Prayers of Soul Commendation for the Use of Discalced Carmelite Nuns of the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Headings of the Ceremonial. S. Laurent-sur-Sèvre: Biton, bookseller-publisher. 1894
APPROVAL
We authorize the printing of this Extract from the Manual, for the assistance of sick sisters, as being in conformity with the Manual of various Divine Offices and the Ceremonial which are already in use among the Carmelite Nuns of France, with the approval of the Holy See. .
Luzon, December 12, 1894. + CLOV. J. Bishop of Luzon.
Help for sick sisters
After Extreme Unction, the Prioress takes great care that the patient is never left alone, and when it is time to make the recommendation of the soul, the Confessor and the Nuns are called in to render this last duty to the dying, that the Sisters no longer abandon until death if the Prioress does not have them removed.
If the prayers of agony are made during the day, the Sisters are called by ringing twice, at an interval of Ave Maria, five or six strokes of the small bell.
If this signal is given when the nuns attend Mass, or recite the Canonical Hours, the Prioress and some whom she will notify will go out, the others remaining to complete the Office.
If they are at the beginning or in the middle of the meal, the Prioress will bring out only a few. If they are almost at the end, at the sign of the Prioress, it will be said: Tu autem, etc., and all the Sisters will rise. The Semainière will say: Agimus, etc., or, Benedictus Deus etc.
During the night, after the retreat, the truncheon is beaten, unless, for some particular reason, the Prioress no longer deems it appropriate to have only a few Sisters awakened.
On their way to the infirmary, the Sisters will say the Credo in Deum which they will repeat until they get there.
When the nuns are assembled in the infirmary, they kneel down, and the priest, wearing a surplice and a purple stole, questions the patient in this way, however avoiding tiring her.
1. Do you not believe, my Sister, all the articles of our faith, as the holy Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church our mother believes them?
A. Yes, I believe them.
2. Do you not want to live and die in the confession of this same Catholic faith?
A. Yes, I do.
3. Aren't you married for offending God?
A. Yes, I'm sick of it.
4. Wouldn't you like to have great pain for your sins, not so much for the fear of hell, as for the love you have for God?
A. Yes, I would.
5. Don't you ask God's forgiveness for the sins you have committed against His Majesty, and for not honoring and serving Him as you should?
A. Yes, I beg his pardon.
6. Do you not hope to obtain this forgiveness from the infinite mercy and goodness of God, through the merits of the Passion of Jesus Christ our Lord?
A. Yes, I hope so.
7. Don't you have a firm will to live better than you have done so far, if you return to health?
A. Yes, I do.
8. Don't you forgive everyone who has offended you?
A. Yes, I forgive them.
9. Aren't you ready to be reconciled with all those who have conceived bitterness against you?
A. Yes.
10. Don't you ask forgiveness from everyone you have offended?
A. Yes, I beg their pardon.
11. Would you not willingly confess sins which you do not remember, if you knew them?
A. Yes, I would confess.
12. Do you not endure with a good heart, for the love of God, all the pains that you suffer?
A. Yes.
13. Do you not ask God for the grace never to change your resolution, but to always persevere in the contrition of your sins, and in the practice of good works?
A. I ask him with all my heart.
After that, he will warn her to often ask God for forgiveness for her sins, to invoke by mouth or by heart the very sweet name of Jesus, the help of the most holy Virgin Mary, and of the Saints to whom she has always had special devotion. He will devoutly read before her the following prayers, so that, if she can, she will pronounce them with him. All the other nuns will whisper them.
Lord, I commend my soul into your hands: you have redeemed me, Lord, God of truth.
Jesus Christ, Father of mercies, have mercy on me, your poor creature.
Come to my aid, O most sweet Jesus, and for the glory of your name, deliver me; forgive me my sins, for the glory of your holy name.
Help me in this extreme need, Lord, our God, help my poor and desolate soul, so that it does not fall prey to the infernal monsters.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, place your passion, your cross and your death between your judgment and my soul.
Jesus Christ, my Creator and my Redeemer, I abandon myself entirely to you, do not refuse my offering; I come to you, do not reject me.
As the deer longs for the source of the waters, so my soul longs for you, my God.
Lord, do not rebuke me in your fury, nor chasten me in your anger.
Have mercy on me, Lord, because I am weak, heal me because I have sinned against you.
Do not remember my former iniquities, and let your mercies hasten to warn me, because I am reduced to extreme poverty.
Have mercy on me, O my God, according to your great mercy.
With some verses from the same Psalm, according to his devotion.
Light up my eyes, so that I never fall asleep in death.
Lest my enemy say: I have prevailed against her.
Do not abandon me, Lord my God, do not turn away from me: Hasten to help me, Lord God of my salvation.
In you, Lord, I have placed my hope: that I will not be confounded forever; put me under cover under the shadow of your wings.
Take my soul out of prison, so that I bless your name: the righteous expect you to give me recompense.
I have sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your child.
Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on me.
Lord, I commend my soul into your hands.
Repeating these words often, he will also from time to time say the Dominical Prayer, Pater noster, and will implore the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, saying:
Mary, mother of grace, mother of mercy, protect me against my enemies, and receive me at the hour of my death.
Show that you are our mother, and that he receives through you our prayers the one who, born for us, wanted to be your Son.
These prayers being finished, the patient will address herself to the Saints to whom she has had a special devotion, to implore their help, saying if she can:
O very glorious Saints NN, during the time of my life, I had great confidence in you, counting that you would intercede for me with God: it is now, above all, that I need your help; help me then, and hasten to assist me at this moment of my extreme need.
