It is scary and painful to stand in front of an open grave, into which the coffin with the body of a loved one is about to be lowered. It is easier for an Orthodox Christian to survive the loss in caring for the afterlife of the deceased. Until the age of 40, he especially needs prayer and remembrance.
A loved one died. What to do?
Why it is customary to bury the deceased on the 3rd day is written below. A little later we will return to this issue, now it is necessary to find out what to do after the soul of a relative is separated from the body.
Earlier, the deceased lay at home until burial, in our time he is sent to the morgue. Relatives begin to engage in sad business, fussing about funerals and commemorations. The soul of the deceased is somehow forgotten or not given much importance to her requests for help.
According to the words of St. Macarius of Alexandria, who received a revelation about the afterlife of souls, they spend two days in those placeswho loved in life. Other souls stay at home, say goodbye invisibly to loved ones, some visit places where they did the right thing.
The soul asks for help, but no one hears its cry. Here is what you need to do after a loved one has passed into eternal life:
- Pray for the repose of the newly appointed servant (slave) of God. The shortest prayer looks like this: "God rest the soul of your deceased servant / your deceased servant (name) and forgive him (her) all sins, voluntary and involuntary, vouchsafe him (her) Your Kingdom of Heaven."
- Be sure to read the ps alter for the repose of the soul. Ideally, the ps alter is read over the body of the deceased throughout the night. In connection with the sending of the deceased to the mortuary, it is not possible to subtract the hymnal over him. But no one has yet canceled absentee reading.
- Try to submit notes of repose to the nearest temples. If possible, order magpies. Speaking of the latter: it is advisable to submit them to forty churches and monasteries before forty days from the date of death.
- All of the above applies only to baptized people. It is forbidden to commemorate suicides or unbaptized in the church and read the ps alter on them.
Why are they buried on the third day?
So we got to the question of why the deceased is buried on the 3rd day. As written above, there is a legend about the presence of the soul on earth for the next two days after death. She, accompanied by an angel, can go wherever she wants.
On the third day, the soul goes to bow to God. Therefore, the deceased is buried on this day, he needs intensified prayers fromloved ones.
Funeral service
We found out why they bury on the 3rd day. An Orthodox person is buried before burial. The funeral service is performed in the church; it is a prayer service for the soul of the deceased. It is performed on the third day, before the burial of the body to the earth. Above it is written about the need for intensified prayers on this day, with what it is connected, we told.
During the funeral service, the church asks to forgive God for the forgiveness of the sins of the deceased, granting him the Kingdom of Heaven. In the sequence there are the words "rest in peace with the saints", they are real evidence of what was written above.
Often, people who rarely visit the temple gather at the funeral service. It is customary to talk about such people: they believe in God in their souls. The follow-up, which lasts for quite a long time, is completely incomprehensible to them. Relatives shift from foot to foot, waiting for the end of the funeral service. Only those to whom he was very dear during his lifetime pray sincerely for the deceased.
Burial
The above says why people are buried on the 3rd day. It remains to figure out how to behave at a funeral, how you can help a deceased loved one.
Be sure to ask the priest to perform a memorial service or lithium at the grave. For this, it is not necessary to take with you a priest from the church, in which the newly appointed servant of God was buried. Almost every cemetery has its own temple or a small chapel where a priest serves. You can refer to him.
The biggest help for the soul is a sincere prayer for her repose. It's very hard to pray when everything inside is tornfrom pain, tears flow like hail, the realization comes that there, under the ground, a dear person has forever remained. Never see him again in earthly life.
Rejoice in the meeting in the life to come. There is a belief that posthumously a person meets with all his relatives. And pray for the repose of the soul of the newly appointed, through pain and tears, except for a sincerely believing relative, no one will help the deceased (we do not consider church commemoration).
Commemoration
Why they bury on the 3rd day after death is written in the second subsection of the article. Let's talk about wakes, because there are so many superstitions and stupidities associated with them that it becomes very sad.
Remember what is strictly forbidden for Orthodox people:
- Remember the deceased with vodka. In general, it is not recommended to drink for the repose of the soul, it is customary to pray for this, but not to drink strong drinks.
- From the same series - a glass of vodka covered with a piece of black bread. The deceased does not need such an offering, and the unclean spirits will be very happy. When we put a glass of bread in front of a photograph of a dead person, we are feeding demons instead of helping the prayerfully deceased.
- Sometimes the commemoration turns into a regular feast. Relatives and friends of the deceased discuss quite ordinary topics, forgetting why they gathered at the table. This does not honor the audience, because their main task is to remember the deceased, ask God to forgive his sins, grant the Kingdom of Heaven.
From Day 3 to Day 9
The title of the article mentions the funeraldays, these include the 3rd, 9th and 40th.
According to church tradition, the soul appears to bow to God on the third day after the death. That is why they bury on the 3rd day, as described above.
Special diligence in prayer for the deceased is necessary within 40 days after burial. This does not mean that after a given time they forget about the deceased, pray for the soul regularly, remembering deceased relatives during the morning rule, reading the Ps alter for them. But the first 40 days are the most responsible, so to speak. The soul goes through posthumous ordeals, gets acquainted with heavenly cloisters, examines hell. On the 40th day, she again appears before the Creator, who determines her future fate. The soul cannot help itself on its own, it remains to hope for loved ones left on earth.
According to the legend, from the 3rd to the 9th day the soul visits heavenly cloisters, she is shown the places prepared for God's chosen ones. The soul sees the saints, trembles and worries about its fate, repenting of the sinful pastime, if such a thing took place in her life.
From the 9th to the 40th day
Why the deceased is buried on the 3rd day, what days are considered special for commemoration, how to behave at the funeral, we found out. The article is coming to an end, it remains to find out what happens to the soul from the 9th to the 40th day after the burial of the body.
There is an opinion that she visits the underworld, horrified by what is happening there. Belatedly, she laments about her sinful life, longs for prayerful help from loved ones in order to be honored with heavenly cloisters.
40th day
The final day, requiring a special prayerful sigh for the deceased, he goes to God. The Creator decides where the soul will go - to heaven or hell. That is why it is necessary to visit the temple on this day, submit a note of repose, ideally, serve a memorial service or lithium at the grave. If this is not possible, then do it in the church.
Conclusion
Readers who live a Christian life and visit the temple knew all of the above. For those who rarely attend church, information on why they are buried on the 3rd day and how to approach the commemoration of the soul from a Christian point of view will be useful.
Parental Saturday is coming. Go to the temple, submit a note for deceased loved ones, stand with the parishioners and pray for the repose of souls.
