The Catholic Church, established by Jesus Christ, has been given authority to participate in a variety of important matters for the soul. One example is the participation in the absolution of sins (Confession). This is noted in Matthew Chapter 18: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” .
Another of the many responsibilities and determinations is preparing a person for death. All Catholics who are seriously ill should have preparations for death even if the person recovers from a serious illness. The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, Holy Communion, and Confession should be accessed as soon as possible and repeatedly (in accordance with Church norms) as long as the person is seriously ill.
An Apostolic Pardon should be an integral part of any final preparations of a sincere and practicing Catholic who is about to enter eternal life. An Apostolic Pardon should be done in concert with the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. The following excerpt from Catholic Answers outlines this practice:
The anointing of the sick is the sacrament given to those who are seriously ill.
The Apostolic Pardon is blessing with an indulgence that happens at the conclusion of the anointing of the sick if the recipient is in danger of death. The usual process is confession then anointing of the sick, and it is concluded with the Apostolic Pardon. While confession forgives the eternal punishment for sin, the indulgence attached to the Apostolic Pardon forgives temporal punishment due to sin.
The words of the blessing said by the priest for the Apostolic Pardon are:
“Through the holy mysteries of our redemption may almighty God release you from all punishments in this life and in the life to come. May he open to you the gates of paradise and welcome you to everlasting joy.”
or
“By the authority which the Apostolic See has given me, I grant you a full pardon and the remission of all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
For all of us, we should have a plan for accessing a priest, if at all possible, when death is near. Our eternal rest could be significantly affected by our reception of the sacraments and an Apostolic Pardon.