Finally, she will repeat three or more times the following prayer:
May the peace of Jesus Christ our Lord, and the blessing of all the Saints, and the guardianship of the Angels, and again the suffrages of all the Elect be between me and all my visible and invisible enemies, in this hour of my death. So be it.
Before the patient loses the use of her senses, the lighted blessed candle is placed in her hands, and she holds it for a short time, during which time we help her to produce acts of living faith, of hope and of charity. It is to excite us to produce these acts that the Church blesses the candles.
The Priest, and in his absence the Prioress, throws holy water on the sick woman, presents her with the Crucifix to kiss, and begins the prayers of Commendation of the soul. After the Litanies of the Saints,
Litany of the Saints.
Saint Abraham, pray for her.
Our father Saint Elijah, pray for her.
Saint Elisha, pray for her.
Saint John the Baptist, pray for her.
Our father Saint Joseph, pray for her.
Holy Patriarchs and Prophets, all pray for her.
Saint Peter, pray for her.
Saint Paul, pray for her.
Saint Andrew, pray for her
Saint John, pray for her
Holy Apostles and Evangelists, all pray for her.
Holy Disciples of the Lord, all pray for her.
Holy Innocents, all pray for her.
Saint Etienne, pray for her.
Saint Laurent, pray for her.
Holy Angel, pray to her.
Holy Martyrs, all pray for her.
Saint Sylvester, pray for her.
Saint Gregory, pray for her.
Saint Augustine, pray for her.
Saint Cyril, pray for her
Holy Pontiffs and Confessors, all pray for her.
Saint Benedict, pray for her.
Saint Francis, pray for her.
Saint Albert, pray for her
Our father Saint John of the Cross, pray for her
Holy Monks and Hermits, all pray for her
Saint Anne, pray for her.
Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for her
Saint Luce, pray for her
Our Mother Saint Thérèse, pray for her.
Blessed Virgins and Widows, all pray for her
Saints of God, all intercede for her.
Be propitious to him, forgive him, Lord.
Be propitious to her, deliver her, Lord.
Be propitious to him, deliver.
of your anger,
deliver her, Lord.
From the peril of death deliver.
From a bad death deliver.
From the pains of hell, deliver.
From all evil, deliver.
From the power of the demon, deliver.
By your Nativity, deliver her, Lord.
By your Cross and your Passion, deliver.
By your Death and your Burial, deliver.
By your glorious Resurrection, deliver.
By your admirable Ascension, deliver.
By the grace of the Holy Spirit, deliver.
On the day of judgment, deliver.
Sinners, we beg you, hear us.
Forgive him his sins, we beg you, grant us.
The Priest says:
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Prayer.
Depart from this world, Christian soul, in the name of God the Almighty Father, who created you; in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who suffered for you; in the name of the Holy Spirit, who descended upon you; in the name of Angels and Archangels; in the name of Thrones and Dominions, in the name of Principalities and Powers, in the name of Cherubim and Seraphim, in the name of Patriarchs and Prophets, in the name of holy Apostles and Evangelists, in the name of holy Martyrs and Confessors, in the name of religious saints and hermits, in the name of the holy virgins and of all the men and women saints. May your dwelling be in peace today and your home in holy Zion. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord.
R). So be it.
Prayer.
God of mercy, merciful God, God who, according to the multitude of your goodnesses, forgives sins to those who repent, and who, by the grace of reconciliation, empty the consciences of all the faults committed; look favorably on our dear Sister N., your servant, who
makes to you with all his heart the humble avowal of his sins, and asks your pardon for them. Deign to answer him: Renew in his heart, O most tender of Fathers, all that has been spoiled by human frailty or withered by the malice of the devil, and hold attached to the unity of your Church a member redeemed by you. . Have mercy on her groans, Lord; have pity on her tears, and since this soul trusts only in your mercy, admit it to the happiness of returning to grace with you. By Our Lord Jesus Christ.
R). So be it.
I commend you to Almighty God, my very dear Sister: I place you in the hands of him whose creature you are, so that when you have paid the debt of humanity at your last hour, you may return to your author who formed you from the silt of the earth. So when your soul comes out of the body, let the resplendent Choirs of Angels hasten to meet it; that the Senate of the Apostles which must judge the tribes welcomes you; let the triumphant army of the glorious Martyrs come before you; let the troop of Confessors surround you; may the blessed assembly of Virgins receive you, and may the holy embraces of the Patriarchs welcome you into eternal rest; may Jesus Christ appear to you with a sweet and joyful countenance, and may he assign you a place forever in the midst of those who form his court. May you forever ignore the horror of darkness, the quivering of flames, the despair of eternal tortures; let the cruel Satan and his satellites be powerless over you; May he, with all his Angels, be overwhelmed with fear when you arrive, and may he flee into the horrible night of eternal disorder. God arise, and his enemies be scattered. Let those who hate him flee before his face, let them vanish as the smoke vanishes. Just as wax melts at the approach of fire, so that in the sight of God sinners perish, and in the presence of God the righteous enjoy feasts and joys. Let them be confounded, let them be put to shame, all the legions of hell; let not a minister of Satan dare to stop you in this great passage. May Jesus Christ, crucified for you, deliver you from your sufferings; may he deliver you from eternal death, he who deigned to die for you; that Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, establish you in the unalterable delights of his Paradise; may the true Shepherd recognize you as one of his faithful sheep; release you from your sins; may he place you on his right, in the same fate as his chosen ones. That you see your Redeemer face to face; that, always in his sight and by his side, you may have the happiness of seeing the truth in all its evidence, and that thus placed in the rank of the blessed, you may possess the delights of the contemplation of God, forever and ever.
