Spiritual Preparation for Sickness or Death
♱ Introduction:
The salvation of the soul is infinitely more important than the salvation of the body. Most important is the process of preparing a soul for its final and most significant journey to God. When our earthly life ends our eternal life begins. Death is the final chapter of our life. We live in a time of great advancements in medicine, such as numerous options to treat pain and support the physical diminishment of the body. However in today’s secularized culture, there is the great danger in over-medicalizing one’s sickness and completely neglect the spiritual nature of the patient and the urgent need to prepare well for one’s death.
Our Holy Catholic Faith is based on the fundamental principles of the immortality of the soul, the efficacy of the Sacraments and the reality of Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell. For many decades, Catholic catechesis has been deficient in teaching these truths to the faithful.
Once a soul leaves their body, they are judged whether they are in a State of Grace or not. If they are perfectly pure, they are immediately admitted to the beatific vision of the Godhead. If they are in a State of Grace but in need of purification due to the effects of Venial Sins, they are cleansed in Purgatory for a time until admitted to Heaven. However, if the soul is in a state of mortal sin, they are immediately consigned to eternal punishment in Hell, the measure of which corresponds to the gravity of their sins.
At the moment of death, the devil and his demons unleash multiple attacks upon the dying soul, attempting to lure them into despair with temptations. The only remedies for this demonic onslaught exist within the Catholic Church.
The dying person needs to face his mortality, repent of previous sins, pray for God’s forgiveness, receive the Sacraments and trust totally in Jesus. Preparing a soul for its final and most significant journey to meet God face-to-face, requires the acknowledgment of the Spiritual Battle that is taking place at this most crucial time.
