Practices: Liturgies of Life & Death (AQA GCSE Religious Studies B): Revision Note

The last rites

• The Catholic Church's last rites are the prayers and blessings given to people who are seriously ill and approaching death

• They include the sacrament of the anointing of the sick, the last Communion (Viaticum), the last confession and the commendation of the dying

Anointing of the sick

• Anointing of the sick is one of the Catholic Church's seven sacraments

• It gives strength to those who are seriously ill, elderly or preparing for surgery

• It is known as a sacrament of healing

• Anointing of the sick follows the practice of Jesus, who showed great care for the sick and encouraged his followers to do the same

• It continues the practice that early Christians learned from Jesus

• The anointing of the sick's important features involve:

  • The priest laying his hands on the person’s head — calling upon the Holy Spirit to be with the person

  • The priest anointing the person’s forehead and hands with blessed oil, giving them strength to bear their suffering

  • The priest saying a blessing: "Through this holy anointing, may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up"

• The anointing of the sick is important to Catholics because:

  • It brings the person who is ill spiritual comfort; through the anointing of the sick, they receive God’s grace via the Holy Spirit

  • It means their sins are forgiven; when they die, they will be healed, and all sin removed

  • It gives the person strength and courage to accept illness; the person must have faith in God and his plan for their salvation

  • It gives relief from anxiety; the person can gain peace and thus be less anxious about death

  • If it is God's will, it can lead to physical healing

    • If death is close, it gives the person and their loved ones comfort, hope, peace and courage 

    • This sacrament gives "strength, peace and courage to endure suffering" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1520)

Commendation of the dying

• The commendation of the dying is a service centred around the person receiving their last Holy Communion

  • This communion is known as Viaticum, which literally means "food for the journey"

• The person may hold a crucifix as a reminder that they are sharing in Christ’s death

• Readings from the Bible reassure the person that God is with them in their journey

• A Litany of the Saints asks the saints to pray for the person facing death and God’s judgement

• Receiving Holy Communion (Viaticum) is a sign that Christ is with them until death and their journey to new life

• A prayer expresses hope that the person will die in peace: "Go forth, Christian soul, from this world … Go forth, faithful Christian. May you live in peace this day, may your home be with God in Zion, with Mary the Virgin Mother of God, with Joseph, and all the angels and saints"

Catholic beliefs and funeral rites

• Funeral rites are the set of actions performed when a person dies

• They reflect important beliefs about the afterlife

• The Catholic funeral rite stages include the reception of the body, the funeral Mass and the committal or burial (or cremation)

Reception of the body

• The vigil or reception of the body happens the night before the funeral

• The body is taken to the church in its coffin to represent the person returning to God

• The coffin is sprinkled with holy water to remind people of baptism

  • Just as the person was baptised into Christ’s death, they now join Christ’s resurrection 

• The coffin is placed beside the Paschal candle

  • This shows that the light of the Risen Christ is shining on the person

• A priest leads the family in prayers for the person who has died

• This service helps the family and friends prepare to say goodbye

The funeral Mass

• The funeral Mass is also known as a requiem Mass (requiem is Latin and means "rest")

• The priest wears purple and white vestments

• The coffin is covered with a pall (white sheet); the Paschal candle is lit; and holy water is sprinkled over the person 

  • All of these symbols are also used at baptism

  • The funeral rite marks the person’s new eternal life in heaven, just as the sacrament of baptism welcomes a person into their new life as a Christian

  • This is reflected in the words that the priest says over the coffin: “In the waters of baptism, [name] died with Christ and rose with him to new life. May s/he now share with him in eternal glory”

• The Bible readings during the funeral rite centre on Jesus’s resurrection and the hope that the deceased person will share in this resurrection at the Day of Judgement

  • One common reading is from John’s gospel, which contains Jesus’s promise that belief in him makes eternal life possible

• The prayers throughout the funeral service also reflect the Catholic belief that God will care for the person who has died and that they will be with God for eternal life 

  • Prayers are also said for those who are mourning, that they will one day be reunited with their loved one in heaven

The committal and burial or cremation

• Holy water is sprinkled over the coffin once more

• The priest waves incense over the coffin, representing people’s prayers rising up to God

• The coffin is blessed, and a prayer is said for the mourners

• The coffin is carried to consecrated (holy) ground

• The priest leads a short prayer service during which the Lord’s Prayer is said, reflecting the belief that the child of God has been received into God’s eternal love

• The coffin is sprinkled with holy water and buried in the ground. The priest uses the words "ashes to ashes, dust to dust"

Catholic beliefs, euthanasia and care of the dying

Care of the dying

• Catholics believe in the sanctity of life — all life is holy and sacred because it has been created by God

• This belief means that all human life should be respected and valued at all stages, right up to death

• Life does not become less valuable when a person is ill or elderly

• People have a duty to care for those who are ill or elderly, give them all the support they need and treat them with dignity

• When people are dying, they should be taken care of both physically and spiritually

  • Spiritually, the priest can administer the last rites; people can visit and pray for the person

  • Physically, the person should be given palliative or pain-relieving care, which many Christian hospices have been set up to provide

Euthanasia

• Euthanasia means "good death". It is the process of ending a person’s life early to relieve them of pain and suffering

• Euthanasia is against the law in the UK

• Some charities, such as Dying with Dignity, campaign to have this law changed

• Some Christians believe euthanasia might be done as an act of mercy to show love

• Catholics (and other Christians) are against euthanasia. They believe:

  • Tt violates the sanctity of life

  • It is against God’s will

  • Only God has the right to take away life

  • It is murder

  • It does not uphold the value and dignity of human life

  • There are other ways to treat people who are suffering

  • Suffering is a way to share in Jesus’s suffering on the cross

  • Suffering is an inevitable part of being human

• The Catholic Church's position is set out in the Declaration on Euthanasia

• Although the Catholic Church is against euthanasia, it does not believe in keeping people alive via treatments that have no benefit for them when there is no hope of recovery. Nature should be able to take its course