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The sacraments play a role in
Catholic preparation for death.
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The Catholic Teachings About
Death & Confession
by Robert Allen, studioDxx
Christianity
teaches that human beings have an eternal soul, and the final disposition of
that soul is tied directly to how a person lives.
For
Catholics, that includes the final moments of life.
Death
and what comes after are tied intimately to the sacraments of the Church,
especially the sacraments of penance or confession, the Eucharist and the
anointing of the sick.
Eternity
According to Catholic
belief, life does not end when the body dies.
Catholics
see death as a temporary separation of the body and the soul. The soul stands
before Christ to be judged.
Those
that rejected Christ in life go to hell. Those who accepted the gospel and
followed the teachings of the Catholic Church go to heaven.
Those
Christians who die with unconfessed sin or with the hurt caused by sin go to a
place where the soul is purged and healed, known as purgatory.
Life and Death
How a Catholic lives life
directly impacts how that Catholic faces death.
Catholics
believe life and death are intertwined.
Catholics
believe death is not to be feared, but also recognize that the dying process
creates natural anxiety.
How a
Catholic faces death when the time comes makes a difference for their own
well-being and also for the loved ones around them who offer support and
compassion.
Catholics
see life and death as ways we demonstrate and experience their love of God and
their neighbors.
Confession
The Catholic sacrament of
Penance, often called "confession," is a process in which
Catholics confess sins and receive absolutions.
Penance involves several
components such as sorrow for the sin, confessing the sin to
God, acts of penance to demonstrate true repentance and absolution or
forgiveness.
It is
traditional for a dying Catholic to be given the sacrament of penance so that
he has no unconfessed sins left.
Death
Ideally, a priest visits a
Catholic at or near the time of death.
There
is a series of specific events that help the Catholic make the transition to
the afterlife.
First
comes the sacrament of Penance, where the Catholic confesses sins and receives
absolution.
Next,
the priest administers the sacrament of Holy Eucharist, or communion. Communion
helps the Catholic prepare to for judgment by God.
This
is followed by the sacrament of Extreme Unction, of the anointing of the sick.
Anointing of the sick offers health to the soul.
Finally,
the priest offers the Apostolic benediction or "last blessing" as a
prayer for the dying person's soul.
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About the Author
Robert Allen has been a full-time writer for more than a decade.
He previously worked in information technology as a network engineer. Allen
earned a bachelor's degree in history and religion/philosophy from Indiana
Wesleyan University, a master's degree in humanities from Central Michigan
University and completed his graduate studies at Christian Theological
Seminary.
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