Even though it’s hard to accept, death is a natural part of everyone’s life. Then, it’s our job to pray for that soul to go to Heaven and be protected by God.
In this article, you’ll find six 40 Days After Death prayers that will help to guide the soul to Heaven and next to our Lord and Savior.
Why are these prayers so important? Because up to 40 days the soul stays on earth around their loved ones and family. After those days, God will decide that soul’s path, if it goes to Heaven or Hell.
By praying, you’re making sure to guide the soul for a journey of eternal rest peacefully. You’ll also strengthen your relationship with God so He can protect your loved one until the day you reunite.
1) 40 Days Prayer After Death
“Today my Lord, I pray for [name], who has passed away. I know in my heart that his/her soul will find its way to Your gardens in paradise.
I renounce all of [name]’s sins, sufferings, worries and pain to be left with us in the living world.
Lord, I’m asking You to ease our sorrow. The only way for me to have some comfort and peace is to know that he/she is standing next to You and laying peacefully in Your arms.
Protect him/her from evil spirits and let his/her soul pass Your last judgment on the 40th day.
May we once reunite one more time by Your side, in Your humble home and protection. May [name]’s soul rest in peace. Amen.”
The death of those who are close to us is the hardest to grieve, it doesn’t matter if they were family or not. It just leaves us feeling hopeless and with a hole in our hearts.
It’s not our job to question why God decided that it was time for your loved one to depart. But, it’s our job to stay strong and faithful so we can pray for their soul.
This powerful prayer to say 40 days after death will touch God’s heart and make sure your loved one will rest peacefully forever. It will also bring you some comfort and peace in your heart and mind.
You can say it every day until you reach the judgment day or only that day.
Personally, I believe that it’s best to pray every day. This way God will hear all of our prayers and requests, as we’re showing Him we are living our life with His guidance.
You can also say a prayer to help guide their beautiful soul to rest in peace in heaven.
2) Blessing 40 Days Prayer For The Dead
“Dear Father, I’m standing here today to ask for Your mercy and help. I can’t stop to wonder if my loved one’s soul might be lost and can’t find his/her path to You.
Please, Lord, find [name]’s soul and guide his/her way to You and admit him/her to paradise. I know that in Your humble home, there is no crying, pain, or suffering.
May his/her sins be forgiven and left in the living world. Shine your eternal light on [name], and protect him/her in Your arms.
Give him/her a place to rest peacefully before You and Your guardian Angels. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
When the time comes to face the reality of death, we can find some comfort and peace in God’s word. In the Scripture, God promises to protect us all, even after death.
Through prayers, we can guide our loved one’s soul to His side and ask for forgiveness of their sins on Earth.
Especially if we aren’t sure if their soul found its way to Heaven. We aren’t perfect and we all have made mistakes, so on the 40th day after death we must ask God to find our loved one’s souls.
This way, it won’t be a lost soul in purgatory, next to those who don’t have anyone to pray for them.
3) Celebration Prayer 40 Days After Death
“Almighty Lord, today we humbly pray for You to receive the soul of Your son/daughter, [name], our dearest beloved who passed away.
May You open the gates of Heaven to receive this kind and humble person in Your arms, as today is the 40th day after his/her death.
[name] left us to be by Your side and took a piece of my heart with him/her the day it happened. So, today I’m standing here before You to ask you to protect his/her soul.
May Your angels receive this faithful servant in the Gardens of Paradise. We miss him/her so much, that we can only pray to ease our sorrow.
Even in grief, we rejoice, knowing that he/she is in a better place and watching over us. In the name of Jesus. Amen.”
A 40th-day prayer for the dead is supposed to help the soul transition peacefully to Heaven.
This is a prayer specifically for the 40th day, you can say it alone or with your loved ones. You’re granting your loved one souls that God opens the gates of Heaven for them.
It also shows God how much you miss them and how you cared for them. He knows the emptiness you’ve been feeling after your loved one passing.
We said this prayer on the 40th day after the death of a family member who was very close to me, that night there was a brighter star in the sky. It had a special glow, so I knew it had to be a sign.
It was the first night after she passed I didn’t cry. I knew that night that she was now resting in peace without any pain.
4) Prayer To Guide The Soul To Heaven After 40 Days
“Heavenly Lord, give [name] eternal rest and let Your light shine upon his/her soul. I ask You to honor [name]’s soul as You wait for him/her in the gates of Heaven.
May the place he/she went be better than the one he/she came from. I glorify Your name for the good life filled with joy and love he/she had in the living world.
Thank you, Lord, for welcoming those who depart in the warmth of Your arms. We know there’s no better place than the warmth of Your embrace.
We pray to You, to guide and bless [name] with eternal rest so he/she doesn’t feel any suffering.
Amen.”
This prayer asks God to receive your loved one in His arms and open the gates of Heaven for them.
