As a nurse, I was with a number of people when they died. I never saw a deathbed conversion, but once I was with a man who hated “all religion” and as he died, his son and I stood praying for him. I think of him often, and pray for the repose of his sould in the Loving Arms of Almighty God through the Grace of Christ our Savior.
I was also with a very beautiful woman who died quite young of cancer, and she saw Christ amid flowers, holding out His arms to her. “Smell the flowers!” she exclaimed, very clearly, “Oh, they are so beautiful! Oh, it’s Jesus! He came for me! He Loves me!”
Both of those, still give me a breath of heaven...
I didn’t smell any flowers as my husband died, but I definitely felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. I asked everyone to leave the room so I could be with him alone. I felt the Holy Spirit come and take him away.
Our priest has tremendous stories of death bed conversions. He always takes along a crucifix and lays it on the person’s abdomen as they lay in the bed. He then tells them basically that they are Christ on the Cross dying.
One experience he talked about was someone being
baptized,
confessing
First Eucharist,
Confirmation,
and he and his wife were married in the Church,
How about that — FIVE — count ‘em — FIVE Sacraments!