Served on Friday evening.
The main link of Parastas is the 17th kathisma (Psalm 118), which is performed with a special rite at vespers on parental Saturdays.
Often parishioners wonder why exactly 17 kathisma is used at funeral services or interpret it as a funeral psalm, although such an opinion is extremely incorrect.
“This is a song about the law, this is a confession of a soul admiring God’s law, grieving over its deviations from it, begging the Lord to be merciful. At funeral services, this is a confession on behalf of the deceased. But those living - those who are coming, not wanting to remain only listeners and witnesses of this confession, interrupt it with frequent appeals to the Lord and from themselves.
Afanasy Sakharov. “On the commemoration of the dead according to the Charter of the Orthodox Church”
Thus, the choir, in parallel with the reading of the kathisma by the priest, constantly sings the chorus: “Save, save me” or “Blessed are you, Lord.”
Parastas' succession
“The continuation of the parastas, that is, the great requiem, for our departed fathers and brothers and for all Orthodox Christians who have passed away.”
Beginning of parastas the same as an ordinary memorial service (which is an abbreviated parastas).
After Alleluia and troparions, “In the depth of wisdom” the immaculate ones are sung.
The blameless are divided into 2 sections.
First article: “Blessed, immaculate, on your way.”
Chorus: “Remember, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant” (or “the soul of Thy servant”, or “the soul of Thy servant”).
After the first article there is a small funeral litany and an exclamation: “God of spirits...”.
Second article: “I am yours, save me.”
Chorus: “Rest, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant” (or “the soul of Thy servant,” or “the soul of Thy servant”).
Immediately after this, troparia for the immaculates are sung:
“Blessed are you, O Lord...
You will find the holy face the source of life...”
After the troparia and in the small funeral litany the rest of the sedal is sung: “Peace, our Savior”, the 50th psalm is read and the canon “The water has passed through” is sung - its capstone: “I sing to the dying faithful” (placed in the Octoechos, tone 8, on Saturday).
Choruses to the canon: “Wonderful is God in His saints, the God of Israel” and “Rest, O Lord, for the souls of Your fallen servants.”
According to the 3rd song, katavasiya - irmos: “Heavenly circle”, and sedalen: “Truly all is vanity.”
According to the 6th song of Katavasia Irmos: “Cleanse me, Savior.”
After the small funeral litany - kontakion and ikos: “Rest with the saints” and “Thou art alone, the Immortal One.”
According to the 8th song, the priest makes an exclamation: “Theotokos and Mother of Light...”.
Chorus: “The spirits and souls of the righteous...” and Irmos: “Be afraid of every hearing.”
After canon the Trisagion according to Our Father is read and the troparia of the lithium are sung: “With the spirits of the righteous who have passed away, the soul (or souls) of Thy servant (Thy servant), O Savior, give rest...” and so on.
About prayers and prayer chants for different occasions. Remembrance of the Dead
DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE DEAD
Death and burial do not terminate the relationship of Christian love that connected the living with the dead during earthly life. The continuation of these relationships is expressed and carried out in prayerful remembrance of the dead (deceased).
The basis and confirmation of the necessity and reality of the prayerful connection between the living and the dead are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living; All are alive with Him (Luke 20:28). The dead do not cease to live beyond the grave and have communion with the living in God.
Another basis for commemorating the dead is the Church’s faith in the inexhaustible and saving power of prayer, if we ask according to the will of the Son of God (John 5:14-15). And the Holy Scripture indicates that prayer for the dead is the undoubted will of God, for Christ died and rose again to possess the living and the dead, and He Himself descended into hell to deliver the souls who were awaiting His coming with faith (1 Pet. 3:19 ).
On this basis, the Church offers unceasing prayers for our departed fathers and brothers at every divine service, and especially at the liturgy.
ANCIENTITY OF THE RITE OF REMEMBERING THE DEAD
The custom of remembering the dead is already found in the Old Testament church (Num. 20:29; Deut. 34:9; 1 Sam. 31:13; 2 Mac. 7:38-46; 12:45).
In the Christian Church, this custom is ancient, just as ancient is the very basis on which the remembrance of the dead is performed.
In the ancient liturgies (James and Mark), which have come down to us, there are prayers for the dead. The Apostolic Constitutions mention the commemoration of the dead with particular clarity. Here we find both prayers for the departed during the celebration of the Eucharist, and indications of the days on which it is especially appropriate to remember the departed, namely: the third, ninth, fortieth and annual in the same meaning that the Church assigns to them at the present time. The fathers and teachers of the Church of subsequent times (Tertullian, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, John Chrysostom, Ephraim the Syrian, Athanasius the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Augustine, John of Damascus, etc.), explaining the meaning of the commemoration of the dead and pointing out that true meaning it consists of prayers, the performance of a bloodless Sacrifice and almsgiving, often testifying that the remembrance of the dead is an apostolic institution and that it is observed throughout the Church.
REMEMBRANCE OF THE NEWLY DECEASED
For the commemoration of the NEWLY DECEASED, the Church appoints the first forty days from the day of death, finding in this number, as directed Holy Scripture, a sufficient period for cleansing from sins and propitiating God (Gen. 7, 12; Lev. 12; Num. 14, 31-34; cf. Matt. 4, 2).
Of these forty days, the following days are especially dedicated to prayer for the departed:
third- in memory of the Savior resurrected on the third day, Who with His Resurrection completed the victory over sin and its consequence - death, delivered the human race from the “torment of hell”, opened the doors of immortality and heavenly life, and with His Resurrection sanctified the future general resurrection;
ninth- according to the pious desire of the Church, that the spirit of the deceased be numbered among the nine ranks of angels;
twentieth day as half of a forty-day prayer for the dead;
fortieth- according to the Old Testament example of the mourning of Moses by the Israelites for forty days and the convergence of this day with the day of the Ascension of the Lord. That is why Christians pray that the deceased, having risen with Christ, be caught up in the clouds of heaven, appear before the righteous Judge and always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
By commemorating on the fortieth day, the Holy Church wants to inspire that just as Moses, through a forty-day fast, approached God to perceive the law, just as Elijah, during a forty-day journey, reached the mountain of God, and just as our Savior defeated the devil with a forty-day fast, so the one who died was offered for him by the forty-day prayers of the Church. is confirmed in the grace of God, defeats hostile forces and reaches the Throne of God, where the souls of the righteous dwell.
In the Orthodox Church, it is customary for forty days after death to remember the deceased at the liturgy (the so-called “Sorokoust”) - to remember at the proskomedia and before the consecrated Holy Gifts, according to the faith of the Church about the great benefit of prayer for him when offering a bloodless Sacrifice (see ... prayer at the end of the liturgy: “Wash away, O Lord, the sins of those remembered here by Thy Honest Blood, by the prayers of Thy saints”).
Finally, the annual day of death, birth and name day is dedicated to the remembrance of the deceased, with the goal that the deceased is alive and immortal in spirit and will one day be completely renewed when the Lord raises his very body.
REMEMBER'S SERVICE
A memorial service is one of the types of church commemoration of the dead. In its composition, a memorial service is an abbreviation of the burial rite. The word requiem means all-night service, or vigil (Greek pas - all, nis - night, ado - sing; another Greek word pannihis - all-night vigil). Name of this church service The requiem service is explained from the historical connection with the all-night vigil, as indicated by its close similarity, like the entire burial rite, with part of the all-night vigil - matins.
In the ancient Christian Church, due to persecution, prayer meetings of believers and burial of the dead took place at night. The service that accompanied the burial was, in the proper sense, an all-night vigil. Christians gathered at the tombs of the martyrs and spent the night in vigils, glorifying the martyrs and offering prayers for the dead who died in faith and piety. With the separation of the funeral service from the all-night vigil, which occurred after the pacification of the Church, equivalent names were preserved for both in the Orthodox Church.
Great memorial service, or complete, also called parastas and differs from the usually performed requiem in that the immaculates (divided into 2 sections) and the full canon are sung at it.
Memorial services are sung over the deceased who has not yet been buried, and then on the 3rd, 9th, 40th day after the death of the deceased and on other days (anniversary of death, birthday, namesake, etc.).
Funeral liturgies and memorial services, as well as burial, are not celebrated in the church on the first day of Easter and on the day of the Nativity of Christ until Vespers. The commemoration of the dead at the liturgy on Easter, the Nativity of Christ and other major holidays, as well as on Sundays, can only be performed at proskomedia and after the consecration of the Holy Gifts - during the singing of “It is Worthy to Eat”; a special funeral litany “for the sake of the festive celebration” is not supposed to be pronounced on these days (Typikon, ch. 59; 169 Ave. of Nomocanon at the Trebnik). But if on Sundays an early liturgy for the repose is served, then at such a liturgy the funeral litany is pronounced, and the funeral Apostle, Gospel, prokeimenon and communion are also appended.
On the first week of Pentecost, on Holy and Easter weeks (as well as on the weekdays of Pentecost), memorial services are not celebrated in the church. The commemoration of the dead is carried out on Saturdays of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks of Great Lent. If during the weekdays of Great Lent the 3rd or 9th day after death occurs, then a memorial service for the newly deceased is served on the funeral Saturday closest to these days. Only on the 40th day, on which day it falls, is a memorial service held in the temple. “Sorokoust” does not occur during Lent or Easter, but begins on the Sunday of St. Thomas and continues until 40 days.
