My father died alone.

We were battle weary after months of illness.  The night wore on, the cold grew colder, and the strain of grief and fatigue grew unbearable.  My husband and I left at eight.  My mother left at 11:30.

My father died at 4 AM, two days before Christmas.  No one was in the room.

At least, no one we could see.

Mary, Help of Christians

In the weeks after my father’s death, I found great comfort in a story about St. John Bosco, recounted in Fr. Stefano Manelli’s Devotion to Our Lady.  Shortly after St. Dominic Savio’s death, Savio appeared to Don Bosco.  Don Bosco asked Savio what had consoled him the most at the time of his death.  His response?

[W]hat consoled me most at the hour of death was the thought that I had been devoted to Our Lady.  Tell this to your young people and be insistent in your appeal for devotion to Our Lady.

My father’s earthly family may not have been present when he died, but I am certain Our Lady was.  She stood with him in his final hours just as she walked beside him in his daily life.  Mary is there for all of us, interceding for us now and at the hour of our death.  She is the help of Christians, now until the end of our days.

Family Activities

• Pray as a family for those who have passed away
• Purchase a mass card for the souls in purgatory
• Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Family Prayer

Mary, Help of Christians, you intercede for us now and at the hour of death.  Through your prayers, please make us worthy of the promises of Christ.

This post is part of the Wrtie31 Days series on Devotion to Our Blessed Mother.  You can see the rest of the series here.