R). So be it.
Prayer.
Receive, Lord, your handmaid into the bosom of the salvation which your mercy has given her R). So be it.
If the agony lasts longer, the Gospel according to Saint John can be said about the patient.
Passion of N.-S. Jesus Christ According to Saint John, chap. 17 to 19
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven, and said: Father, the hour has come, glorify your Son, so that your Son may glorify you. As you have given him power over all men, that he may give eternal life to all whom you have given him. Now eternal life is that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent. I have glorified you on earth: I have completed the work that you had charged me to do. And you, my Father, glorify me now in yourself with that glory which I had in you before the world was. I have made your name known to the men you gave me of the world. They were yours and you gave them to me, and they kept your word. They now know that everything you have given me comes from you. Because I gave them the words you gave me, and they received them; they truly recognized that you sent me. I pray for them, I don't pray for the world, but for those you gave me, because they are yours. All that is mine is yours, and all that is yours is mine, and I am glorified in them. Already I am no longer in the world; for them, they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, preserve in your name those you have given me, so that they may be one like us. When I was with them, I kept them on your behalf. I kept those you gave me, and none of them was lost, except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to you, and say these things while still in the world, that they may have in them the fullness of my joy. I gave them your word and the world hated them, because they are not of the world, as I myself am not of the world. I do not ask you to remove them from the world, but to keep them from evil. They are not of the world, as I myself am not of the world. Sanctify them in truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also sent them into the world.
And I sanctify myself for them, that they may also be sanctified in the truth. I do not pray for them only, but also for those who must believe in me by their word; so that they may all be one thing, as you, my Father, are in me, and I in you; may they be likewise one thing in us, and thus may the world believe that it is you who sent me. For me, I gave them the glory that you gave me, so that they would be one thing, as we are one thing. I am in them and you in me, so that they may be consummated in unity, and the world may know that it was you who sent me, and that you loved them as you loved me. My Father, I want that where I am, those you have given me are also with me; so that they see the glory you have given me; because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Just Father, the world did not know you; but I knew you, and these knew that it was you who sent me. I made your name known to them, and will make it known to them again, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them.
At that time Jesus went with his disciples beyond the brook Kidron, where there was a garden into which he entered, he and his disciples. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew this place, because Jesus had often come there with his disciples. Judas therefore having taken the cohort and archers of the pontiffs and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches and weapons. But Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them: Who are you looking for? They answered him: Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to them: It is I. But with them also was Judas, who betrayed him. But as soon as he had said to them, It is I, they were overthrown and fell to the ground. So he asked them again: Who are you looking for? They answered: Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus replied: I told you it was I. But if it's me you're looking for, let these go. That the word he had spoken might be fulfilled: I have not lost any of those whom you have given me. Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, and striking the servant of the high priest, he cut off his right ear. Now the name of this servant was Malchus. But Jesus said to Peter: Sheath your sword. And the chalice that my Father gave me, shall I not drink it? Then the cohort, the tribune and the archers of the Jews seized Jesus and bound him. Then they took him first to Anne, because he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the pontiff of that year. Now Caiaphas was the one who had given this advice to the Jews: It is advantageous for one man to die for the people. However, Simon Peter followed Jesus, and also the other disciple. Now, as this disciple was known to the pontiff, he entered with Jesus into the court of the pontiff. But Peter was standing outside at the door. Therefore the other disciple, who was known to the pontiff, went out and spoke to the portress, and she brought in Peter. Then this servant, who was guarding the door, asked Peter: And you, are you not also disciples of this man? He replied: I am not. Now the servants and the archers stood by the fire, and warmed themselves, because it was cold; and Peter was also with them standing and warming himself. However, the pontiff questioned Jesus concerning his disciples and his doctrine. Jesus answered him: I have spoken publicly to the world; I always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where all the Jews meet, and in secret I said nothing. Why are you asking me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; these are the ones who know what I have taught. After he had said this, one of the archers there present slapped Jesus, saying: Is this how you answer the pontiff? Jesus answered him: If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if I spoke well, why are you hitting me? And Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Meanwhile Simon Peter was there standing and warming himself. So they said to him, Are you not also one of his disciples? He denied it and said: I am not. One of the pontiff's servants, a relative of him whose ear Peter had cut off, said to him: Did I not see you in the garden with him?
So they brought Jesus from Caiaphas into the praetorium. Now it was morning, and they did not enter the courtroom, so as not to be defiled and to be able to eat the passover. Pilate therefore came to them outside and said, What accusation do you bring against this man? They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have handed him over to you. Then Pilate said unto them, Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law. But the Jews answered him: It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death. That the word which Jesus had spoken might be fulfilled, showing what death he was to die. Pilate therefore entered the praetorium, called Jesus, and said to him, Art thou the king of the Jews? Jesus answered: Do you say this of yourself, or have others told you of me? Pilate replied: Am I a Jew? Your nation and the pontiffs have handed you over to me; What did you do ? Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would certainly fight so that I should not be handed over to the Jews; but I assure you, my kingdom is not from here. That is why Pilate replied to him: Are you then a king? Jesus answered: You say it, I am king. If I was born and if I came into the world, it is to bear witness to the truth; whoever is of the truth, listen to my voice. Pilate asked him: What is truth? And having said this, he went again to the Jews, and said unto them, I find in him no cause of death. But it is the custom among you that I deliver a criminal to you at the Passover; Do you want me to deliver the king of the Jews to you? Then they all cried again, saying: Not this one, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a thief. So Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And the soldiers having plaited a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and covered him with a purple garment. And they came to him and said, Hail, King of the Jews; and they slapped him. So Pilate went out again, and said to them, Behold, I am bringing him out to you, that you may know that I find no cause of death in him. (So Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment.)