The rite of the usual funeral service next:
After the usual beginning, the 90th Psalm is read (instead of the Six Psalms), after which the Great Litany for the Repose is pronounced. Then, instead of God the Lord - “Alleluia” and troparia “In the depth of wisdom”.
After the troparions at the requiem service (and at the parastasis - after the Immaculates), troparia for the Immaculates are sung: “You have found the face of the saints, the source of life” with the refrain: “Blessed are you, O Lord.”
Then the small funeral litany is pronounced, the sedalen “Peace, our Savior” is sung, the 50th psalm is read and the canon is sung in the 6th tone “As Israel walked on dry land” or the 8th tone - “They passed through the water.” Instead of reading troparions for each hymn, a chorus is sung by the clergy and repeated by the choir: “Rest (or: Rest), O Lord, the souls of your departed servants,” then: “Glory” (clergy) and “And now” (choir).
The canon is divided and ends with small funeral litanies (after the 3rd, 6th and 9th canto). After the 3rd canto the sedalen is sung, and after the 6th the kontakion is sung: “Rest with the saints” and ikos: “Thou art the only Immortal One.”
After the canon, the requiem service (also parastas) ends with a litia: the Trisagion according to Our Father is read, the troparia are sung: “From the spirits of the righteous who have died” and the litany is pronounced: “Have mercy on us, O God,” after which there is a dismissal with the cross and censer, and the “Eternal memory".
Small censing (of the tetrapod and people) at the requiem service occurs during the singing of the troparions for the immaculate “Blessed art thou, O Lord,” the kontakion “Rest with the saints,” and at the end during the singing of “Eternal Memory.”
UNIVERSAL DURING SERVICES, OR UNIVERSAL PARENTAL SATURDAYS
In addition to the commemoration of each deceased individual, the Church, on the same basis, commemorates on certain days of the year all the departed fathers and brothers in faith who have been honored with a Christian death, as well as those who, having been caught by sudden death, were not sent to the afterlife. life through the prayers of the Church. The memorial services performed at this time, specified by the Charter of the Ecumenical Church, are called ecumenical, and the days on which the commemoration is performed are called Ecumenical Parental Saturdays. In the circle of the liturgical year, such days of general commemoration are: Meat and Trinity Saturdays and Saturdays of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks of Great Lent.
Meat Saturday. Dedicating the Meat Week to the remembrance of the last Last Judgment of Christ, the Church, in view of this Judgment, established to intercede not only for its living members, but also for all those who have died from time immemorial, who have lived in piety, of all generations, ranks and conditions, especially for those who died a sudden death , and prays to the Lord for mercy on them. The solemn all-church commemoration of the departed on this Saturday (as well as on Trinity Saturday) brings great benefit and help to our deceased fathers and brothers and at the same time serves as an expression of the fullness of the church life in which we live. For salvation is possible only in the Church - a society of believers, the members of which are not only the living, but also all those who have died after their death. In God - all are alive. And if we look around all the centuries and how many people lived and how many among them were believers in Christ and died with faith and hope in the mercy of God, then we will see that the dead make up a larger part of the Church than we who are now living. Communication with them through prayer, their prayerful remembrance is an expression of our unity with them, and at the same time the common unity of all in the Lord in the Church of Christ.
Trinity Parents' Saturday. The commemoration of all dead Christians was established on the Saturday before Pentecost due to the fact that the event of the descent of the Holy Spirit concluded the economy of the salvation of people, but the deceased also participate in this salvation. Therefore, the Church, sending up prayers on Pentecost for the revival of all living by the Holy Spirit, asks on the very day of the holiday that for the departed, the grace of the All-Holy and All-Sanctifying Spirit of the Comforter, which they were vouchsafed during their lifetime, be a source of eternal bliss, since “by the Holy Spirit every soul lives." Therefore, on the eve of the holiday, the Church devotes the entire Saturday to remembering the departed and praying for them. Saint Basil the Great, who left the touching prayers read at Vespers on the day of Pentecost, says in them that the Lord especially on this day deigns to accept prayers for the dead and even for “those kept in hell.”
Parental Saturdays of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks of the Holy Pentecost.
On Holy Pentecost - days of fasting, spiritual deeds, repentance and charity to others, the Church affirms believers in the closest union of Christian love and peace not only with the living, but also with the dead, obliging them to perform beneficial prayerful commemorations on these days for those who have departed from this life. In addition, the Saturdays of these weeks are designated by the Church for commemoration for another reason that on the weekdays of Pentecost the usual daily commemorations are not performed (funeral litanies, litias and memorial services and commemorations of the newly deceased on the third, 9th and 20th days after death and Sorokousty), since there is no full liturgy every day, the celebration of which is associated with the commemoration of the dead. But in order not to deprive the dead of the saving intercession of the Church during the days of Pentecost, Saturdays are allocated during the indicated weeks.
To all of the above parents' Saturdays The service is performed according to a special charter and is placed in the Lenten and Colored Triodions.
DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE IN THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
In addition to the above-mentioned Saturdays, dedicated to the commemoration of the departed by the entire Orthodox Church since ancient times, in the Russian Church some other days are dedicated to the same purpose, namely: a) Radonitsa, b) August 29 - the Beheading of John the Baptist and c) Demetrius Saturday.
Radonitsa is a day of general remembrance of the dead, which takes place on Monday or Tuesday after St. Thomas Week (Resurrection). The Typicon for this day does not indicate special prayers for the dead, and commemoration is performed on this day according to the pious custom of the Russian Church. After Private evening service(or after the liturgy) a full requiem service is served with Easter chants. At the liturgy the prokeimenon, the Apostle and the Gospel for the dead are added. According to the accepted custom, on Radonitsa, memorial services are held in the cemetery near the graves.
The basis for the commemoration of the dead, performed on Radonitsa, is, on the one hand, the remembrance of the descent of Jesus Christ into hell and the victory over death, connected with the Resurrection of Thomas, on the other hand, the permission of the Church Charter to perform the usual daily commemoration of the dead after Holy and Bright Weeks, starting from Fomin Monday. On this day, believers come to the graves of their loved ones with the joyful news of the Resurrection of Christ. Hence the very day of remembrance is called Radonitsa (or Radunitsa).
Days of remembrance of Orthodox soldiers, “those who laid down their lives in battle for faith and the Fatherland.” Commemoration of soldiers killed for the Fatherland takes place on August 29 and Dimitrievskaya Saturday.
The commemoration of slain soldiers is performed on this day due to the very connection with the event remembered on this day. The Forerunner of the Lord suffered for the truth, like a good warrior of the Heavenly Fatherland; The Holy Church entrusts his intercession and her children - soldiers who fought for truth and goodness, and laid down their lives for their Fatherland. (Commemoration is set at1769 during the war with Turkey and Poland.) A special funeral service is not specified in the Charter. Usually after the liturgy a memorial service is celebrated.
Dimitrievskaya Saturday- before the 26th day of October - warriors killed on the battlefield and other dead are also remembered. Saturday is named after the day of remembrance of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (October 26). The establishment of commemoration on this Saturday belongs to Dmitry Donskoy, who, after the Battle of Kulikovo (September 8, 1380), commemorated the soldiers who fell in it, with the advice and blessing of St. Sergius of Radonezh, established this commemoration to be performed annually on the Saturday before October 26th. Subsequently, other dead people began to be commemorated along with the soldiers. The service on Dimitrievskaya Saturday is performed according to the rite of Meat Saturday. But, unlike Meat Saturday, on Demetrius Saturday the Church Charter does not abolish the service of an ordinary saint.
The entire service should be performed according to the Octoechos and Menea, guided by the 13th chapter of the Typikon - “If it happens and the rector deigns to sing Alleluia on Saturday.” (At Matins, instead of “God the Lord” - “Alleluia” and the troparia “Apostles, martyrs” - they are also at Vespers. After the 16th kathisma - Immaculate, etc., - as on Meat Saturday. Canons: Menaion, temple and 1st Octoechos. Through the 6th canto - funeral litanies, kontakion and ikos. Then the usual end of daily matins. At the liturgy: prokeimenon, Apostle, Gospel and communion for the day and for the repose.)
If Dimitrievskaya Saturday coincides with a vigil or polyeleos holiday, the commemoration is transferred to another nearest Saturday, where there is no such holiday.
Application
“The continuation of the parastas, that is, the great requiem, for our departed fathers and brothers and for all Orthodox Christians who have passed away”
Beginning of parastas the same as an ordinary memorial service (which is an abbreviated parastas).
After Alleluia and troparions, “In the depth of wisdom” the immaculate ones are sung.
The blameless are divided into 2 sections.
First article: “Blessed, immaculate, on your way.”
Chorus: “Remember, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant” (or “the soul of Thy servant”, or “the soul of Thy servant”).
After the first article there is a small funeral litany and an exclamation: “God of spirits...”.
Second article: “I am yours, save me.”
Chorus: “Rest, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant” (or “the soul of Thy servant,” or “the soul of Thy servant”).
Immediately after this, troparia for the immaculates are sung:
“Blessed are you, O Lord...
You will find the holy face the source of life...”
