Sorokoust: what is it and why is it needed

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

In church life, such a thing as magpie is often found. What is it and why is this ritual needed? This question is often asked by believers who are not sufficiently aware of prayers. All Orthodox Christians need to know the answer in order to turn to God for help through a priest during special periods of life.

Sorokoust: history

The number "forty" is special in Orthodoxy. So, it was for such a number of years that the people of Israel, led by Moses, wandered in the wilderness before they set foot on the promised land. The same prophet prayed and fasted for forty days for the Lord to convey his commandments to him. The Son of God needed to spend the same time in the desert before going out to public service to people. Forty days - so much has passed from the moment of the Resurrection of Christ until his Ascension. No wonder the disciples of the Lord established the same period for commemorating the soul of a newly deceased person. Subsequently, this custom passed to living people. Often heused to petition for the seriously ill.

Sorokoust: what is it

This rite is a daily prayer for a specific person for forty days. Often, immediately after the death of a person, a magpie is ordered. What it is can be seen from the very specifics of the understanding of bodily death in Christianity. It is believed that the soul of the newly deceased stays on earth for forty days, and only on the last of this number does it appear at the Judgment of God. In this case, people associate this rite with the atonement for the sins of the deceased before God so that he goes to heaven. It is not necessary to order a magpie specifically for the newly deceased. You can make these prayers at any time after death. In addition, the death condition is also optional. It is also practiced to perform this rite in relation to living people to solve their problems, atone for sins, and guide them on the true path. Often a magpie is ordered for prayers for a seriously ill person. What it is? Such a prayer is a request to God for healing from the illness of the specified person. Sorokoust is carried out by the priest before or during the service of the liturgy, when reading the ps alter and during prayer services. At the same time, a special procedure is performed on the proskomedia - a piece is taken out of the prosphora for each of the people who ordered the magpie. Then, at the liturgy, all the pieces are immersed in the Blood of Christ, and at the same time the priest says a special prayer in which he asks God to forgive all the sins of these people. Thus, there is a constant strong prayer for a certainperson. There are no restrictions for this sacrament. Unless only baptized people can take part in it.

How to order Magpie

This action is performed in every Orthodox church without exception. Therefore, if you want to order a magpie, you need to contact it there. To perform this rite, only the name of the person to whom it is intended is required. How much it costs to order a magpie, you can find out only in a certain church, and there is no single price for this rite. The approximate amount in Russia is 350 rubles.