And Pilate said unto them, Behold the man. When the pontiffs and the archers saw him, they cried out, saying: Crucify him, crucify him! Pilate said to them, Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no cause of death in him. The Jews answered him: We have a law, and according to this law he must die, because he made himself the Son of God. So when Pilate heard this word, he was more afraid. And, re-entering the praetorium, he said to Jesus: Where are you from? But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him: You do not speak to me? Don't you know that I have the power to crucify you, and the power to deliver you? Jesus answered: You would have no power over me, if it had not been given to you from above. Therefore he who handed me over to you has a greater sin. And from that moment Pilate was trying to deliver him. But the Jews cried out, saying, If you deliver him, you are no friend of Caesar; for whoever makes himself king declares himself against Caesar. Now Pilate having heard these words, caused Jesus to be brought outside, and he sat down on his judgment seat, in the place which is called Lithostrotos, and in Hebrew Gabbatha. It was the preparation for the Passover, around the sixth hour, and Pilate said to the Jews: There is your king. But they cried: Take him away, take him out of the world, crucify him! Pilate asked them: Shall I crucify your king? The pontiffs answered: We have no king but Caesar. So he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led him away. So, carrying his cross, he went to the place which is called Calvary, and in Hebrew Golgotha, where they crucified him, and with him two others, one on one side, another on the other, and Jesus on the environment. Pilate also made an inscription and put it on the cross. Now it was written: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Many Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin. The pontiffs of the Jews therefore said to Pilate: Do not write: The king of the Jews; but: Because he said: I am the king of the Jews. Pilate answered: What I have written, I have written. However the soldiers after having crucified him, took his clothes (and they divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier), and his tunic, now the tunic was seamless, of a single cloth from above to the bottom. down. So they said to each other: Let us not divide it, but let us cast lots for whose it will be. That the Scripture may be fulfilled, saying: They divided my clothes among themselves, and they cast lots on my dress. So the soldiers did that. However, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary, wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When, therefore, Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved near her, he said to his mother, Woman, behold your son. Then he said to the disciple: There is your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her with him. After that, Jesus knowing that everything was consummated, in order to fulfill the Scripture, said: I thirst. Now there was a vase full of vinegar there. This is why the soldiers, surrounding with hyssop a sponge full of vinegar, presented it to his mouth. When, therefore, Jesus had taken the vinegar, he said: It is finished. And, his head bowed, he gave up his spirit. The Jews therefore (because it was the preparation), lest the bodies remain on the cross on the sabbath day (for this sabbath day was very solemn), begged Pilate to break their legs and took them away. So the soldiers came, and they broke the legs of the first, then of the second who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw him already dead, they did not break his legs. Only one of the soldiers opened his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who saw it bore witness to it, and his witness is true. And he knows he's telling the truth, so you believe too. For these things were done, that the Scripture might be fulfilled: Ye shall not break any bone thereof. And in another place, the Scripture says again: They will look on him whom they have pierced. After that, Joseph of Arimathea (who was a disciple of Jesus, but in secret, for fear of the Jews) asked Pilate to take the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took away the body of Jesus. Also came Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus during the night; he brought a composition of myrrh and aloes, worth about a hundred pounds. So they took the body of Jesus, and wrapped it in linens with incense, as the Jews are wont to bury. Now there was in the place where he was crucified, a garden, and in the garden, a new sepulcher, where no one had yet been laid.
Prayer to Our Lord Jesus Christ, which will be said by the patient, or by some other for her,
v). We adore you, O Jesus, and we bless you.
A) Because you have redeemed the world by your holy cross.
God, who, for the redemption of the world, willed to be born, to undergo circumcision, to be reproved by the Jews, betrayed by the kiss of Judas, garrotted, led to torture like an innocent lamb, given as a spectacle to Annas, to Caiaphas, to Pilate and Herod, accused by false witnesses, overwhelmed with beatings and outrages, covered with spittle, crowned with thorns, slapped, beaten with a reed, stripped of your garments, nailed and hung on the cross, put on the rank of thieves, drenched in gall and vinegar and pierced by the lance: I beg you, Lord, by these torments which you have endured and which, despite my unworthiness, I pass over in my mind, by your holy Cross and by your death, deliver me (or deliver your servant) from the pains of hell and deign to bring me (or her) to where you admitted the crucified thief with you. You who with the Father and the Holy Spirit live and reign forever and ever. So be it.
God, my God, look down on me; why did you abandon me? The voice of my sins has made my salvation flee.
We can also say the following Psalms
Psalm 21.
God, my God, cast your eyes on me: why have you abandoned me?
The voice of my sins has made my salvation flee.
My God, I will cry out to you during the day, and you will not answer me; and during the night, and it will not be imputed to me for madness.
You dwell in the holy place, O you who are the glory of Israel.
Our fathers hoped in you, they hoped and you delivered them.
They cried out to you, and they were saved; they hoped in you, and they were not confounded.