After the troparia and in the small funeral litany the rest of the sedal is sung: “Peace, our Savior”, the 50th psalm is read and the canon “The water has passed through” is sung - its capstone: “I sing to the dying faithful” (placed in the Octoechos, tone 8, on Saturday).
Choruses to the canon: “Wonderful is God in His saints, the God of Israel” and “Rest, O Lord, for the souls of Your fallen servants.”
According to the 3rd song, katavasiya - irmos: “Heavenly circle”, and sedalen: “Truly all is vanity.”
According to the 6th song of Katavasia Irmos: “Cleanse me, Savior.”
After the small funeral litany - kontakion and ikos: “Rest with the saints” and “Thou art alone, the Immortal One.”
According to the 8th song, the priest makes an exclamation: “Theotokos and Mother of Light...”.
Choir: “The souls and souls of the righteous...” and irmos: “Be afraid of every hearing.”
After canon the Trisagion according to Our Father is read and the troparia of the lithium are sung: “With the spirits of the righteous who have passed away, the soul (or souls) of Thy servant (Thy servant), O Savior, give rest...” and so on.
The rite of requiem for Easter week and Radonitsa (in the cemetery and in the church)
Deacon: Bless, lord.
Priest: Blessed be our God:
Choir: Amen.
Priest and deacon: Christ is risen: (three times).
Choir: Christ is risen: (three times).
Priest: 1st verse. May God rise again and let His enemies be scattered. (Full censing of the temple is performed; if in a cemetery, then of the nearest graves.)
Chorus: Christ is Risen: (1 time).
Priest: 2nd verse. As smoke disappears, let them disappear.
Chorus: Christ is Risen: (1 time).
Priest: 3rd verse. Thus, let sinners perish from the presence of God, and let righteous women rejoice.
Choir: Christ is Risen: (1 time).
Priest: 4th verse. This day, which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.
Choir: Christ is Risen: (1 time).
Priest: Glory:
Choir: Christ is Risen: (1 time).
Priest: And now:
Choir: Christ is Risen: (1 time).
Priest: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death.
Chorus: And he gave life to those in the tombs.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord in peace (and other petitions, see the usual requiem service).
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Choir(after an exclamation): Irmos of the Easter canon. Irmos of the 1st song: Resurrection day...
Priest and deacon(chorus): Christ is risen from the dead.
Choir(repeats chorus): Christ is risen from the dead.
Priest and deacon: Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants.
Choir(repeats chorus): Rest in peace, Lord:
Priest and deacon: Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Choir: And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Choir: Irmos of the 3rd song. Come, let's drink new beer:
The priest and deacon repeat the same refrains as after the 1st Irmos.
Choir: Irmos of the 4th song. On Divine Guard:
Priest and deacon: choruses (see above).
Choir: choruses.
Choir: Irmos of the 5th song. Let's have a deep morning morning:
Priest and deacon: choruses.
Choir: choruses.
Choir: Irmos of the 6th song. Thou hast descended into the underworld of the earth:
Deacon- small funeral litany (see regular memorial service).
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Choir(after the exclamation): Rest with the saints: and the kontakion of Easter, ch. 8: Even if You descended into the grave, Immortal:
Choir: Irmos of the 7th song. Delivering the youths from the furnace:
Priest and deacon: choruses.
Choir: choruses.
Choir: Irmos of the 8th song. This appointed and holy day:
Priest and deacon: choruses.
Choir: choruses.
Choir: Irmos of the 9th song. Shine, shine, new Jerusalem.
Deacon: Paki and paki (funeral small litany).
Choir: Lord, have mercy (see above).
Choir(exapostilary): Flesh sleeping as if dead:
Also Easter stichera with verses.
May God rise again and let His enemies be scattered.
Holy Easter has appeared to us today:
As smoke disappears, let them disappear.
Come from the vision, wife of the evangelist:
Thus, let sinners perish from the presence of God, and let righteous women rejoice.
Myrrh-Bearing Women:
This day, which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.
Easter red:
Glory even now: Sunday day:
Choir(troparia, chapter 4):
From the spirits of the righteous who have died:
In Your chamber, O Lord:
Glory. You are God, descended into hell:
And now. One Pure and Immaculate Virgin: (see the usual funeral service).
Deacon: Have mercy on us, O God: and other successions (see the usual requiem).
Choir
Deacon(after exclamation): Wisdom.
Choir: Christ is risen (three times).
Priest(dismissal with the cross): Christ, risen from the dead, trampling death by death and giving life to those in the tombs, our true God, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother and all His saints, the souls of His servants (names) who have departed from us will dwell in the villages of the saints, and He will count with the righteous and have mercy on us, for He is Good and Lover of Mankind.
Choir: Amen.
Priest, overshadowing the believers with the cross, he says: Christ is risen (three times).
Priest,- if in a cemetery, then after overshadowing those coming with the cross, he overshadows the graves three more times, saying: Christ is risen (three times).
Deacon: In the blessed Dormition there is eternal peace (see the usual funeral service).
Choir: Eternal memory (three times), and the troparion of Easter is sung three times, after which:
And we have been given eternal life, we worship His three-day resurrection.
At the end of the funeral service, the priest gives the believers a cross to kiss.
Note about the performance of a memorial service in Radonitsa at the cemetery (at the graves).
Before the general funeral service begins, a procession of the cross takes place around the cemetery (inside the fence) with the singing of the Easter canon and the stichera of Easter (a priest with a censer, a cross and a tricandlestick in his hands). - The choruses on the canon are sung by the clergy, and the choir repeats.
After this, a general funeral service is performed at the prepared place according to the rules written above.
At the prepared place, having arrived with the procession of the cross, the priest and deacon stand facing east (if at a grave, then facing the cross). In front of them is a cross, on the sides of the cross there are banners.
Before the funeral service begins, it is appropriate to say a sermon.
At a funeral service, when “Eternal Memory” is chanted, the funeral peal is sometimes struck for a long time.
Lithium about the departed
In general, lithium is performed:
at home before taking the deceased to church;
after lowering the deceased into the grave;
at home upon returning after the burial and
as needed at liturgies after the prayer behind the pulpit, as well as in church after the dismissal of Vespers, Matins and the 1st hour (Typikon, chapter 9).
Litiya for the departed at the liturgy
When the litiya is performed according to the prayer behind the pulpit (see the Missal), then there is no dismissal and “Eternal Memory” is not proclaimed, but before the singing of “Be the name of the Lord,” the choir immediately sings: “From the spirits of the righteous... In Thy chamber, Lord... Glory: Thou art God... And now: One Pure...".
Deacon
Choir: Lord, have mercy (three times), etc.
Priest: God of spirits... For You are the resurrection:
Choir: Amen. Be the name of the Lord: (three times) and other liturgy.
Litiya rite outside the liturgy
Deacon: Bless, lord.
Priest: Blessed be our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
Choir: Amen.
Reader: Trisagion according to Our Father.
Priest: For Yours is the Kingdom:
Chorus: Amen. From the spirits of the righteous who have passed away... In Thy chamber, O Lord:
Glory: You are God... And now: One Pure One...
Deacon(litany): Have mercy on us, O God: and so on.
Choir: Lord, have mercy (three times).
Priest: God of spirits and all flesh:
Choir: Amen.
Deacon: Wisdom.
Priest: Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Chorus: Most honorable Cherub:
Priest: Glory to Thee, Christ God, our hope, glory to Thee.
Choir: Glory even now: Lord, have mercy (three times). Bless.
Priest(dismissal): Christ our true God possesses the living and the dead:
Choir: Amen.
Deacon: In blessed sleep:
Chorus: Eternal memory (three times).
Reading the psalter for the departed
Since ancient times, in the Orthodox Church there has been a custom of reading the Psalter over the body of a deceased monk and layman, and the Gospel for bishops and priests. The reading of the Psalter, serving as a prayer for the deceased, simultaneously aims to give comfort and edification to the living.
The reading of the Psalter should be done reverently, slowly, with tenderness and contrition of heart.
The reading of the Psalter takes place immediately after the first requiem service.
The order of reading the Psalter is as follows. The seven-veneration ceremony begins:
God, be merciful to me, a sinner ( or sinner) - bow.
God, cleanse me, a sinner (sinner) - bow.
Having created me, Lord, have mercy on me - bow.
Without number of sinners, Lord, forgive me - bow.
My mistress, Most Holy Theotokos, save me, a sinner (sinner) - bow.
My holy Guardian Angel, save me from all evil - bow.
Holy Apostle (or martyr, or Reverend Father) ( Name), pray to God for me, a sinner - bow.
After this, the usual initial prayers are recited:
Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
Trisagion according to Our Father. Lord, have mercy (12 times). Glory to this day. Come, let us bow (three times).
Each kathisma is divided into 3 parts, or so-called “glories” (see Psalter). After each “glory” it reads:
Glory even now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God (three times). Lord, have mercy (three times). Glory: - and the following prayer: Rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant (Thy departed servant) - Name- (bow) and in this life, as a man sinned, You, as a Lover of Mankind, forgive him (bow) and have mercy (bow), deliver eternal torment (bow), give (bow) to the Kingdom of Heaven for the participant (bow) and to his soul ( her) do something useful (bow).
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You, blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls (bow).
Note.
According to another practice, after each “glory” the prayer is read: Remember, O Lord our God (remembering, where appropriate, the name of the deceased), placed in the “Following the departure of the soul from the body” - see at the end of the Psalter.