We’ve all lost someone and it feels like there’s a void in us that no one can fill. It just leaves us feeling hopeless and like we don’t know what to do or where to go.
But praying actually brings us some hope as we know we can still help our loved ones to be protected by God and His guardian angels.
You can say this prayer as many times as you need, in the morning or at night. This way, you’ll also show that your loved one isn’t forgotten and that there are people in this living world praying for them.
We need to trust God and ask to be blessed by His guidance and protection after death.
5) Prayer For 40 Days Death Anniversary
“Heavenly Father, you know there’s a void in my heart ever since [name] passed away from this living world. On this 40th day, I’m praying as a memorial for his/her soul that You’re about to meet.
You alone can carry him/her in the warmth of Your arms as he/she finally reached a place of calm, to rest peacefully under Your glorious light of love and protection.
Give us strength, grace, and comfort, by receiving this beautiful and kind person in Your gardens.
I renounce to all of [name]’s sins to be forgiven, so he/she can finally rest by Your side and protects us with You by his/her side.
Through Christ our Lord, Amen.”
Praying on the 40th day after death is a way to open and embrace a path of emotional healing. Our faith is like an escape from the pain and suffering we deal with in this living world.
We must pray to God to ask Him to receive and protect our loved ones’ souls. They deserve some peace to rest after all the pain they suffered on Earth.
Your loved one will now be guiding and protecting you from above, right next to our Lord and Savior. So, it’s time to start paying attention to the little warnings they’ll send you throughout the day.
It could be in the form of a bird or rain, but they will let you know that they’re now in peace and thanking you for praying for their soul to reach Heaven.
Take some time to also do something you enjoyed doing with your loved one, this will allow you to heal and ease your sorrow.
You can also say a condolence prayer for the loss of a loved one to help relieve the family’s pain.
6) Catholic Prayer For 40 Days After Death
“O Heavenly Lord, you’re a God of compassion who grants to the souls of Thy servants, bless those who passed and are now reaching the comfort of Your love.
As you know, [name] has passed away and I can’t stop but wonder if his/her soul has reached You. So, Today I pray to ask You to find him/her and shine Your eternal light to guide him/her to Your humble home.
In You, I trust to protect and bless him/her, as [name] will finally be able to rest peacefully in the warmth of Your arms.
His/her life wasn’t easy in this living world, so I beg You to protect him/her until we can reunite again someday.
Eternal God, shower [name] with Your loving and wonderful grace as you fill his/her heart with peace. Amen.”
The 40th day after death is mentioned in the Bible, as it’s believed that only after the 40th day, the soul departs for the journey of eternal life and peace.
You can say any of these prayers above, as a way to guide our loved ones to enter Heaven. You can pray alone or with your family, any time during these 40 days.
I believe that we should say a prayer two times a week after the death of our loved ones, as we’ll be showing God how much we care about our loved ones.
What Happens To The Soul 40 Days After Death?
Until the 40th day after the death of those who departed, their soul will stay on earth, around their loved ones and family.
After the 40th day, the soul will be departed for the journey of eternal life. But, it can either be sent to Heaven or Hell. That’s why we should pray for their soul.
It’s our job to pray to God to ask to have mercy on our loved ones and shine His light on them to open the gates of Heaven. This way, they’ll rest eternally by His side.
Those who don’t have anyone to pray for them will stay lost in purgatory. So, you can also pray for those poor souls who were forgotten.
When To Start Counting 40 Days After Death?
It’s very simples to count the 40 days after death.
- If the person died before 12’O clock: that day should be counted as the first day of death.
- If the person died after 12’O clock: we should only count the next day as the first one.
If you’re in doubt, it’s okay to pray even after the 40th day. As long as you do it with faith, your words will be heard.
Should I Keep Praying After The 40 Days?
Yes, you should keep praying after the 40 days.
Because even after that time has passed, we must pray to keep protecting and blessing our loved ones’ souls. Especially if they died of an illness or accident, so they won’t be feeling any pain.
I believe we should pray before and after the 40 days because as their souls reach the final journey for eternal rest they can get lost. So, we must pray to God to guide them until they finally reach Heaven.
Praying should be a part of our daily routine, so don’t forget to be grateful every day and you can start your weeks with a Monday blessing prayer.
Final Thoughts
The 40th day prayer after death is a traditional memorial service. In some families, people gather to celebrate and remark on their loved ones passing and transition to Heaven.
That is the day of the judgment, when God and His angels, decide who goes to Heaven or Hell. So, we must renounce our loved ones’ sins and ask Them to have mercy on their souls.
You can gather your family or say these prayers all alone because what really matters is your faith and how much you open your heart to God.
You can recite the prayer from memory or write it down ahead of time, so you don’t overlook it. The most important is that you have faith while you pray to God to ask Him to receive and guide the soul of your loved one.