For me, I am a worm, and not a man; the reproach of men, and the scum of the people.
Everyone who saw me insulted me; They said, shaking their heads:
He put his hope in the Lord, that he deliver him; may he save him, since he loves him.
It is you, Lord, who drew me from my mother's womb; you are my hope from the breast.
I was thrown into your arms; from my mother's womb, you are my God: do not depart from me.
Because the tribulation is near, and there is no one to rescue me.
A multitude of young bulls surrounded me: angry bulls besieged me.
They opened their mouths against me, like a ripping and roaring lion.
I flowed like water, and all my bones were dislocated.
My heart has become, in the middle of my entrails, like melting wax.
My vigor has dried up like clay in the fire, my tongue has stuck to my palate; and you led me to the dust of the grave.
A pack of dogs rushed at me; the wicked have ganged up against me.
They pierced my hands and my feet; they counted all my bones.
They considered me, they looked at me; they divided my clothes among themselves, and cast lots for my dress.
But you, Lord, do not take your help away from me; take charge of my defence.
O God! tear my soul from the sword, and save it from the mouth of the dog.
Deliver me from the lion's mouth, and save my weakness from the horns of unicorns.
I will announce your name to my brothers: I will praise you in the midst of their assembly.
You who fear the Lord, praise him; children of Jacob, glorify him all.
Let all the race of Israel fear him: because he did not despise nor disdain the prayer of the poor.
He did not turn his face away from me; he answered me when I cried out to him.
I will praise you in a great assembly: I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who fear you.
The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him: their hearts will live forever.
All the ends of the earth will remember the Lord and convert to him.
And all the nations of the world will bow down in his presence.
For the empire is the Lord's, and he will rule over the nations.
All the rich of the earth will eat and worship: all who go down to the grave will bow down before him.
And my soul will live for him; and my posterity will serve him.
The people who are to come will belong to the Lord: and the heavens will declare his justice to the people who will be born and whom the Lord has made.
Glory to the Father.
Psalm 117.
Give glory to the Lord because he is good, because his mercy is eternal.
Let Israel say today that the Lord is good, that his mercy is eternal.
Let the house of Aaron say today that his mercy is eternal.
Let those who fear the Lord repeat today that his mercy is eternal.
From the midst of anguish, I invoked the Lord: and the Lord answered me and dilated my soul.
The Lord is my support; I will not fear: what can man do to me?
The Lord is with me: I will despise my enemies.
It is good to trust in the Lord, rather than to trust in man.
It is good to hope in the Lord, rather than to hope in the princes of the earth.
All nations are armed against me; and, in the name of the Lord, I have been avenged on them.
They surrounded me on all sides; and, in the name of the Lord, I have been avenged on them.
They threw themselves on me like a swarm of bees; they kindled like fire among thorns; and, in the name of the Lord, I have been avenged on them.
My enemies have struck me to precipitate my fall; but the Lord sustained me.
The Lord is my strength and my glory, he has become my Saviour.
Shouts of joy and victory resound from the tent of the righteous.
The right hand of the Lord displayed his strength, the right hand of the Lord exalted me, the right hand of the Lord signaled his power.
I will not die, I will live; I will tell of the works of the Lord.
The Lord chastened me severely, but he did not leave me a prey to death.
Open to me the gates of justice; I will enter it and I will give thanks to the Lord: this is the door of the Lord; that's where the righteous will come in.
I will thank you, O my God! because you answered me, and you became my liberator.
The stone that the architects had rejected has become the cornerstone.
This is the work of the Lord; and she is admirable in our eyes.
This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice in this day, and rejoice.
Lord, save me; Lord, be propitious to me: blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the depths of the sanctuary we bless you: the Lord is the strong God; his light has dawned on us.
Establish in his honor a solemn day; adorn your tents with foliage up to the angles of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give you glory; you are my God, and I will exalt your name.
I will publish your praises, because you have answered me, and have become my salvation.
Give glory to the Lord, because he is good, because his mercy is eternal.
Glory to the Father.
Psalm 118
Blessed are the men blameless in their ways, who follow the law of the Lord.
Blessed are those who meditate on his commandments, who seek him with all their heart.
For those who do iniquity have not followed the ways of the Lord.
You have commanded yourselves to keep your commandments faithfully.
May my steps always follow the path of your commandments!
I will not be covered with confusion, as long as I am attentive to all your precepts.
I will testify to you in the uprightness of my heart, when I shall have heard of the judgments emanating from your justice.
I will keep your precepts; Lord, never forsake me.
How will youth straighten their ways? keeping your words.
I have sought you with all my heart; do not allow me to stray from the path of your precepts.
I have locked up your words in the depths of my soul, so as not to offend you.
You are worthy, Lord, of every blessing; teach me your justices.
My lips have endlessly repeated all the judgments you have pronounced.
I have found my delight in the fulfillment of your oracles, as in the richest treasure.
I will exercise myself in your commandments, and I will consider the holiness of your ways.
I will meditate on your laws full of justice; I will never forget your words.
Glory to the Father.
Pour out your grace on your servant, give me the spirit of life, and I will keep your precepts.
Remove the veil that covers my eyes, and I will behold the wonders of your law.
I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commandments from me.
My soul has ardently desired at all times that which justifies before you.
You have punished the proud; and those who stray from your law are subject to your curses.
Remove contempt and reproach from me, because I have observed your oracles.