At the end of each kathisma the following is read: the Trisagion according to Our Father, troparia of repentance and the prayer prescribed after each kathisma.
The new kathisma begins with the words: “Come, let us worship...” (three times).
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“God-speaking apostles,” says St. Athanasius the Great, - sanctified teachers and spiritual fathers... established liturgies, prayers, psalmody and annual remembrance of the departed, which custom is even strengthening and spreading to this day.” These year-long memories (commemorations), which he wrote about in the 4th century. St. Athanasius the Great, later turned into the so-called Ecumenical Parental Saturdays.
“Sorokoust” is a daily commemoration of the deceased at a full liturgy for 40 days: at the proskomedia, at a special funeral litany after the Gospel and, most importantly, after the consecration of the Holy Gifts, with an offering of prosphora, wine, oil, candles for the liturgy and so on. At the end of the funeral liturgy, the funeral litia is sung.
The Holy Fathers of the Church with particular force and conviction pointed out the beneficial significance for the dead of offering a bloodless Sacrifice for them. Divine Liturgy and prayerful remembrance of them after the consecration of the Holy Gifts. “It’s not in vain,” says St. John Chrysostom, - the apostles legitimized the commemoration of the dead before the terrible Mysteries. They knew that this would bring great benefit to the dead, a great blessing” (Conversation 3 on Phil.). St. says the same thing. Cyril of Jerusalem (5th century): “After performing a spiritual sacrifice, a bloodless service... we remember all those who have fallen before, believing that great benefit will come to the souls for whom prayer is offered when the holy and terrible Sacrifice is offered.”
The regulations for performing a memorial service are found in the Typikon, ch. 14. All prayers for the memorial service are in special books: “Following for the Dead” and “Following the Parastas.” The prayers of the memorial service are also found: a) in Oktoich - before the Sabbath of the 1st tone (sometimes before the Sabbath of the 5th tone); b) in the Psalter in “Following the Exodus of the Soul.” But the Octoechos and Psalms do not contain all the prayers that should be sung at a funeral service. In the Psalter there is no great litany, which is found in the Octoechos, but in the Octoechos there is no 17th kathisma and a sedalna for the 3rd canto. According to the Typikon, the 17th kathisma is not always present at the funeral service (usually it occurs only at the parastas), and the canon is sung by the Octoechos of the current voice. Most often the canon of the 6th tone is used: “Like Israel walked on dry land” or the canon of the 8th tone “Wade through water.” The day of remembrance of Orthodox soldiers was also established on April 26/May 9 by definition Bishops' Council Russian Orthodox Church 1994.
This beginning of the holiday is only on Easter week, and from the Resurrection of St. Thomas, on Radonitsa and before the Ascension - the beginning of the Sunday holiday: “Christ our true God is risen from the dead.”
Liturgics: Sacraments and Rites
30 / 05 / 2006
(Meat Empty, on the eve of Great Lent, the second, third and fourth weeks of Pentecost, Trinity, before the birthday of the Church, precisely these five cases are canonically established when in Orthodox churches parastas is performed. All of them, as can be judged, fall in the first half of the calendar year, from February to June.
"Petition" translated from Greek
This is precisely the meaning of the word, incomprehensible to the neophyte. Parastas is, in essence, a petition to the Almighty on behalf of the departed, proclaimed through the mouth of the Church. The main difference of the especially solemn heartfelt Matins is the priest’s reading of the 17th kathisma of the Psalter (the entire 118th psalm, divided by article). The content of this verse, mistakenly considered “purely funeral”, is a confession of faith, grief over deviations from the Law given by the Creator, a request for mercy and leniency towards human weaknesses. Remembering that “there is no man who will live and not sin,” the believers present at the service, on their own behalf, together with the choir, repeat the refrains “Savior, save me” and “Blessed are you, Lord.”
Deceased does not mean undead
The Christian tradition posits three birthdays for each person: the first is birth, the second, main event is Holy Baptism, and the third is the transition from the earthly vale, full of sorrows and illnesses, to Eternal Life. Death, personified as the servant of hell defeated by the Resurrection of Christ, no longer has power over those believers who have passed into another existence through the Dormition. "Death, where is your sting, hell, where is your victory?" - this questioning contains the confidence that “everyone is alive with God.” It is not for nothing that the days of remembrance of Christian saints fall precisely on the date of their dormition, their return “home” to the Heavenly Creator from a long earthly journey.
Why do the departed need our prayers?
The Creator’s love even for a person who has sinned and has strayed from the right path is touchingly depicted in the Gospel. However, not everyone during their lifetime manages to return to their father’s threshold, to complete the path of repentance, that is, to change for the better, to return to the prototype revealed by the God-man - Christ. Death, which has lost its undivided power, but has not lost its strength, overtakes others on the road. Parastas is the opportunity to continue the path to eternal good through the prayers of the living for those who await the day of the last Judgment, without the opportunity for further repentance. Orthodoxy affirms the possibility of changing the afterlife of a person for the better. The main means for this is Proskomedia - a name commemoration at the Liturgy. The sacred bonds of love allow us to dedicate our deeds of faith - alms, church and home prayer - to God on behalf of the departed. Parastas for the deceased is one of the most effective means of helping our loved ones.
Archpriest Vyacheslav Kharinov, rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” (on Shpalernaya Street), teacher of the St. Petersburg Orthodox Theological Academy, candidate of theology, answers questions from viewers. Broadcast from St. Petersburg.
The next anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War is approaching. And, of course, we must honor the memory of the deceased.
Based on the topic of our today's broadcast, we will first talk about the commemoration of the deceased in Lent: in the second, third and fourth weeks. Memorial services, which take place on Saturdays these weeks, are always well attended. These Saturdays are even mistakenly called Ecumenical, but this is wrong. The purpose of Ecumenical Saturday is to remember everyone who has gone before: father and brothers and our relatives. Memorial Saturdays Lent is called parental Lent. We remember first of all our relatives, and at the same time all the deceased Orthodox Christians.
The interest of the congregation in such services is not accidental. With all the external caricature of the Church (sheer sadness, dead people, etc.), we know that commemoration of the dead is not performed so often. On holidays, from the Great Twelve to holidays with vigils, the Charter prescribes not to remember the dead. We also do not remember them at Sunday services during the Easter period. During Lent, we distance ourselves from this, as we are focused on ordinary, everyday feelings, memories, and thoughts. Therefore, we compensate for the lack of prayers for the departed on the second, third and fourth Saturdays.
As for the 70th anniversary of the Victory, the Church, which preserves eternal memory, cannot but take care of proper commemoration and perpetuation (even guided by civil laws) of the defenders of the Fatherland. Life laid down for one’s friends, for the Motherland, gives us the opportunity to talk about soldiers as unidentified saints.
Question from a TV viewer: “Many saints in their books ask to pray for them. But they have already been saved and are our intercessors before the Lord.”
Such a request is an indicator of a person’s holiness, an indicator of a correct vision of oneself, one’s insignificance before the Creator, and for us, an indicator of the greatness of such people. There are textbook examples of saints who passed away without beginning the work of salvation (we recall one of the Egyptian ascetics). A truly religious person is able to realize all his smallness and baseness and sincerely ask for prayers for himself.
I came across early icons of the not yet glorified Blessed Xenia, in which she is depicted in her traditional red and green vestments, and such icons were simply signed: “Xenia of St. Petersburg.” Without a halo, without any mention of holiness. There is always a stage when a saint is remembered as an ordinary deceased. This period shows nationwide love, the presence of memory of the ascetic. Miracles are also recorded.
Praying for people of holy life can lead to them praying for us. If the Church has canonized someone, then we no longer pray for him, but ask his intercession for us sinners. This is a question of worldview, view.
On the remaining parental Saturdays of Lent, many will want to submit notes for the repose of the souls of their relatives who lived in the Soviet Union and died in the Great Patriotic War. It is unknown about some of them whether they were baptized or whether they were atheists. What to do in such cases?
If a person has been baptized, for us he is a member of the Church. I can hardly imagine that any of the children who deny something would openly demonstrate their anti-churchism. At the everyday level, any rejection, any departure from the Church is a delusion, the story of the prodigal son repeats itself every time.
In Finland and Norway there is such a people - the Lapps, the Laplanders. They have a sect-like group that is part of the Lutheran Church (although they even look at it askance), and in this formation they believe that every young man or girl goes through the path of a prodigal son or daughter. They release their youth into the cities so that they can touch sin. And then the young people return to the community and publicly confess. I met this group during one of my trips to Norway, attended one of their meetings, and it was extremely interesting.
We must not forget the story of the prodigal son. We all wandered once, just as the chosen people wandered in the desert. And we need to remember all the dead.
If we talk about the outward atheism of that time, I always think like this: a soldier stands up from a trench on the parapet, goes to certain death, and, leaving for battle, asks to be considered a communist if he does not return. It would seem that knowing what the Communist Party is and what it calls for, one can understand that these people have given up on Christianity. Nothing like this! Communism is a phenomenon in the life of the first Christian communities (communes). Their residents were especially close to each other - they were welded by a sense of danger. But wasn't that the case at the front? Wasn't there a feeling of a comrade's elbow, of sacrifice? Without this, the army cannot exist. Therefore, for me, a priest, the deciphering of the phrase “I ask, if I do not return, consider me a communist” is as follows: “I ask you to consider me a Christian.” One must be able to understand the language of the era and see behind the apparent atheism the centuries-old history of the Russian Orthodox people.
