| Prayers for the dying can be such a comfort at the end of life: for the dying ones and their family members, as well as friends and caregivers. |
When we get closer to death, we have a tendency to remember our childhood faith and our childhood prayers. We often still know them by heart. These words learned so early and easily. Or we might have found a new faith. A deeper belief with different words. Different prayers. New words of consolation. Of hope. Of redemption. Of peace and ease. What matters not is what religion brought forth these words of solace. What matter is that prayers for the dying bring us comfort in times of need. That they bring us solace at the end of life. That they lift up our spirits even in dire circumstances. That they soothe our spirits, calm our hearts and show us the way home.
What is prayer?
To me praying is the opportunity to connect. To connect with all that is larger than me. May it be called Allah, God, Goddess, Yahweh, Brahma, Nature, Source, Spirit or any other name. To connect with myself and be present. To become still within me. To let words of comfort or entreaty or gratitude bring me both joy and solace. And maybe a moment of rest from the busy world around me.
Here is what others have said, answering the question: What is prayer?
Rachel Naomi Remen, Author and Founder and Director of the Institute for the Study of Health and Illness gave the following talk in the summer of 1993: – Prayer without Ceasing
Some personal thoughts on the nature of prayer
…my grandfather came… I asked him a question, “What if God blinks?” It was the only time that I’ve ever seen him angry.
What he said was, “Nischuma-la” (and by the way, for many years I thought “Nischuma-la” meant “Little Naomi” – it actually means “Little Beloved Soul”). He said, “Nischuma-la, if you wake up at night, would you know if you were alone in the house? Would you know if Mom and Dad had gone out to the movies if you wake up in the dark at night?” And I said, “Sure!”
Then he said, “How would you know that you weren’t alone in the house? Would you see them and look at them?” I said, “No.” He said, “Would you hear them? Is that how you’d know?” I said, “No.” He said, “Would they talk to you? Is that how you would know?” I said, “No,” and I remember thinking, “How odd. He’s asking stupid questions like a grown-up,” because my grandfather never did that.
I said with irritation, “No – I would just know. I would just know that I wasn’t alone in the house.”
My grandfather smiled at me with great love and said, “Good. That’s how God knows you’re there. He doesn’t need to look at you. And that’s how you know that God is there. You just know.”
In remembering this, I realized for the first time that perhaps this was what prayer was – that knowing. That’s how you pray, by that knowing. You know that God is there and you’re not alone in the house.
Prayers for the Dying Have Many Voices
I am offering prayers for the dying from a variety of religions and faiths on the following web pages. We have such a rich cultural heritage of comforting prayers for the dying.
