Christ also waits for you at the end

Christian tradition calls Viaticum the Communion received when life is drawing near its end. It means food for the journey. St. Jerome wished to receive it before dying, and many accounts show priests carrying it urgently to the sick. Speaking of death is difficult, and so calling the priest is sometimes delayed until the person can no longer take part. People think doing so causes fear, when it can offer peace, forgiveness, and a familiar presence. Preparing the end as a Christian is not giving up. It is caring for the whole person and allowing Christ to accompany them even where the family can no longer reach on its own.