There are no reasons for not remembering the dead, even if they are divorced from God and the Church. Soviet times did not allow us to profess our faith in public. But crosses sewn into overcoats, tunics, icon frames in dugouts, which we find along with the remains of our soldiers - isn’t this proof of faith? One has a throne cross on his chest, another has air, a sniper suddenly has a Gospel in his pocket. They are strenuously trying to convince us that the warriors were Ivans who did not remember their kinship. Such Ivans would never have been able to defeat the enemy. They win with spirit. The year 1943 became a turning point, because a lot of church things were legalized: Church Slavonic script in posters, the expression “Holy Rus'” began to be heard, patron saints of the Russian land, “legitimate” heroes of history began to be mentioned. Stalin and his entourage understood the importance of restoring the rights of the Patriarchal Church.
My father is a front-line soldier. He was wounded and awarded. He distanced himself from the Church all his life. But I understood him perfectly, I knew my grandfather Vasily Fedorovich, who was an expert Sacred history, whose all night gatherings ended with him telling and interpreting something from the Holy Scriptures. How can a son be torn away from his father? No.
Doesn’t the experience of those who survived this time, who now in their old age can freely turn to God, testify to the fact that the Church is their home? I'm talking about specific people: about the professor who taught me at the institute, about the secretary of the party committee, who secretly got married as soon as it became possible, delighted that he could live in a church marriage with his wife, about people who came to me and told me that for a long time for a time they could not openly profess their faith. God is their judge. The Church accepts them, just as a loving Father accepts us all.
-- Question from a TV viewer: “If the dead come to us in a dream, does this mean anything?”
The usual patristic interpretation is as follows: if a dream leaves a blissful feeling, then it can be a kind of blessing, a sign, our secret communication with the souls of the departed. If it is painful, the dream may be inspired by dark, demonic forces. In this case, it does not need to be taken into account, and the soul should not be subjected to despondency and despair. We must look at such things calmly. Dispassion and complacency are our best allies.
I would love to see my father and mother, teachers and friends in my dreams. Recently, a good friend of mine, my friend’s daughter, who now lives in Italy, talked about how her dad appeared to her in a dream and scolded her for some misdeeds in Italian. At the same time, during his lifetime he never spoke Italian, although he knew many languages. It's cute, unexpected. There should be no superstitions.
There is also no need to devalue the meaning of such dreams by telling stories about them. This is the internal “baggage” of a person. There are things that can be revealed in confession and discussed with the priest. But you shouldn’t make them the talk of the town. It is quite possible that this is the work of our subconscious, conscience, soul.
Question from a TV viewer: “The days of remembrance of the departed who died in April always fall during the Easter period. How to remember them correctly at this time?
We must follow the Charter. The Liturgy is not celebrated - we consider the next one. This important point. Metropolitan Philaret once refused to serve a memorial service on Sunday for his own sister, who died the day before or on Friday. Now funeral services are held on Sundays, as we understand that many cannot visit the temple on Saturday, the day of remembrance. But according to the Charter, this is not allowed; this is a step towards the flock. If the commemoration is postponed, then there is a reason for this. For example, you need to concentrate your attention on Easter, Holy Week or other events. This is not neglect of the deceased and not a “seasonal exacerbation” of their memory. We can remember ourselves, through personal prayer.
Question from a TV viewer from St. Petersburg: “Many families have people who died during the Great Patriotic War. My uncle died near Voronezh and was buried in a mass grave, but it is unknown where exactly. Is there an absentee funeral service for such people in the Church?”
Eternal memory to all defenders of the Fatherland and your uncle! No worries. There are Ecumenical Parental Saturdays and other days of remembrance. It is wrong to believe that those who died during the war remained unsung and forgotten by the Church. Of course, you can have a funeral service in absentia. Whether the funeral service took place now or a few minutes after death does not matter, because we are escorting the deceased to that world where time does not exist.
Our funeral business during the Great Patriotic War was not at its best. Numerous casualties and small funeral teams, the lack of a good identification system, and confusion led to the fact that many soldiers were buried in unknown graves. Thank God, new databases are being opened, documents are being digitized, and combat path soldier and according to the commanders' reports, it is possible to trace where and how this or that person could have been killed and buried.
And let’s call people not dead, but fallen in battles for the Fatherland, because “lost” in church language means “having no salvation.”
Sometimes soldiers killed in battle are listed as missing in action. The goal of the search movement, which I have been involved in for many years, is to find them. We often find medallions, evidence of names, and thereby remove the stain of shame from a person: the missing could be potential “defectors”, deserters. God grant that your uncle is also found, so that his name is immortalized for posterity. Unfortunately, the authorities are in no hurry to even carve the names of our warriors in stone. Time is running, the storage media disappears and it is erased, and we risk losing these names for the second time. Behind the victorious fanfares, triumphal speeches and processions, we must not forget the real heroes of the Victory.
Question from a TV viewer from St. Petersburg: “What is parastas, and how does it differ from a memorial service? Is it better to submit notes about the repose of the deceased at the proskomedia during the Liturgy or at the parastas, memorial service?
Parastas is the name of a service, like a memorial service, which is not performed separately on ordinary parental Saturdays, but is served after Matins on Ecumenical Saturday, on specific occasions. Parastas is also performed during Lent. Any notes can be submitted: this is proof of our love for the deceased.
Question from a TV viewer from Spain: “Does it make sense to ask for prayer for the deceased on social networks, via the Internet?”
I don’t see a sin in this; one should ask for prayers in every possible way. We all live in an information world and are socially connected. An SMS can come and turn out to be a very important message for us.
The social network virtualizes our live communication. People stop talking to each other, following the epistolary that presupposes a serious, thoughtful attitude towards the interlocutor. It is replaced by small symbolic messages without participial and adverbial phrases, without explanation emotional state person. A smiley face is enough. But this leads to spiritual impoverishment.
There is a social network where I can communicate with those who are associated with a certain subculture. But from the "broad" social networks, in which in one second, in one click, you can find yourself in such mud and cannot do anything, I quit because for me it became an incredible waste of time. I’d rather sit in a church for an extra hour and talk with five to ten people there than write twenty insignificant messages on the Internet in the same hour.
Presenter: Deacon Mikhail Kudryavtsev
Transcript: Arsenia Volkova
REMEMBRANCE OF THE DEAD
P why do people die?
- “God did not create death and does not rejoice in the destruction of the living, for He created everything for existence” (Wis. 1:13-14). Death appeared as a result of the fall of the first people. “Righteousness is immortal, but unrighteousness causes death: the wicked attracted her with hands and words, considered her a friend and wasted away, and made a covenant with her, for they are worthy to be her lot” (Wis. 1:15-16).
To understand the issue of mortality, it is necessary to distinguish between spiritual and physical death. Spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God, Who for the soul is the Source of eternal joyful existence. This death is the most terrible consequence of the Fall of man. A person gets rid of it in Baptism.
Although physical death after Baptism remains in a person, it takes on a different meaning. From punishment, it becomes the door to heaven (for people who were not only baptized, but also lived in a manner pleasing to God) and it is already called the “dormition.”
What happens to the soul after death?
According to Church Tradition, based on the words of Christ, the souls of the righteous are carried by angels to the threshold of paradise, where they remain until the Last Judgment, expecting eternal bliss: “The beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22). The souls of sinners fall into the hands of demons and are “in hell, in torment” (see Luke 16:23). The final division into the saved and the condemned will occur at the Last Judgment, when “many of those sleeping in the dust of the earth will awaken, some to eternal life, others to eternal reproach and shame” (Dan. 12:2). In the parable of the Last Judgment, Christ speaks in detail about the fact that sinners who did not do deeds of mercy will be condemned, and the righteous who did such deeds will be justified: “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25). :46).
What do the 3rd, 9th, 40th days after the death of a person mean? What should you do these days?
Holy Tradition preaches to us from the words of holy ascetics of faith and piety about the mystery of testing the soul after its departure from the body. For the first two days, the soul of a deceased person remains on earth and, with the Angel accompanying it, walks through those places that attract it with memories of earthly joys and sorrows, good and evil deeds. This is how the soul spends the first two days, but on the third day the Lord, in the image of His three-day Resurrection, commands the soul to ascend to heaven to worship Him - the God of all. On this day, the church commemoration of the soul of the deceased, who appeared before God, is timely.
Then the soul, accompanied by an Angel, enters the heavenly abodes and contemplates their indescribable beauty. The soul remains in this state for six days - from the third to the ninth. On the ninth day, the Lord commands the Angels to again present the soul to Him for worship. The soul stands before the Throne of the Most High with fear and trembling. But even at this time, the Holy Church again prays for the deceased, asking the Merciful Judge to place the soul of the deceased with the saints.
After the second worship of the Lord, the Angels take the soul to hell, and it contemplates the cruel torment of unrepentant sinners. On the fortieth day after death, the soul ascends for the third time to the Throne of God. Now her fate is being decided - she is assigned a certain place, which she has been awarded due to her deeds. That is why church prayers and commemorations on this day are so timely. They ask for forgiveness of sins and the placement of the soul of the deceased in paradise with the saints. On these days, the Church celebrates memorial services and litias.
