It is important that we pray for those who have gone on before us
The Apostolic Orthodox and Catholic Church has always prayed for its dead. Although the New Testament does not directly address the subject of praying for the dead, and even though we are told that our departed loved ones are with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:13), the Holy Apostle Paul prays for a friend, that he may “find mercy from the Lord on that day” of judgment (2 Timothy 1:16-18).
In 2 Maccabees 12:4 we read of pious Jews offering prayer for the forgiveness of those fellow Jews who had died, thus we Christians inherited the practice for praying for our own dead. The history of the Church shows that the intercession for the dead has always formed a part of the Church’s liturgical life.
Because Christ rose from the dead, and trampled down death by His own death, the barrier between living and dead was eliminated. Since there is no separation between the saints who have gone on before us (the Church Triumphant) and those here on earth (the Church Militant), those who have departed this life are just as much with us and just as much a part of the Church as those with whom we worship in our temples here on this earth. Since there is no separation between the saints in heaven, and those of us on earth, we can pray for them in the same way we pray for each other. We ask our friends, whether they be in paradise, or here on earth, to pray for us. Since there is no separation in death, we pray for one another.
Although we do not know the needs and concerns of those who have departed this life, we do know that God knows their needs. So, just as we pray for the needs of our friends and family, understanding God knows what they need, we pray for those who have gone on before us, trusting God knows what they require.
Although our Protestant friends teach that the judgment after death determines the eternal state of the soul, death only determines the state and “residence” of the soul in the spiritual world. Therefore we must not confuse this particular judgment and temporary disposition with the eternal disposition of the soul to be determined at the Great Judgment. At the general resurrection, each of us will be judged by God Who sees within either the spark of grace or none and those who have that spark will be brought into the Kingdom of God and those who do not will be cast into outer darkness. When we pray for the departed, we do so knowing that the final judgment has not yet occurred and while we don’t know what the exact needs of the departed are, we can simply lift them up to God calling out for His mercy, just as we do for our family and friends in this life.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Saturday January 30, 2021 / January 17, 2021
34th Week after Pentecost. Tone eight.
Venerable Anthony the Great (356).
Venerable Anthony, abbot of Dymsk (Novgorod) (1224).
New Hieromartyr Victor priest (1931).
New Hieromartyr Paul priest (1938).
Venerable Anthony of Chernoezersk, monk (16th c.).
Emperor St. Theodosius the Great (395).
Venerable Anthony of Krasny Kholm, monk (1481).
Venerable Anthony the Roman, of Novgorod (1147).
St. Anthony the New, of Berrhia in Macedonia (11th c.) (Greek).
Venerable Achilles the Confessor, hermit of Egypt (5th c.).
New Martyr George of Ioannina (1838) (Greek).
St. Macarius Kalogeras, hierodeacon of Patmos (1737).
The Scripture Readings
Matthew 11:27-30
27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Hebrews 13:17-21
17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
Prayer Requested
18 Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. 19 But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.
Benediction, Final Exhortation, Farewell
20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luke 6:17-23
Jesus Heals a Great Multitude
17 And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.
The Beatitudes
20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:
“Blessed are you poor,
For yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
For you shall be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
For you shall laugh.
22 Blessed are you when men hate you,
And when they exclude you,
And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,
For the Son of Man’s sake.
23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!
For indeed your reward is great in heaven,
For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.
Father bless. What about praying for those in Hell/Hades? Does that work any different than what’s mentioned above?
We can never assume anyone is in hell. Thus, we should pray for everyone who has died.
I see, thank you Father.
Father bless.
Thank you for this post, it is very close to my heart. A number of years ago I was prompted to be praying for those who were killed in auto accidents and are commemorate with a cross beside the road at the sight of there demise. sometimes I even know their names. This has expanded to praying for the souls as I pass a cemetery. It is interesting that there are ones I pass on a regular basis and feel I have become close to them.
Thank you again for this post.
In Christ,
Subdeacon John
Beloved in the Lord, let us always remember that God is love. The Lord did not come to earth with the purpose of condemning its inhabitants at His Dread Judgement, there is always with us the possibility to bring benefit and alleviation by our prayers to all in need of them. I consider it an absolute requirement that we pray for (commemorate) Orthodox Christians who departed this life in faith and in hope of the Resurrection and eternal life remembering that in divine services only the departed children of the Church are commonly prayed for (in accordnce with the canons).
On a daily basis, I try to pray for my departed family members (relatives and ancestors) who never received the grace of Holy Baptism in the Church. I have a list that goes back about 4-5 generations as best i can find in my family tree and using genealogical resources (my list keeps growing). I appeal to the Holy Martyr Varus for his assistance in asking the Lord to forgive the sins of these departed and to give rest for their souls. Saint Varus is noted as the Holy Intercessor for family members who reposed outside the Orthodox Faith. The Akathist to Martyr Varus is available through St. Paisius Monastery, P.O. Box 1975, Safford, Arizona 85548 (Serbian).
When my wife’s brother (John – Martin) was dying in Roseville, CA (Kaiser hospital) and no priest was available in the short period just before his repose, I baptized him in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He had knowledge of the Orthodox faith because as a mortician; in the San Francisco area he handled all of the ‘religious’ funerals for the company he worked for; in fact, when Saint John Maximovich reposed in Seattle, he flew up there to take care of the paperwork and necessary procedures to bring his body back to San Francisco. He told me that it took about five days for the transfer of Saint John’s ‘relics’ to the city; as he told me of this event his eyes got quite large and he said, “after five days his body was incorrupt.” A short time after I baptized him, I asked him who his saint was and he replied “Saint John.” A few momemts before his final breaths, I asked him if he had repented of his sins and he replied, “yes.”
Right or wrong, I pray for his repose as a baptizd Christian on a daily basis and received approbration for what happened from Gerondissa Markella and Father Michael Rome. Since that time, For instance, I have decided that if I see someone alongside the road after an accident and dying, I will baptize them with whatever is available, be it the nearby dirt; others have used sand.