Prayer to Our Lady of a Happy Life and Our Lady of a happy Death

Prayer to Our Lady of a Happy Life

O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of all, You who were full of grace and joy, Guide me in living a life pleasing to God.

Teach me to walk always in virtue, To love God and neighbor with sincerity, And to carry my daily duties with patience and humility. Help me to see Your Son in all I do, And to rejoice in the gift of life.

O Mary, Our Lady of a Happy Life, Pray for me, that my life may be holy, Filled with love, faith, and joy in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

A "happy death" in the Catholic tradition refers to dying peacefully in a state of grace, allowing one to meet the Lord with joy upon passing away. This concept is often associated with prayers seeking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and other saints to ensure a holy and peaceful end to life, free from mortal sin and filled with faith, hope, and charity.

Catholics frequently invoke the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title "Our Lady of a Happy Death" to request her assistance at the moment of passing. This devotion stems from the belief that Mary, having experienced her own death and having been present at the death of her Son, Jesus, on the Cross, possesses the power and compassion to aid her faithful servants during their final agony. Prayers to Our Lady for a happy death often ask for her intercession to obtain graces such as perfect sorrow for sins, sincere contrition, the pardon and remission of sins, and the worthy reception of the Holy Viaticum and the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick

One common prayer to Our Lady for a good death states: "O Mary, sweet refuge of miserable sinners; At the moment when my soul departs from this world, my sweetest Mother, by the grief that thou didst endure when thou was present at the death of thy Son upon the Cross, then assist me with thy mercy. Keep far from me my infernal enemies, and come Thyself to take my soul and present it to my Eternal Judge. Do not abandon me, oh my Queen. Thou, next to Jesus, must be my comfort in that dreadful moment. Entreat thy Son that in His goodness, He will grant me the favor to die clasping thy feet, and to breathe out my soul in His sacred wounds, saying: Jesus and Mary, I give you my heart and my soul. Amen".

Another prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary for a happy death emphasizes her role as the "Mother of the dying" and asks her not to forsake individuals at the hour of their death, seeking her help to appear with greater security before the "just but merciful Judge". Saint Alphonsus Liguori also composed a prayer to Our Lady, asking for her help at the last moment of life to ensure a happy death and to be united with her and her Son in heaven.

The importance of receiving the Sacraments, particularly the Anointing of the Sick (formerly Extreme Unction) and Holy Viaticum (last communion), is also highlighted in prayers for a happy death. These sacraments are seen as sources of "refreshment" and a means to be delivered from guilt, preparing the soul for its journey to Heaven. Cardinal Newman's prayer for a happy death specifically mentions the "strong arms of Thy sacraments" and the "holy oil sign and seal me".

The concept of a happy death is rooted in the hope of dying in God's grace, free from mortal sin, and with a peaceful heart, trusting in God's mercy and the intercession of Mary and the saints

PRAYER: "Our Lady of a Happy Death, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, with the simplicity of little children we come to you to entrust to you our last moments and our death. With Jesus, you comforted Saint Joseph, your spouse, at his death. At the foot of the Cross, you received the last breath of our Savior, your divine Son. Henceforth we are assured that you are with each of your children with the solicitude of your maternal Heart, to help them cross the verge of death and to introduce them into eternity.

But, to help us face in peace this ultimate trial, so rough for our nature, be also for us, Our Lady of a Happy Life. Help us, we beseech you, to remain faithful, day after day, to the commitments of our baptism, to the teachings of the Faith, to the practice of charity. In order to achieve this, we base ourselves, with the certainty of the hope that does not disappoint, on your all-powerful intercession.

Our Lady of a Happy Death, receive already our thanksgiving, that we shall repeat forever, and deign to continue to «pray for us sinners, now and at the

hour of our death». Amen."