The Church commemorates the deceased on the 3rd day after his death in honor of the three-day Resurrection of Jesus Christ and in the image of the Holy Trinity. Commemoration on the 9th day is performed in honor of the nine ranks of angels, who, as servants of the Heavenly King and representatives to Him, petition for pardon for the deceased. The commemoration on the 40th day, according to the tradition of the apostles, is based on the forty-day cry of the Israelis about the death of Moses. In addition, it is known that the forty-day period is very significant in the history and Tradition of the Church as the time necessary for preparing and receiving a special Divine gift, for receiving the gracious help of the Heavenly Father. Thus, the prophet Moses was honored to talk with God on Mount Sinai and receive the tablets of the Law from Him only after a forty-day fast. The prophet Elijah reached Mount Horeb after forty days. The Israelites reached the promised land after forty years of wandering in the desert. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself ascended into heaven on the fortieth day after His Resurrection. Taking all this as a basis, the Church established the commemoration of the departed on the 40th day after their death, so that the soul of the deceased would ascend the holy mountain of Heavenly Sinai, be rewarded with the sight of God, achieve the bliss promised to it and settle in the heavenly villages with the righteous.
On all these days, it is very important to order the commemoration of the deceased in the Church, submitting notes for commemoration at the Liturgy and memorial service.
What soul does not go through ordeals after death?
From Holy Tradition it is known that even Mother of God Having received notification from the Archangel Gabriel about the approaching hour of Her relocation to heaven, prostrating herself before the Lord, she humbly begged Him, so that, at the hour of the departure of Her soul, She would not see the prince of darkness and hellish monsters, but that the Lord Himself would accept Her soul into His Divine embrace. It is all the more useful for the sinful human race to think not about who does not go through ordeals, but about how to go through them, and do everything to cleanse the conscience and correct life according to the commandments of God. “The essence of everything: fear God and keep His commandments, because this is everything for man; For God will bring every work into judgment, even every secret thing, whether it is good or evil” (Eccl. 12:13-14).
What concept of heaven should you have?
Heaven is not so much a place as it is a state of mind; just as hell is suffering stemming from the inability to love and non-participation in the Divine light, so heaven is the bliss of the soul stemming from the excess of love and light, to which the one who has united with Christ fully and completely participates. This is not contradicted by the fact that heaven is described as a place with various “abodes” and “chambers”; all descriptions of paradise are only attempts to express in human language that which is inexpressible and surpasses the human mind.
In the Bible, "paradise" is the garden where God placed man; The same word in the ancient church tradition was used to describe the future bliss of people redeemed and saved by Christ. It is also called the “Kingdom of Heaven,” “the life of the age to come,” “the eighth day,” “the new heaven,” “the heavenly Jerusalem.” The Holy Apostle John the Theologian says: “I saw a new heaven and new land, for the former heaven and the former earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. And I, John, saw the holy city Jerusalem, new, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard loud voice from heaven, saying: Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them; they will be His people, and God Himself with them will be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death; There will be no more crying, no crying, no pain, for the former things have passed away. And He who sat on the throne said: Behold, I am creating all things new... I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end; to the thirsty I will give freely from the fountain of living water... And the angel lifted me up in the spirit to great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, holy Jerusalem, which came down from heaven from God. It has the glory of God... But I did not see a temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb. And the city has no need of either the sun or the moon for its illumination; for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The saved nations will walk in its light...And nothing unclean will enter into it, nor anyone who practices abomination and lies, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:1-6,10,22-24 ,27). This is the earliest description of heaven in Christian literature.
When reading descriptions of paradise found in theological literature, it is necessary to keep in mind that many Church Fathers talk about the paradise that they saw, into which they were caught up by the power of the Holy Spirit. In all descriptions of paradise, it is emphasized that earthly words can only to a small extent depict heavenly beauty, since it is “inexpressible” and surpasses human comprehension. It also speaks of the “many mansions” of paradise (John 14:2), that is, of different degrees of bliss. “God will honor some with great honors, others with less,” says St. Basil the Great, “because “star differs from star in glory” (1 Cor. 15:41). And since the Father “has many mansions,” He will rest some in a more excellent and higher state, and others in a lower state.” However, for everyone, his “abode” will be the highest fullness of bliss available to him - in accordance with how close he is to God in earthly life. “All the saints who are in paradise will see and know one another, and Christ will see and fill everyone,” says St. Simeon the New Theologian.
What concept should you have of hell?
There is no person deprived of the love of God, and there is no place that is not involved in this love; however, everyone who has made a choice in favor of evil voluntarily deprives himself of God's mercy. Love, which for the righteous in heaven is a source of bliss and consolation, for sinners in hell becomes a source of torment, since they recognize themselves as not participating in love. According to Saint Isaac, “the torment of Gehenna is repentance.”
According to the teachings of St. Simeon the New Theologian, main reason the torment of a person in hell is an acute feeling of separation from God: “None of the people who believe in You, Master,” writes the Monk Simeon, “none of those baptized in Your name will endure this great and terrible severity of separation from You, Merciful One, because that this is a terrible sorrow, unbearable, terrible and eternal sadness.” If on earth, says the Monk Simeon, those who are not involved in God have bodily pleasures, then there, outside the body, they will experience one incessant torment. And all the images hellish torment, existing in world literature - fire, cold, thirst, red-hot furnaces, lakes of fire, etc. - are only symbols of suffering, which comes from the fact that a person feels not involved in God.
For Orthodox Christian the thought of hell and eternal torment is inextricably linked with the mystery that is revealed in the services of Holy Week and Easter - the mystery of Christ’s descent into hell and the deliverance of those there from the dominion of evil and death. The Church believes that after His death, Christ descended into the abysses of hell in order to abolish hell and death, to destroy the terrible kingdom of the devil. Just as by entering the waters of the Jordan at the moment of His Baptism, Christ sanctifies these waters, filled with human sin, so by descending into hell, He illuminates it with the light of His presence to the last depths and limits, so that hell can no longer tolerate the power of God and perishes. Saint John Chrysostom in the Easter Catechetical Sermon says: “Hell was upset when it met You; he was grieved because he was abolished; he was upset because he was ridiculed; he was grieved because he was killed; I was upset because I was deposed.” This does not mean that hell no longer exists at all after the Resurrection of Christ: it exists, but the death sentence has already been passed on it.
Every Sunday, Orthodox Christians hear hymns dedicated to the victory of Christ over death: “The council of angels was surprised, in vain you were imputed to the dead, but the mortal fortress, O Savior, was destroyed... and freed all from hell” (from hell, who freed everyone). Deliverance from hell, however, should not be understood as some kind of magical action performed by Christ against the will of man: for one who consciously rejects Christ and eternal life, hell continues to exist as suffering and the torment of abandonment by God.
How to cope with grief when a loved one dies?
The grief of separation from the deceased can be satisfied only by prayer for him. Christianity does not perceive death as the end. Death is the beginning of a new life, and earthly life is only a preparation for it. Man was created for eternity; in paradise he fed from the “tree of life” (Gen. 2:9) and was immortal. But after the Fall, the path to the tree of life was blocked and man became mortal and corruptible.
But life does not end with death, the death of the body is not the death of the soul, the soul is immortal. Therefore, it is necessary to see off the soul of the deceased with prayer. “Do not give up your heart to sorrow; move her away from you, remembering the end. Do not forget this, for there is no return; and you will not bring him any benefit, but will harm yourself... With the repose of the deceased, soothe his memory, and be comforted about him after the outcome of his soul” (Sir. 38:20-21,23).
What should you do if, after the death of a loved one, you are tormented by your conscience about the wrong attitude towards him during life?
The voice of conscience denouncing guilt subsides and ceases after sincere heartfelt repentance and confession to God to the priest of one’s sinfulness towards the deceased. It is important to remember that with God everyone is alive and the commandment of love also applies to the dead. The deceased are in great need of the prayerful help of the living and alms given for them. The one who loves will pray, give alms, submit church notes for the repose of the departed, strive to live in a manner pleasing to God, so that God will show His mercy for them.
If you constantly remain in active concern for others and do good to them, then not only peace will be established in your soul, but deep satisfaction and joy.
What to do if you dream of a dead person?
You don't need to pay attention to dreams. However, we should not forget that the eternally living soul of the deceased experiences a great need for constant prayer for it, because it itself can no longer do good deeds with which it would be able to appease God. Therefore, prayer in church and at home for deceased loved ones is the duty of every Orthodox Christian.
How many days do people mourn for the deceased?
There is a tradition of mourning for the deceased for forty days to a loved one. According to the Tradition of the Church, on the fortieth day the soul of the deceased receives a certain place in which it will remain until the time of the Last Judgment of God. That is why, until the fortieth day, intense prayer is required for the forgiveness of the sins of the deceased, and the external wearing of mourning is intended to promote internal concentration and attention to prayer, and to prevent active involvement in previous everyday affairs. But you can have a prayerful attitude without wearing black clothes. The internal is more important than the external.
Who is the newly deceased and ever-memorable?
In church tradition, a deceased person is called newly deceased within forty days after death. The day of death is considered first, even if death occurred a few minutes before midnight. On the 40th day according to the disciples of the Church, God (at the private judgment of the soul) determines its afterlife fate before the general Last Judgment prophetically promised by the Savior (see Matt. 25:31-46).
