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If you're not into the 40 days after death tradition, you're probably wondering where that came from. It was mentioned many times in the Scriptures the significance of 40 days.
It is well-known how Jesus fasted for 40days after his baptism. Other stories include– Moses staying on Mount Sinai for 40 days; and a flood lasting 40 days and 40 nights.
And so, in most traditions, the soul of the departed finds its place in the afterlife after the 40 days of passing the judgment of the soul's sins.
Here presents a guide for the 40 days prayer for the dead.
[Pray this daily for 31 days after praying the first nine consecutive nights of praying the Holy Rosary to Our Blessed Virgin Mother]
Lead: In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
ALL: Merciful Lord Jesus! Listen to the prayers of the souls in purgatory. Listen to our
prayers for the soul of the faithful departed/especially for the soul of _________through the infinite merit of your life/passion and death/we beseech You to grant pardon for all his/her shortcomings on earth.
Lead: O God, You alone are ever merciful and sparing of punishment.
ALL: Humbly we pray in behalf of the soul of whom You have commanded to go forth from this world. Do not forget him/her but command that his/her soul be taken
up by the holy angels and brought to paradise. So that since he/she hoped and believed in You/ he/she may share the joys of Your eternal kingdom.
Lead: Absolve, O Lord, the soul of Your faithful servant from every bond of sin.
ALL: So that may rise again to life in the glory of the
resurrection with your saints. May the angels welcome to paradise where there is everlasting peace. AMEN.
Lead: By Your Holy Incarnation.
ALL: Have Mercy on the soul of _______ By Your Holy Birth. By Your Baptism.
By Your Suffering on the Cross. By Your Death and Burial. By Your Resurrection. By Your Ascension. By Your Coming of the Holy Spirit.
Lead: Christ have mercy on us.
All: Christ have mercy on us.
Lead: Lord have mercy on us.
All: Lord have mercy on us
Lead: To You O God our Father/we humbly commend_____, in his/her mortal life on earth/You loved him/her with great love. Now that he/she has been freed from the sufferings, trials, and evils of earth. Grant that your mercy and goodness will bring him/her to Your paradise, where there is no more grief or suffering, questioning, or temptations, but only peace and joy, with Your Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever
ALL: Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of comfort and joy, who comforts us in our sorrows and pains, so that we can offer to others/in their sorrows and pains, the comfort we have received from God ourselves. Let us trust him. Through His Son who invites us, saying, “Come to me, all you who labor and burdened, and I will give you eternal rest”.
Lead: Most merciful Father into your hands we entrust the soul of______. For we are sustained with the sure hope that he/she will rise again on the last day, at the resurrection with all those who have died in Christ.
All: We give you thanks O Lord, for all the good things, which You gave Your servant_____, during his/her mortal life, as signs of Your infinite goodness and love for him/her and of the communion of saints in Christ. In Your great mercy, O Lord, accept our prayers that the gates of paradise may now be opened to him/her. In our turn, may we be comforted by the faith, until one day we hasten to meet Jesus Christ, where we may all be together forever/united with the Lord, and with our loved ones.
Lead: Dear may the angels lead you into paradise. May the martyrs and saints await your coming, and escort you to the holy city. May the choirs of angels welcome you/and with the poor man Lazarus, and all your dear ones, may you enjoy everlasting rest and happiness.
Let us pray
ALL: Merciful Father, into your hands we commend the soul of _____. We are confident that with all who died in grave, he/she will be raised to life and live with Christ forever. We thank you for all the blessings you gave him/her in this life. Lord, hear our prayers. Welcome to heavenly paradise and help us to comfort each other with the assurance of our faith in Jesus Christ.
Lead: Lord Jesus, You wept for Your friend Lazarus.
ALL: Comfort us in our sorrow. You raised the dead to life. Grant eternal rest. He/she was washed clean at baptism and anointed with the oil of salvation. Receive him/her to the company of the saints. He/she was nourished with Your body and blood at the Holy Eucharist.
Lead: And now let us pray with confidence to the Father in the words that our Savior taught us.
ALL: [recite Our Father]
Lead: Eternal rest grant unto O Lord.
ALL: And let perpetual light shine upon him/her.
Lead: May the soul of _______rest in peace.
ALL: AMEN.
Lead: Friends, let us first think of God’s living and loving presence in our midst, here and now, and let us think of our beloved as still very much alive in another and happier life [PAUSE]
Lead: Lord have mercy on us. ALL: Lord have mercy on us
All: May the faith which is our greatest treasure on earth, be now our consolation. May our belief in Jesus Christ be our guarantee of eternal life, for He promised us: “I am the resurrection and life. Whoever believes in me, even though he dies, shall live again. Every living person who believes in me shall never die/but shall posses everlasting life.”
Lead: O God, Your days are without end. Your mercies are too many to count. Cause us never to forget that our life is very short and uncertain. Let Your Holy Spirit guide us through this present life. Giving justice and charity to people we meet from day to day/so that at the end/we may be accounted worthy to enter into your eternal kingdom, our final home.
ALL: Lord, open our lips and enflame our hearts, and cleanse them of useless and evil thoughts. Enlighten our minds, that we may seriously meditate on Thy sufferings and death/ and the pains endured by Thy most glorious Mother, and deign to hear and receive us before Thy great majesty. Thou liveth and reigneth forever. AMEN.
[Pray the Apostles Creed, 1 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary’s, 1 Glory Be]
I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Lead Prays the Sorrowful Mysteries
1. The Agony in the Garden
2. The Scourging at the Pillar
3. The Crowning with Thorns
4. The Carrying of the Cross
5. The Crucifixion and Death on the Cross
[In the decades of the Rosary; for the Our Father, say the following]
ALL: My most merciful Jesus, look down with eyes of pity on the faithful soul of for whom Thou suffered and died on the cross. Amen.