Princes have sat down to judge me; they spoke against me, and your servant exercised himself in the practice of your laws full of justice.
For your oracles are the object of my meditations, and your law is my counsel.
My heart is attached to the dust; give me back your word.
I have told you my ways, and you have heard me; teach me your righteous ordinances.
Give me the understanding of your precepts; and I will meditate on your marvels.
My soul is drowsy with boredom; strengthen me with your words.
Turn me away from the way of iniquity, and grant me the grace to live according to your law.
I have chosen the road of truth; I have not forgotten your judgments.
I am attached, Lord, to your teachings, do not deceive my expectation.
I ran in the way of your commands, when you dilated my heart.
Glory to the Father.
The symbol of Saint Athanasius.
Anyone who wants to be saved must, above all, remain firm in the Catholic faith.
And whoever does not keep it whole and inviolable will inevitably perish for eternity.
Now the Catholic faith consists in worshiping one God in three persons, and three persons in one God.
Without confusing people or separating substance.
For one is the person of the Father, another is that of the Son, another is that of the Holy Spirit.
But the deity of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is one; their equal glory, their co-eternal majesty.
As the Father is, so is the Son, so is the Holy Spirit.
The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, the Holy Spirit is uncreated.
The Father is immense, the Son is immense, the Holy Spirit is immense.
The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal.
And yet they are not three eternals, but only one eternal.
As also they are not three uncreated, nor three immense; but only one uncreated and only one immense.
Likewise the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, the Holy Spirit is almighty.
However, they are not three almighties, but one almighty.
So the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God.
And yet it is not three gods, but one God.
So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord.
And yet they are not three lords, but one Lord.
For, as Christian truth obliges us to recognize and confess that each of the three persons is God and Lord, so the Catholic religion forbids us to say three gods or three lords.
The Father was neither made, nor created, nor begotten of any other. The Son was neither made nor created, but begotten of the Father alone. The Holy Spirit was neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeds from the Father and the Son.
There is therefore only one Father and not three fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.
And in this Trinity there is neither more ancient, nor less ancient, nor greater, nor less great; but the three persons are coeternal and equal to one another.
So that in everything, as it has been said, one must adore the Unity in the Trinity, and the Trinity in the Unity.
Anyone therefore who wants to be saved must have these sentiments and this belief of the Trinity.
But it is necessary for eternal salvation that he still have an exact belief in the Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now purity of faith consists in believing and confessing that Our Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, is God and man.
He is God, being begotten of the substance of the Father, before all time: and he is man, being born, in time, of the substance of his mother.
Perfect God and perfect man, having a reasonable soul and human flesh.
Equal to the Father according to the divinity, and less than the Father according to the humanity.
And though he is God and man, yet he is not two persons, but one Jesus Christ.
He is one, not by the change of divinity into humanity, but by the union of humanity with divinity.
One finally, not by confusion of nature, but by unity of person.
For as the rational soul and the flesh are one man, so God and man are one Jesus Christ.
Who suffered death for our salvation, descended into hell; on the third day rose from the dead.
Has ascended into Heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Almighty Father, from where he will come to judge the living and the dead.
At the advent of which all men will rise with their bodies and will give an account of their actions.
And those who do good will receive eternal life; but those who have done evil will be thrown into eternal flames.
Such is the Catholic faith; whoever does not keep it faithfully and constantly cannot be saved.
Glory to the Father.
We can also say, if necessary, the seven Penitential Psalms.
If it is noticed that the patient is expiring, the Sisters, omitting the other prayers, will say aloud Credo in Deum, etc., and the Priest or Prioress, from time to time throwing holy water on the patient , will say the Verses and Orations that follow:
O God! tear his soul from the sword.
The Sisters will respond:
v.) And save her from the mouth of the dog.
r). Deliver her from the lion's mouth.
v). And save his weakness from the horns of unicorns.
r). Take pity on his soul and deliver it.
v). And because of our enemies, rescue her.
r) At the end of this day, give to his soul the light which preserves him in life.
v). May a holy death lead her to the splendours of eternal glory.
r.) Mary mother of grace, mother of mercy.
v). Protect it from the enemy, and receive it at the hour of death.
Then the Priest or Prioress taking the Cross will give it to the patient to kiss, saying or having her say if she can:
We adore you, O Jesus, and we bless you.
A) Because you have redeemed the world by your holy cross.
v). Lord, I commend my soul into your hands.
A) You have redeemed us, Lord, God of truth.
I believe in God, etc.
Then we will say:
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Our father.
I salute you marie.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, by your most holy agony and by the prayer you made for us on the Mount of Olives, while the sweat, escaping from your body in drops of blood, flooded the earth; deign, we implore you, to present and offer to God the Almighty Father, the abundance of your bloody sweat, which you have poured out for us with so much profusion, so that it may erase the multitude of the sins of your servant our Sister N., and, at this hour, which is that of her death, deliver her from the anguish she fears to have deserved by her sins. You who with the Father and the Holy Spirit live and reign forever and ever, R. So be it.
We say for the second time:
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Our father.
I salute you marie.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, who deigned to die for us on the Cross, please, we implore you, offer to God the Almighty Father for the soul of your servant, our Sister N., all the bitterness of your Passion that you have endured on the Cross for us, miserable sinners, especially at the hour when your most holy soul has left your sacred body, and deliver our dying Sister from the sufferings and anguish which she fears to have deserved by her sins. You who, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, live and reign in perfect unity, for all ages of ages.
R). So be it.
We say for the third time:
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Our father.
