Saints Light
The Last Things · Lesson 8 of 8

How Do We Prepare for a Good Death?

Prepare for a good death by living close to the sacraments, call a priest early for the dying, keep praying for the dead, and honor their bodies with Christian burial or properly placed ashes.

This is a summary of Lesson 8 of Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. The full lesson takes about 3 minutes in the Saints Light app.

The Last Judgement, a painting by Fra Angelico
The Last Judgement, Fra Angelico, c. 1431

What this lesson teaches

  • Last Rites are Confession, the Anointing of the Sick and Viaticum; call a priest early.
  • Catholic funerals usually have a vigil, a funeral Mass and the committal.
  • We keep praying for the dead, especially through Masses and in November.
  • Cremation is permitted, but the ashes must rest in a sacred place, not be scattered, divided or kept at home.

Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites

  • CCC 1014
  • CCC 1514
  • CCC 1524-1525
  • CCC 1680-1690
  • CCC 2299-2301

CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.

Scripture read in this lesson: James 5:14-15; 2 Timothy 4:7.

A sample question from this lesson

When should a family call a priest for a seriously ill loved one?

  1. Only after the person has died
  2. Early, while the person is still able to confess and receive Communion
  3. Never, because the sacraments are only for healthy people
  4. Only if the person asks in writing
Show the answer

Early, while the person is still able to confess and receive Communion. The Anointing of the Sick is for anyone in danger from serious illness; waiting too long is the most common mistake.

The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.

Words to know

Last Rites
The sacraments given to the dying: Confession, the Anointing of the Sick and Holy Communion as Viaticum.
Viaticum
Latin for 'provision for the journey': Holy Communion given to a person close to death.
Columbarium
A place, often in a cemetery or church, with niches set aside for urns of ashes.

More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.

Read the full lesson in the app

"How Do We Prepare for a Good Death?" is lesson 8 of Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.

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