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Thelast rites, also known as theCommendation of the Dying, are the lastprayers and ministrations given to an individual ofChristian faith, when possible,shortly before death.[1] The Commendation of the Dying is practiced in liturgicalChristian denominations, such as theRoman Catholic Church and theLutheran Church.[2] They may be administered to those mortally injured,terminally ill, orawaiting execution. Last rites cannot be performed on someone who has already died.[3] Last rites, in sacramental Christianity, can refer to multiplesacraments administered concurrently in anticipation of an individual's passing (such asHoly Absolution andHoly Communion).[2][4]
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TheLatin Church of theCatholic Church defines last rites asViaticum (Holy Communion administered to someone who is dying), and the ritual prayers of Commendation of the Dying, and Prayers for the Dead.[5]
The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is usually postponed until someone is near death. Anointing of the Sick has been thought to be exclusively for the dying, though it can be received at any time. Extreme Unction (Final Anointing) is the name given to Anointing of the Sick when received during last rites.[6] If administered to someone who is not just ill but near death, Anointing of the Sick is generally accompanied by celebration of the sacraments ofpenance and Viaticum.
The order of the three is important and should be given in the order of penance (confessing one's sins), then Anointing of the Sick, and finally the Viaticum.[7] The principal reason penance is administered first to the seriously ill and dying is because the forgiveness of one's sins, and most especially one'smortal sins, is for Catholics necessary for being in a state of grace (in a full relationship with God). Dying while in the state of grace ensures that a Catholic will go to heaven (if they are in a state of grace but still attached to sin, they will eventually make it to heaven but must first go through a spiritual cleansing process calledpurgatory).
Although these three (penance, Anointing of the sick, and Viaticum) are not, in the proper sense, the last rites, they are sometimes spoken of as such; the Eucharist given as Viaticum is the only sacrament essentially associated with dying.[8] "The celebration of the Eucharist as Viaticum is the sacrament proper to the dying Christian".[9]
In theRoman Ritual'sPastoral Care of the Sick: Rites of Anointing and Viaticum, Viaticum is the only sacrament dealt with inPart II: Pastoral Care of the Dying. Within that part, the chapter on Viaticum is followed by two more chapters, one onCommendation of the Dying, with short texts, mainly from the Bible, a special form of the litany of the saints, and other prayers, and the other onPrayers for the Dead. A final chapter providesRites for Exceptional Circumstances, namely, theContinuous Rite of Penance, Anointing, and Viaticum,Rite for Emergencies, andChristian Initiation for the Dying. The last of these concerns the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation to those who have not received them.[10]
In addition, the priest has authority to bestow ablessing in the name of the Pope on the dying person, to which a plenaryindulgence is attached.[11]
In theEastern Orthodox Church and thoseEastern Catholic Churches which follow theByzantine Rite, the last rites consist of theSacred Mysteries (sacraments) ofconfession and the reception ofHoly Communion.
Following these sacraments, when a person dies, there are a series of prayers known asThe Office at the Parting of the Soul From the Body. This consists of ablessing by the priest, theusual beginning, and after theLord's Prayer,Psalm 50. Then aCanon to theTheotokos is chanted, entitled, "On behalf of a man whose soul is departing, and who cannot speak". This is an elongated prayer speaking in the person of the one who is dying, asking for forgiveness of sin, the mercy of God, and theintercession of thesaints. The rite is concluded by three prayers said by the priest, the last one being said "at the departure of the soul."[12]
There is an alternative rite known asThe Office at the Parting of the Soul from the Body When a Man has Suffered for a Long Time. The outline of this rite is the same as above, except thatPsalm 71 (70) andPsalm 144 (143) precedePsalm 51 (50), and the words of the canon and the prayers are different.[13]
Therubric in theBook of Needs (priest's service book) states, "With respect to the Services said at the parting of the soul, we note that if time does not permit to read the whole Canon, then customarily just one of the prayers, found at the end of the Canon, is read by the Priest at the moment of the parting of the soul from the body."[14]
As soon as the person has died the priest beginsThe Office After the Departure of the Soul From the Body (also known asThe FirstPannikhida).[15]
In the Orthodox ChurchHoly Unction is not considered to be solely a part of a person's preparation for death, but is administered to any Orthodox Christian who is ill, physically or spiritually, to ask for God's mercy and forgiveness of sin.[16] There is an abbreviated form of Holy Unction to be performed for a person in imminent danger of death,[16] which does not replace the full rite in other cases.
In theLutheran Churches, last rites are formally known as the Commendation of the Dying, in which thepriest "opens in the name of the triune God, includes a prayer, a reading from one of the psalms, a litany of prayer for the one who is dying, [and] recites the Lord’s Prayer".[2] The dying individual is thenanointed with oil and receives the sacraments ofHoly Absolution andHoly Communion.[2]
Theproposed 1928 revision of theChurch of England'sBook of Common Prayer would have permittedreservation of the Blessed Sacrament for use in communing the sick, including during last rites. This revision failed twice in theParliament of theUnited Kingdom'sHouse of Commons.[17]
In the Episcopal Church in the United States a rite is found in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer called the Ministration at the Time of Death. This rite consists of "a prayer for a person near death," a "litany at the time death" asking God to deliver the person from evil, sin, and tribulation and to grant them forgiveness, and peace. This litany is followed by the Lord's Prayer and a commendation of the Soul to God. After death prayers for the persons eternal rest are offered.
This rite is oftentimes administered alongside Unction, and Holy Communion.
The priest was correct: only a living person can receive a sacrament, including the sacrament of the sick.
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