I salute you marie.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus who said through the mouth of your Prophet: “I have loved you with an eternal love; moved with pity, I drew you to me, deign, we implore you, to offer to God the Almighty Father, for the soul of your servant, our Sister N., this charity which brought you down from heaven on earth to endure all the sufferings of your passion, deliver her from all the pains she believes she has deserved by her sins, and at this hour of her death receive her soul into eternal glory. And you, merciful Jesus, who redeemed us with your precious blood, have pity on the soul of your servant and deign to introduce her into Paradise where she will live and be united with you by the bonds of eternal love. You who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, live and reign, in perfect unity, for the infinite duration of the centuries of the centuries.
Other prayers
servant, our Sister N., and forgive her all the faults she has committed in thoughts, words and deeds; exercise towards him the ardent love which has made you expiate the sins of the whole world; to make up for all his negligence, grant him the merit of your passion and the fruit of all the good works accomplished by your elect.
A) So be it.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, uniting us to this ardent love which led you to become incarnate and to die on the Cross, we knock at the door of your heart, and we beg you to hand over to your servant, our Sister N., all the faults that she has committed and to make her experience all the abundance of your mercies; arrange his soul in the way that will be most agreeable to you and most useful to him; establish it in gentle patience, true penance, upright faith, firm hope and ardent charity; may she expire in your arms and in the joy of your holy kiss, and may she go to praise, know and contemplate throughout all eternity your glorious majesty.
R). So be it.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, uniting us to this ardent love which led you to incarnate and die on
the Cross, we knock at the door of your heart, we beg you to remit to your servant, our Sister N., all the faults she has committed and to make her experience all the abundance of your mercies; arrange his soul in the way that will be most agreeable to you and most useful to him; establish it in gentle patience, true penance, upright faith, firm hope and ardent charity; may she expire in your arms and in the joy of your holy kiss, and may she go to praise, know and contemplate throughout all eternity your glorious majesty.
A) So be it.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, we entrust into your most merciful hands the soul of your servant, our Sister N., as you yourself on the cross entrusted your most holy soul to your Father. Receive it with the same love, we implore you. In memory of the bitter complaints you made heard on the Cross, when, dying for the salvation of humanity and exhausted by the labors and pains of your passion, you suffered abandonment on the part of your Father, do not delay help your servant who, at this hour of her agony, cannot herself pray to you: by the triumph of your Cross and your salutary death, conceive for her thoughts of peace, consolation and mercy, and with your accustomed goodness, deliver her from her torments and soon make her taste the joys of eternal rest,
R). So be it.
PRAYER
O Mary, most pure Virgin, our help in our anguish and misery, come and relieve our Sister N., and, by the virtue of your Son Jesus Christ and his Holy Cross, scatter all his enemies; defend her against the power of the infernal dragon and against the wiles of evil spirits and deliver her soul from all anguish, so that in the kingdom of heaven she may unite her voice with yours and with that of all the blessed Spirits to sing the praises of God.
R). So be it.
PRAYER
Saint Michael the Archangel, assist this soul in the tribunal of the sovereign Judge. Invincible fighter, support her in the midst of her supreme labors and defend her against the power of demons. Further, we beseech you to receive his soul at its last hour, lay it in your bosom, and lead it to a place of refreshment, light, and peace, with Our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns in the centuries of centuries.
So be it.
If after these prayers the patient does not appear to be due to expire soon, the Sisters will withdraw, except those whom the Prioress designates to remain in order to pray for the patient. They will devoutly repeat the same prayers that have already been said. And when they believe that the patient is nearing her end, they will notify all the Sisters by the usual signal, who will immediately go to the Infirmary, saying as they go: Credo in Deum, etc., or some other prayer. Having arrived, they will again recite some of the preceding prayers until the patient has given up her spirit.
Prayers after death
First homework after death.
When the dying woman has breathed her last, the prayers begun are stopped, the Prioress closes the eyes and the mouth of the deceased, then the Nurse raises her head and stretches out her feet; but it is good not to be in too much of a hurry to touch the body after death.
The Priest takes off the violet stole, puts on the black stole which the Sacristan must have brought in advance, and says in a mediocre voice the Responsive Subvenite, Sancti Dei, which the Sisters continue, still remaining on their knees; he then says Kyrie eleison with the Verses and Orations that follow. If there is no priest, it is the Prioress who says these prayers. At the same moment, the signal for death will be given; to do this, a single stroke of the big bell is rung three times, and after a moment's interruption, it rings in motion during a Miserere three different times, leaving between the three times the space of the same Psalm.
If a nun dies at night, this signal is only given in the morning, after having sounded the prayer.
(v) Succor his soul, O Saints of God; come to meet him, Angels of God,
r) Receive it, and present it to the Almighty.
v) May Christ, who called you, receive you, and may the Angels introduce you into the bosom of Abraham.
r) Receive it, and present it to the Almighty.
v) Give him, Lord, eternal rest, and let eternal light shine upon him.
r) Receive it, and present it to the Almighty.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Our father.
v). And don't let us succumb to temptation.
But deliver us from evil.
v). Give him, Lord, eternal rest.
And may the eternal light illuminate it.
v). From the gates of hell.
Tear out his soul Lord.
May she rest in peace !
So be it.
v). Lord, hear my prayer.
And let my cries rise to you.
v). The Lord be with you.
And with your mind.
Prayer.