[On the beads for the Hail Mary, say the following]
Have mercy on the soul of ________________.
Lead: My Jesus, through Thy bloody sweat in the garden.
My Jesus, through Thy blow thou received on Thy sacred face.
My Jesus, through Thy cruel scourging Thou endured.
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My Jesus, through Thy crown of thorns that pierced thy head.
My Jesus, through Thy carrying of the cross on the path of bitterness.
My Jesus, through Thy face covered with blood which thou allowed to be imprinted on the veil of veronica.
My Jesus, through Thy bloody garments which were cruelly removed from Thy wounded body.
My Jesus, through Thy holy body nailed on the cross.
My Jesus, through Thy hands and feet pierced with cruel nails.
My Jesus, through Thy sacred side pierced with a lance and from which flowed blood and water
Eternal Rest Grant unto _____________, O Lord.
All: And let perpetual light shine upon him/her
Lead: May he/she rest in peace.
All: AMEN.
Lead: Glory be to the Father, to the Son, And to the Holy Spirit
All: As it was in the beginning/ is now and ever shall be world without end. AMEN.
[Repeat for each sorrowful mystery and pray the following after the 5 sorrowful mysteries]
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Lead: Pray for us O holy Mother of God,
All: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us Pray
All: Most sweet Jesus, who in Thy desire to redeem the world, deigned to be born, circumcised, mocked by the Jews, to fall into the hands of Thy enemies through the treacherous kiss of Judas to be bound and brought to the place of sacrifice like a lamb, brought before Caiphas, Pilate and Herod. Spat on, accused and condemned with false witnesses to be slapped and have Thy sacred body covered with wounds, from the cruel scourgings. To be crowned with thorns, Thy face covered with a purple cloth in Mockery, stripped of Thy garments, nailed and elevated on the cross between two thieves, as if Thou were one of them. Offered gall and vinegar to drink, and to be pierced in Thy side with a lance, deliver, O Lord, the soul of ___________/ from his/her great sufferings through Thy most bitter passion, bring him/her to Thy glory, and deliver him/her from the pains of hell through the merits of Thy holy passion and death on the cross, so that he/she may be worthy to enter that kingdom, where Thou brought the good thief, who was crucified with Thee, who liveth and reighneth with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever. AMEN
Litany of the Faithful Departed
Lord, have mercy on us, Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ hear us, Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on the souls of the faithful departed.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on the souls of the faithful departed.
God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on the souls of the faithful departed.
Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on the souls of the faithful departed.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
St. Michael, pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
All ye angels and archangels, pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
All ye orders of blessed spirits, pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
St. Joseph, pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
All ye holy patriarchs and prophets, pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
All ye holy apostles and evangelists, pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
All ye holy martyrs, pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
All ye holy bishops and confessors, pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
All ye holy doctors, pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
All ye holy priests and Levites, pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
All ye holy monks and hermits, pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
All ye holy virgins and widows, pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
All ye saints of God, pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
Be merciful, Spare them, O Lord
Be merciful, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
From all evil, O Lord, deliver them.
From the rigor of Thy justice, O Lord, deliver them.
From the power of the devil, O Lord, deliver them.
From long-enduring sorrow, O Lord, deliver them.
From cruel flames, O Lord, deliver them.
From horrible darkness, O Lord, deliver them.
From dreadful weeping and wailing, O Lord, deliver them.
Through Thy holy nativity, O Lord, deliver them.
Through Thy most sweet name, O Lord, deliver them.
Through Thy most profound humiliations, O Lord, deliver them.
Through Thy infinite love, O Lord, deliver them.
Through Thy bloody sweat, O Lord, deliver them.
Through Thy scourging, O Lord, deliver them.
Through Thy crowning with thorns, O Lord, deliver them.
Through Thy carrying of the cross, O Lord, deliver them.
Through Thy most cruel death, O Lord, deliver them.
Through Thy five most holy wounds, O Lord, deliver them.
In the day of judgment, We sinners, beseech Thee, hear us.
Thou Who forgavest Magdalen, and didst grant the prayer of the thief,
we beseech Thee, hear us
That Thou wouldst be pleased to deliver the souls of our parents, relations,
friends, and benefactors, from the pains of hell, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst be pleased to have mercy on those of whom no special remembrance is made on earth, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst be pleased to grant them all the pardon and remission of their sins,
we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst be pleased to receive them into the company of the blessed,
we beseech Thee, hear us.
King of lawful majesty, we beseech Thee, hear us.
Son of God, we beseech Thee, hear us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
grant unto them eternal rest.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
grant unto them eternal rest.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
grant unto them rest everlasting.
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy, From the gate of hell, deliver their souls, O Lord.
O Lord, hear my prayer. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Leader: Eternal rest grant unto [name] O Lord
All: And let perpetual light shine upon him/her.
Leader: May he/she rest in peace.
All: Amen.
Leader: May his/her soul and all the souls of the Faithful Departed through the Mercy of God, Rest in Peace.
All: Amen.
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Karen Hyman
Karen is a Psychic Medium, a Professional Astrologer, a Spiritual Advisor, and a Life Coach who has been in this career for 19+ years. She specializes in numerology, tarot and oracle cards, twin flames, love & relationships, zodiac, horoscope, dreams interpretation, and astrology. She aims to provide comfort and assurance using her abilities to offer answers to those who seek professional guidance. Read More About Karen Here.