A person is usually called eternally remembered after forty days after his death. Ever-memorable - the word “ever-memorable” means always. And the ever-memorable one is always remembered, that is, the one for whom they always remember and pray. In funeral notes, they sometimes write “of everlasting memory” before the name when the next anniversary of the death of the deceased(s) is celebrated.
How is the last kiss of the deceased performed? Do I need to be baptized at the same time?
The farewell kiss of the deceased occurs after his funeral service in the temple. They kiss the aureole placed on the forehead of the deceased, or apply it to the icon in his hands. At the same time, they are baptized on the icon.
What to do with the icon that was in the hands of the deceased during the funeral service?
After the funeral service for the deceased, the icon can be taken home or left in the church.
What can be done for the deceased if he was buried without a funeral service?
If he was baptized in the Orthodox Church, then you need to come to the church and order an absentee funeral service, as well as order magpies, memorial services and pray for him at home.
How to help the deceased?
It is possible to alleviate the fate of the deceased if you perform frequent prayers for him and give alms. It is good to work for the Church in memory of the deceased, for example, in a monastery.
Why is the remembrance of the dead performed?
Prayer for those who have passed from temporary life to eternal life is an ancient tradition of the Church, sanctified by centuries. Leaving the body, a person leaves visible world, but he does not leave the Church, but remains its member, and it is the duty of those remaining on earth to pray for him. The Church believes that prayer eases a person’s posthumous fate. While a person is alive, he is able to repent of sins and do good. But after death this possibility disappears, only hope remains in the prayers of the living. After the death of the body and private judgment, the soul is on the threshold of eternal bliss or eternal torment. It depends on how the short earthly life was lived. But much depends on prayer for the deceased. The lives of the holy saints of God contain many examples of how, through the prayer of the righteous, the posthumous fate of sinners was eased - right up to their complete justification.
Is it possible to cremate the deceased?
Cremation is a custom alien to Orthodoxy, borrowed from Eastern cults and spread as the norm in a secular (non-religious) society during the Soviet period. Therefore, the relatives of the deceased, if possible to avoid cremation, should prefer burying the deceased in the ground. There is no prohibition in the sacred books to burn the bodies of the dead, but there are positive indications from Christian doctrine of another way of burying bodies - this is burying them in the earth (see: Gen. 3:19; John 5:28; Matt. 27:59-60). This method of burial, accepted by the Church from the very beginning of its existence and sanctified by it with a special rite, stands in connection with the entire Christian worldview and with its very essence - the belief in the resurrection of the dead. According to the strength of this faith, burial in the ground is an image of the temporary euthanization of the deceased, for whom the grave in the bowels of the earth is a natural bed of repose and who is therefore called by the Church the deceased (and in worldly terms, the deceased) until the resurrection. And if the burial of the bodies of the dead instills and strengthens the Christian faith in the resurrection, then the burning of the dead is easily related to the anti-Christian doctrine of non-existence.
The Gospel describes the burial order of the Lord Jesus Christ, which consisted of washing His Most Pure Body, dressing in special funeral clothes and placing in the grave (Matthew 27:59-60; Mark 15:46; 16:1; Luke 23:53 ; 24:1; John 19:39-42). The same actions are supposed to be performed on deceased Christians in the present time.
Cremation may be permissible in exceptional cases when there is no way to bury the body of the deceased.
Is it true that on the 40th day, the commemoration of the deceased must be ordered in three churches at once, or in one, but three services in succession?
Immediately after death, it is customary to order a magpie from the Church. This is a daily intensified commemoration of the newly deceased during the first forty days - until the private trial, which determines the fate of the soul beyond the grave. After forty days, it is good to order an annual commemoration and then renew it every year. You can also order longer-term commemorations in monasteries. There is a pious custom - to order commemoration in several monasteries and churches (their number does not matter). The more prayer books there are for the deceased, the better.
What is eve?
Kanun (or eve) is a special square or rectangular table on which there is a Cross with a Crucifix and holes for candles. Before the eve there are funeral services. Here you can light candles and put food to commemorate the dead.
Why do you need to bring food to the temple?
Believers bring various foods to the temple so that the ministers of the Church will remember the deceased at a meal. These offerings serve as donations, alms for those who have passed away. In former times, in the courtyard of the house where the deceased was, on the most significant days for the soul (3rd, 9th, 40th) funeral tables were set, at which the poor, homeless, and orphans were fed, so that there would be many people praying for the deceased. For prayer and, especially for alms, many sins are forgiven, and the afterlife is made easier. Then these memorial tables began to be placed in churches on the days of the universal remembrance of all Christians who have died since centuries with the same purpose - to remember the departed.
What foods can you put on the eve?
The products can be anything. It is prohibited to bring meat food into the temple.
Which commemoration of the dead is the most important?
Prayers at the Liturgy have special power. The Church prays for all the departed, including those in hell. One of the kneeling prayers read on the feast of Pentecost contains a petition “for those kept in hell” and for the Lord to rest them “in a brighter place.” The Church believes that through the prayers of the living, God can alleviate the afterlife fate of the dead, saving them from torment and worthy of salvation with the saints.
Therefore, it is necessary, in the coming days after death, to order a magpie in the church, that is, a commemoration at forty Liturgies: the Bloodless Sacrifice is offered forty times for the deceased, a particle is taken from the prosphora and immersed in the Blood of Christ with a prayer for the forgiveness of the sins of the newly deceased. This is a feat of love from the entirety of the Orthodox Church in the person of the priest who celebrates the Liturgy for the sake of the people commemorated at the proskomedia. This is the most necessary thing that can be done for the soul of the deceased.
What is Parents' Saturday?
On certain Saturdays of the year, the Church commemorates all previously deceased Christians. The memorial services that take place on such days are called ecumenical, and the days themselves are called Ecumenical Parental Saturdays. On the morning of Parents' Saturdays, during the Liturgy, all previously deceased Christians are remembered. On the eve of parental Saturday, on Friday evening, parastas is served (translated from Greek as “presence”, “intercession”, “intercession”) - the continuation of the great requiem for all deceased Orthodox Christians.
When are Parents' Saturdays?
Almost all parental Saturdays do not have a permanent date, but are associated with the moving day of Easter celebration. Meat Saturday occurs eight days before the start of Lent. Parents' Saturdays occur on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks of Lent. Trinity Parental Saturday - on the eve of the Holy Trinity, on the ninth day after the Ascension. On the Saturday preceding the day of remembrance of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (November 8, new style) there is Dimitrievskaya Parental Saturday.
Is it possible to pray for repose after parental Saturday?
Yes, you can and should pray for the repose of the deceased even after parental Saturdays. This is the duty of the living to the dead and an expression of love for them. The deceased themselves can no longer help themselves, they cannot bear the fruits of repentance or give alms. This is evidenced by the Gospel parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Death is not a departure into oblivion, but the continuation of the existence of the soul in eternity, with all its characteristics, weaknesses and passions. Therefore, the deceased (except for the saints glorified by the Church) need prayerful commemoration.
Saturdays (except for Great Saturday, Saturday on Bright Week and Saturdays coinciding with the twelve, great and temple holidays), in church calendar By tradition, they are considered days of special remembrance of the dead. But you can pray for the deceased and submit notes in the church on any day of the year, even when, according to the charter of the Church, no memorial services are served, in this case the names of the deceased are remembered at the altar.
What other days of remembrance of the dead are there?
Radonitsa - nine days after Easter, on Tuesday after Bright Week. On Radonitsa they share the joy of the Resurrection of the Lord with the deceased, expressing hope for their resurrection. The Savior Himself descended into hell to preach victory over death and brought from there the souls of the Old Testament righteous. Because of this great spiritual joy, the day of this commemoration is called “Rainbow”, or “Radonitsa”.
Special commemoration of all those who died during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. established by the Church on May 9. Warriors killed on the battlefield are also remembered on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist on September 11, according to the new style.
Is it necessary to go to the cemetery on the anniversary of the death of a close relative?
The main days of remembrance of the deceased are the anniversaries of death and namesake. On the anniversary of the death of the deceased, relatives close to him pray for him, thereby expressing the belief that the day of a person’s death is not a day of destruction, but of a new birth for eternal life; the day of the transition of the immortal human soul to other conditions of life, where there is no longer any place for earthly illnesses, sorrows and sighs.
On this day it is good to visit the cemetery, but first you should come to the church at the beginning of the service, submit a note with the name of the deceased for commemoration at the altar (better if it is commemorated at a proskomedia), at a memorial service and, if possible, pray during the service.
Is it necessary to go to the cemetery on Easter, Trinity, and Holy Spirit Day?
Sundays and holidays should be spent in prayer in the temple of God, and for visiting cemeteries there are special days commemoration of the deceased - parental Saturdays, Radonitsa, as well as anniversaries of death and namesake days of the deceased.
What to do when visiting a cemetery?
Arriving at the cemetery, you need to clean up the grave. You can light a candle. If possible, invite a priest to perform the litia. If this is not possible, then you can read the short rite of the lithium yourself, having first purchased the corresponding brochure in a church or Orthodox store. If you wish, you can read an akathist about the repose of the departed. Just be silent, remember the deceased.
Is it possible to have a “wake” in a cemetery?
