Prayer for the dying and a special soul

O most merciful Jesus, lover of souls,
I beseech Thee, by the agony of Thy most Sacred Heart,
and by the sorrows of Thine Immaculate Mother,
wash clean in the Thy Blood the sinners of the whole world
who are to die this day.

Remember most especially the soul I spiritually adopt
with the intention of entrusting him or her to Thy Shepherd's care:
I beseech Thee for the grace to move this sinner, who is in
danger of going to Hell, to repent. I ask this because of my
trust in Thy great mercy.

If it should please Thy Majesty to send me a suffering this day
in exchange for the grace I ask for this soul, then, it, too,
shall please me very much, and I thank Thee, Most Sweet Jesus,
Shepherd and Lover of Souls; I thank Thee for this
opportunity to give mercy in thanksgiving for all the mercies
Thou hast shown me. Amen.

Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have mercy on the dying.

We are linked by the power of prayer

"When we are linked by the power of prayer, we, as it were, hold each other's hand as we walk side by side along a slippery path; and thus by the bounteous disposition of charity, it comes about that the harder each one leans on the other, the more firmly we are riveted together in 
brotherly love."


-- St Gregory the Great

Take courage, offer Him your pains incessantly

"If we were well accustomed to the exercise of the presence of GOD, all bodily diseases would be much alleviated thereby. GOD often permits that we should suffer a little, to purify our souls, and oblige us to continue with Him.

Take courage, offer Him your pains incessantly, pray to Him for strength to endure them. Above all, get a habit of entertaining yourself often with GOD, and forget Him the least you can. Adore Him in your infirmities, offer yourself to Him from time to time; and, in the height of your sufferings, beseech Him humbly and affectionately (as a child his father) to make you conformable to His holy will. I shall endeavour to assist you with my poor prayers.

GOD has many ways of drawing us to Himself. He sometimes hides Himself from us: but faith alone, which will not fail us in time of need, ought to be our support, and the foundation of our confidence, which must be all in GOD.

I know not how GOD will dispose of me: I am always happy: all the world suffer; and I, who deserve the severest discipline, feel joys so continual, and so great, that I can scarce contain them.

I would willingly ask of GOD a part of your sufferings, but that I know my weakness, which is so great, that if He left me one moment to myself, I should be the most wretched man alive. And yet I know not how He can leave me alone, because faith gives me as strong a conviction as sense can do, that He never forsakes us, till we have first forsaken Him. Let us fear to leave Him. Let us be always with Him. Let us live and die in His presence. Do you pray for me, as I for you."

-- Twelfth letter by Br Lawrence of the Resurrection, ocd

The scourges of this present life may become means of sanctification

"It should be noted that Jesus does not exclude chastisements, for these may be necessary for the salvation of the world and of souls.

Jesus explained this thought on November 15th, 1935, during the economic crisis which gripped the world before the start of the war:
The distress which reigns in the world at the present time is not the work of My justice, but of My mercy. For fewer sins are being committed because money is scarce, and many more prayers are being raised to heaven by people in financial straits. Do not think that the sorrowful conditions on earth do not move Me; but I love souls; I wish them to be saved; and in order to achieve My end, I am constrained to be severe; but believe Me, I do it out of mercy! During times of abundance souls forget Me and are lost; in times of distress they turn to Me and save themselves. That is indeed the way it happens!

Note the luminous depth of these words which recall the divine instructions to the prophet Isaiah: 'Woe to the Assyrian, he is the rod and staff of My anger, and My indignation is in their hands.' And by the lips of Jeremiah, God spoke thus of Babylon: 'With you I will dash nations together, and with you I will destroy kingdoms.' This mystical concept of historic tragedies, which were brought about by heads of nations as mere tools in God's hands, does not lessen their responsibility for the evil they have done and for which they will have to render an account; nor does this prevent the omnipotence of God from having even human wickedness serve to carry out the designs of His Providence for eternal bliss. Thus the scourges of this present life, when accepted and patiently applied to one's own purification, may become means of sanctification and expiation.

And returning to the same thought later, again in response to Sister Consolata's prayers for peace, Our Lord declared on April 29th, 1942:
Pray, pray for humanity in order that I may mitigate these sorrows and save souls! If I permit so much sorrow in the world, it is for that one purpose, to save souls for eternity. The world is going to perdition, it is hastening to its ruin.

As with public disasters, so it is also with the misfortunes of families and individuals. Always, even in the most desperately sad cases when bewildered humanity is seeking for a reason, the reply from heaven is once again: Love, Goodness, the Mercy of God."

-- Jesus Appeals to the World: From the writings of Sr Consolata Betrone by Lorenzo Sales, IMC