We recommend to you, Lord, the soul of your servant, our Sister N., so that, dead for the world, she may live for you; the sins she committed as a result of the frailty of the flesh during her sojourn among men, please blot them out in your most merciful goodness. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord.
R). So be it.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Our father.
v) . And don't let us succumb to temptation.
r). But deliver us from evil.
v). The righteous will be remembered forever.
r) He will not have to fear bad speech from men.
v) Do not deliver to beasts the soul that has faith in you.
r) And do not forget forever the soul of your poor servant.
v). Do not cite your handmaid in justice, Lord!
r) For no living being will be found right in front of you.
v). From the gates of hell.
r). Tear out his soul, Lord.
v). May she rest in peace !
r). So be it.
v). Lord, hear my prayer.
r). And let my cries rise to you.
v). The Lord be with you.
r) And with your mind.
Prayer.
Welcome, Lord, the soul of your servant, our Sister N., whom you deigned to call out of the prison of this world; and deliver her from the places of suffering; and that she taste the bliss of rest and of eternal light: so that, on the glorious day of the resurrection, she deserves to rise again in the midst of your Saints and your Elect. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord.
A. So be it.
Prayer.
O God whose mercy and goodness are invincible, whose clemency is eternal, we ask you with supplications that the soul of your servant our Sister N., who by your order has completed the painful journey of this life, after you you have forgiven him of all his faults, receive also by your order a place in the bosom of Abraham. We conjure you, then, O most merciful Father, not to leave as food to eternal worms her whom the shedding of the blood of your only Son has redeemed; but that, under the protective escort of the angelic battalions, it arrives without danger with the joys of your Paradise; and that, crown on her head, she walks in the midst of the triumphal cohorts of your victorious Martyrs; may she have a place at the right hand of your Son, ready to receive her reward; that ranged in the happy company of your Saints, she possesses the celestial kingdom. By the same Jesus Christ Our Lord.
R). So be it.
Prayer.
Struck and, so to speak, torn by a new and cruel wound, we implore with our plaintive voices your mercy, O Redeemer of the world; may the soul of your servant, our Sister N., who takes refuge again in your clemency, source of indulgence, be welcomed with tenderness and gentleness; and if, as a result of contact with the flesh, it has contracted some stains, efface them with your accustomed kindness, forgive them with indulgence, forget them forever; and, that she may sing your praises with the others, when one day she returns to her body, command her to take rank in the assembly of your saints, you who live and reign, O God, forever and ever . So be it.
Prayer.
Your mercy, Holy Lord, Almighty Father, Eternal God, the feelings of our heart compel us to invoke it for others, we who cannot suffice to pray for our own sins. However, trusting in the kindness that you constantly lavish on us and without our having deserved it, we beg your clemency: accept with indulgence the soul of your servant, our Sister N., who returns to you. May she be assisted by Saint Michael the Angel of your Testament, and may you, by the hands of your holy Angels, deign to place her among your Elect in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, your Patriarchs; so that, removed from the empire of the princes of darkness and from the places where one is punished, it is no longer flooded with the stains of original corruption, of its own iniquities or of its fragility. May she rather be recognized as a sister by those who belong to you, and may she enjoy the holy rest of beatitude, and may she be satisfied on the great day of the last judgment, rising in the midst of your elect and your saints. , and forever, by the glory of contemplating you without veils. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. R). So be it.
Prayer.
Almighty and eternal God, who deigned to animate the human body with a soul created in your image; today that, by your order, what was dust becomes dust again, we pray that you order that the soul of your servant, our Sister N., be associated with your Saints and your Elect in the eternal dwellings; it returns, towards you leaving the land of Egypt, receive it with tenderness and gentleness; and send before her your holy angels, and show her the way which the righteous take. Drive away from her, we beg you, Lord, all the princes of darkness, and recognize as yours a good that belongs to you. Receive, Lord, your creature: it was not created by foreign gods, but by you who are the living and true God, because there is no other God but you, Lord, and there is none among your works. Fill with joy, O most merciful God, the soul of your Servant, and glorify her with the abundance of your mercies. Remember not her ancient iniquities and follies caused by the fury of evil desires: though she indeed sinned, she did not deny you; but, marked with the character of faith, she faithfully adored you, you who created everything, and who created her yourself. You who live and reign forever and ever.
Prayer.
May she share in the blessed resurrection, and may she deserve to have eternal life in heaven, through you, O Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, who live with the Father, the Holy Spirit forever and ever. So be it.
When these prayers are finished, the Priest is led back to the convent door and the Nuns retire, with the exception of those designated by the Prioress to bury the deceased and a few others who pray beside her reciting the Psalms in a low voice. and other prayers for the dead.
Exhibition of the body in the infirmary
The body is washed, if necessary, or at least the face, hands and feet, then the deceased is put on the tunic, the dress, the belt, the scapular, the coat, the hat and veil; she is then placed in the coffin of the monastery, or better in that where she is to be buried, leaving her face uncovered, her feet bare and her hands clasped; a cross is placed in his hands with the Crucifix facing his face, and a crown of flowers is placed on his head; you can also sprinkle the clothes with flowers.
The coffin should be raised a little off the ground; it is placed on trestles covered with gray serge. The Sacristine puts at the head of the coffin, on a bench, a cross with the Crucifix turned towards the deceased: this cross must not be the one used for processions. A candlestick garnished with a lighted yellow candle is placed on each side of the cross, and the stoup and the sprinkler are placed at the foot of the coffin. The body thus remains in the infirmary until it is transported to the Choir.
