn’t know she had. No One Dies Alone started in Oregon in 2001 and has spread across the country.

Just in time for the government through Obamacare to pass its next law in support of euthanasia. I know its coming down to putting our elderly to sleep like animals because they cost to much to keep alive. The more I pondered this, the more I couldn’t get the idea of a future government agency or private group of “Death Watchers” out of my thoughts. Can’t make it to your loved ones death bed? NO PROBLEM we will sit with them because we understand how important it is for you to go to work and how much of an inconvenience it must be for a loved one to be dying when your vacation is scheduled. Think about it. Its just one more step into hell for this nation.
One snip from the article is here:

She sympathizes with families who can’t be at the hospital when a relative dies. Some live too far away or can’t take time from their jobs or find their estrangements, no matter the circumstances, too hard to bridge. For others, death is just too painful to watch.

My friend Fred was just shy of his 90th birthday. His wife had passed away a few weeks earlier who’s only living relative was a niece who just “didn’t get along” with Fred. I had many differences with Fred also, but understand we are to love our neighbor as our self and knew, I needed to be there to walk him home. To be his body guard on the way home. Take it to the bank. There is a heaven. There is a hell. There most certainly is God and we will ALL be held accountable for our actions and lack there of.

Ensure your last times with your loved ones are spent in prayer. Give them a the most precious going away gift money could never buy. Pray for them before they leave you, pray over them and never stop praying for them after they have left. Walk them as far home to our Lord as you can, not away from Him.

Most Merciful Jesus, lover of souls, I pray Thee, by the agony of Thy Most Sacred Heart and by the sorrows of Thine Immaculate Mother, to wash in Thy Most Precious Blood the sinners of the world who are now in their agony, and who will die today. Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have mercy on the dying. Amen.

St Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us all. I beg of Thee to put an end to all selfish desires this world has, and convert the hearts of those who try to mask selfish deeds. May my Lord allow them to see Your face O Lord in the dying and the elderly that they may come to understand how all life is a gift from the Father and respect all life all souls as your possessions; never forgetting it is God alone who decides when any life ends. Amen