Apart from the kutia consecrated in the temple, you should not eat or drink anything at the cemetery. It is especially unacceptable to pour vodka into a grave mound - this insults the memory of the deceased. The custom of leaving a glass of vodka and a piece of bread at the grave “for the deceased” is a relic of paganism and should not be observed by the Orthodox. There is no need to leave food on the grave - it is better to give it to the beggar or the hungry.
What should you eat at a “wake”?
According to tradition, after the burial, a funeral table is assembled. The funeral meal is a continuation of the service and prayer for the deceased. The funeral meal begins with eating the kutia brought from the temple. Kutia or kolivo is boiled grains of wheat or rice with honey. Also traditionally they eat pancakes and sweet jelly. On a fast day, food should be lean. The funeral meal should be distinguished from a noisy feast by reverent silence and kind words about the deceased.
Unfortunately, the bad custom of remembering the deceased with vodka and a hearty snack has taken root. The same thing is repeated on the ninth and fortieth days. This is wrong, since the newly departed soul these days craves special fervent prayer for her to God and certainly not drinking wine.
Is it possible to place a photograph of the deceased on a grave cross?
A cemetery is a special place where the bodies of those who have passed on to another life are buried. Visible evidence of this is the tombstone cross, which is erected as a sign of the redemptive victory of the Lord Jesus Christ over death. Just as the Savior of the world was resurrected, having accepted death for people on the cross, so all the dead will be resurrected physically. People come to the cemetery to pray for them in this place of rest for the dead. A photograph on a grave cross often encourages reminiscence rather than prayer.
With the adoption of Christianity in Rus', the deceased were placed either in stone sarcophagi, with a cross depicted on the lid, or in the ground. A cross was placed on the grave. After 1917, when the destruction of Orthodox traditions became systematic, columns with photographs began to be placed on graves instead of crosses. Sometimes monuments were erected and a portrait of the deceased was attached to them. After the war, monuments with a star and a photograph began to predominate as a headstone. In the last decade and a half, crosses have increasingly begun to appear in cemeteries. The practice of placing photographs on crosses has been preserved from past Soviet decades.
Is it possible to take a dog with you when visiting a cemetery?
Of course, you shouldn’t take your dog to the cemetery for walking. But if necessary, for example, a guide dog for a blind person or for the purpose of protection when visiting a remote cemetery, you can take it with you. The dog should not be allowed to run over the graves.
If a person died on Bright Week (from the day of Holy Easter to Saturday of Bright Week inclusive), then the Easter Canon is read. Instead of the Psalter, on Bright Week the Acts of the Holy Apostles are read.
Is it necessary to serve a memorial service for a baby?
Dead babies are buried and memorial services are served for them, but in prayers they do not ask for forgiveness of sins, since babies do not consciously commit sins, but they ask the Lord to vouchsafe them the Kingdom of Heaven.
Is it possible to perform a funeral service in absentia for someone who died during the war if the place of his burial is unknown?
If the deceased was baptized, then a funeral service can be performed in absentia, and the soil received after the funeral in absentia can be sprinkled in a cross pattern on any grave in an Orthodox cemetery.
The tradition of performing a funeral service in absentia appeared in the 20th century in Russia due to the large number of those killed in the war, and since it was often impossible to perform a funeral service over the body of the deceased due to the lack of churches and priests, due to the persecution of the Church and persecution of believers. There are also cases of tragic death when it is impossible to find the body of the deceased. In such cases, a funeral service in absentia is permissible.
Is it possible to order a memorial service for an unburied deceased?
Funeral services can be ordered if the deceased was a baptized Orthodox person and not one of the suicide victims. The Church does not commemorate the unbaptized and suicides.
If it becomes known that the buried person was not buried according to the Orthodox rite, then he must be buried in absentia. During the funeral service, in contrast to the requiem service, the priest reads a special prayer for the forgiveness of the sins of the deceased.
It is important not only to “order” a memorial service and funeral service, but for the relatives and friends of the deceased to take part in them prayerfully.
Is it possible to perform a funeral service for a suicide and pray for his repose at home and in church?
In exceptional cases, after consideration of all the circumstances of suicide by the ruling bishop of the diocese, an absentee funeral service may be blessed. To do this, relevant documents and a written petition are submitted to the ruling bishop, where, with special responsibility for one’s words, all known circumstances and reasons for suicide are indicated. All cases are considered individually. When the bishop allows the funeral service in absentia, the temple prayer for repose becomes possible.
In all cases, for the prayerful consolation of the relatives and friends of a person who has committed suicide, a special prayer rite has been developed, which can be performed whenever the relatives of a person who has committed suicide turn to the priest for consolation in the grief that has befallen them.
In addition to performing this rite, relatives and friends can, with the blessing of the priest, read at home the prayer of the Venerable Elder Leo of Optina: “Seek, O Lord, the lost soul of Thy servant (name): if it is possible, have mercy. Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not make this my prayer a sin, but Thy holy will be done” and give alms.
Is it true that suicides are commemorated on Radonitsa? What to do if, believing this, they regularly submitted notes to the temple commemorating suicides?
No, that's not true. If a person, out of ignorance, submitted notes to commemorate suicides (the funeral service of which was not blessed by the ruling bishop), then he must repent of this in confession and not do this again. All doubtful questions should be resolved with the priest, and not believe rumors.
Is it possible to order a memorial service for the deceased if he is Catholic?
Private, cell (home) prayer for a heterodox deceased is not prohibited - you can remember him at home, read psalms at the grave. In churches, funeral services are not performed or commemorated for those who never belonged to the Orthodox Church: non-Christians and all those who died unbaptized. The funeral service and requiem service were compiled taking into account the fact that the deceased and the funeral service were a faithful member of the Orthodox Church.
Is it possible to submit notes in church about the remembrance of the deceased who have not been baptized?
Liturgical prayer is prayer for the children of the Church. In the Orthodox Church, it is not customary to remember unbaptized Christians, as well as non-Orthodox Christians, at proskomedia (the preparatory part of the Liturgy). This, however, does not mean that you cannot pray for them at all. Cell (home) prayer for such deceased is possible. Christians believe that prayer can provide great help to the dead. True Orthodoxy breathes the spirit of love, mercy and condescension towards all people, including those outside the Orthodox Church.
The Church cannot remember the unbaptized for the reason that they lived and died outside the Church - they were not its members, were not reborn to a new, spiritual life in the Sacrament of Baptism, did not confess the Lord Jesus Christ and cannot be involved in the benefits that He promised to those who love Him.
For the relief of the fate of the souls of the dead who were not worthy of Holy Baptism, and of infants who died in the womb or during childbirth, Orthodox Christians pray at home and read the canon to the holy martyr Uar, who has the grace from God to intercede for the dead who were not worthy of Holy Baptism. From the life of the holy martyr Uar, it is known that through his intercession he delivered from eternal torment the relatives of the pious Cleopatra, who revered him, who were pagans.
They say that those who die on Bright Week receive the Kingdom of Heaven. Is it so?
The posthumous fate of the dead is known only to the Lord. “Just as you do not know the way of the wind and how the bones are formed in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you cannot know the work of God, who does all things” (Eccl. 11:5). Anyone who lived piously, did good deeds, wore a cross, repented, confessed and received communion - by the grace of God, he can be granted a blessed life in eternity, regardless of the time of death. And if a person spent his entire life in sins, did not confess or receive communion, but died on Bright Week, can it be said that he inherited the Kingdom of Heaven?
If a person died in a continuous week before Peter's Lent, does this mean anything?
Doesn't mean anything. The Lord ends the earthly life of each person in due time, providentially caring for each soul.
“Do not hasten death by the errors of your life, and do not attract destruction to yourself by the works of your hands” (Wis. 1:12). “Do not indulge in sin, and do not be foolish: why should you die at the wrong time?” (Eccl. 7:17).
Is it possible to get married in the year of your mother's death?
There is no special rule in this regard. Let your religious and moral feeling itself tell you what to do. On all significant life issues one must consult a priest.
Why is it necessary to receive communion on the days of remembrance of relatives: on the ninth, fortieth days after death?
There is no such rule. But it will be good if the relatives of the deceased prepare and partake of the Holy Communion Mysteries of Christ, having repented, including of sins related to the deceased, they will forgive him all insults and ask for forgiveness themselves.
Is it necessary to cover the mirror if one of your relatives dies?
Hanging mirrors in the house is a superstition, and has nothing to do with church traditions of burying the dead. Is it necessary to cover a mirror if one of your relatives has died?
The custom of hanging mirrors in a house where a death has occurred partly stems from the belief that whoever sees his own reflection in the mirror of this house will also soon die. There are many “mirror” superstitions, some of them are associated with fortune telling on mirrors. And where there is magic and witchcraft, fear and superstition inevitably appear. Whether a mirror is hung or not has no effect on life expectancy, which depends entirely on the Lord.
There is a belief that before the fortieth day nothing of the deceased’s belongings should be given away. Is this true?
You need to plead for the defendant before the trial, not after it. Therefore, it is necessary to intercede for the soul of the deceased immediately after his death until the fortieth day and after it: pray and perform acts of mercy, distribute the things of the deceased, donate to the monastery, to the church. Before the Last Judgment, you can change the afterlife fate of the deceased through intense prayer for him and alms.
