From this article you can find out how the suicidal are commemorated, where they are buried, how relatives can help them in the afterlife. And also what happens to the souls of those who voluntarily die. In addition, this has become more and more frequent lately.
Suicide or euthanasia?
Our life now is such that a fairly large number of people decide to voluntarily leave this world without waiting for a natural end. The reasons for this are completely different, but psychologists have an opinion that in any case at this moment a person is not completely he althy from a mental point of view.
Suicide is a grave sin in almost all religions. Some sects are exceptions; also in Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism, voluntary death is possible in some cases, that is, it is not considered a deadly sin. If you are wondering whether it is possible to commemorate the suicidal, then the clergy will definitely give you a negative answer. There can't even be a question ofotherwise. Of course, there are exceptions, but they are quite rare and documented (more on this will be written below).
It should be noted that in the modern world in some countries voluntary death of the terminally ill and those who "turn into vegetables" is practiced. This method is called euthanasia. It is believed that it is a personal matter for everyone to "live as a plant" or die. However, it should be remembered that the Lord never gives a person a burden that is beyond his strength. You just need to set your priorities right and reconsider life, decide where to move. Maybe you should turn to the Lord?
Yes, and the doctors themselves, helping to commit euthanasia, understand that this is a banal murder. Every life is precious to the Lord, and he himself knows when to take it away. You should only rely on him in your troubles and sorrows.
Attitude of the Orthodox towards suicides
As mentioned above, suicide is a sin. This action is equivalent to breaking one of the ten commandments. After all, there is a murder, albeit of one's own, but of the body. It also indicates that a person does not believe that he can cope with the situation by turning to the Lord. He dares to decide his own fate, not at all trying to pass the test, to temper his spirit. The soul of the suicidal is doomed to forever wander and torment.
It should be noted that this sin cannot be forgiven by the church. After all, all this presupposes repentance for the one who committed this unworthy deed. In addition to not remission of sin, the church does not pray for the soul of the one whovoluntarily left this world. Therefore, there is no traditional church commemoration for him. Also, you can not submit notes with a name for the dead.
The worst thing is that such souls are very difficult to help in the afterlife. If relatives have a question about when it is possible to commemorate the suicidal, then they should know that this action is prohibited in the church. As an exception, the funeral service is held with special permission.
What do Christian scriptures and canons say about suicides?
There is a special mention in the Christian canons about those who voluntarily take their own lives. This happened for the first time in 385, when the fourteenth canon was written down in the form of questions and answers by Patriarch Timothy of Alexandria. It mentioned whether it is possible to commemorate the suicidal. According to the canon, this is possible if the person was beside himself, and it is necessary to make sure of this.
In 452, at the next church council, it was established that suicide happens from devilish malice, which is why it is considered a crime. And in 563, at the next meeting, it was forbidden to bury those who voluntarily died. Also, he was not buried according to church customs, they did not follow his body to the grave, and later they also stopped burying him on consecrated ground.
How is the burial of those who voluntarily passed away?
So, based on all of the above, you should know how the suicidal are buried. In early times, burial took place on an unconsecratedground (most often near the road), now everyone is buried in a common cemetery. However, it is not customary to perform funeral services and memorial services for suicides.
Besides this, there are other restrictions in the church tradition. So, on the grave of a suicide, they do not put a cross, which is a symbol of faith. Voluntarily departed from life, according to the church, he refused it. In addition, there are no other traditional things. For example, a whisk is not placed in the coffin, which is a symbol of the trials sent by God (since he did not pass them). It is also not used to cover the body of the church veil, which is a symbol of patronage (which is impossible in this situation).
As you can see, in the matter of how the suicidal are buried, the church is quite categorical and has a set of rules that are strictly followed.
Traditional commemoration of suicides in Orthodoxy
So, now we will consider the question of how the suicidal are commemorated in Orthodoxy. As mentioned above, there is no traditional commemoration for them. For those who have voluntarily passed away from life, one cannot offer a church prayer, they are not served requiems. Remember that the prayer of St. mch. Uaru is raised only for the unbaptized, but by no means for suicides.
However, there are special days - Ecumenical Parental Saturdays (the day before the Holy Trinity), when all the dead are commemorated. Of course, during the service there is a general commemoration, but this can also make it easier for suicides. After all, a common prayer is offered up everywhere for all the souls that are in hell. This is what makes Parental Saturday different. That's whyif among your relatives there are those who left life voluntarily, then on this day you need to pray with special zeal.
However, relatives of the suicidal should remember that such an act cannot be hidden. There were times when a request to pray for the repose of such a soul did not bring the desired effect. The Lord did not accept prayer. It was a sign that perhaps the man died of his own free will.
Radonitsa is a special Orthodox holiday
Now let's take a closer look at what Radonitsa is. It falls on a Tuesday of the second week after Easter. Therefore, it is impossible to say exactly what date Radonitsa is, since this day will depend on when Bright Sunday is. This day is also called parenting. It is, of course, different from the one that happens before the Great Trinity.
If we turn to the distant past, then this holiday goes back to pagan times. Only then it was called Navi Day, Graves, Trizna. On this day, it was customary to rejoice that the souls of the dead found a second birth. According to ancient beliefs, it is believed that on this day the border between the world of the living and the dead becomes thinner. And the person who voluntarily passed away may be closer than you think. Therefore, when the suicidal are commemorated on Radonitsa, they do it very carefully, always after the blessing of the priest. However, the benefits of this action are undeniable. Although, of course, if you want to help your relative who died in this way, then you should perform a series of cumulative actions thatdescribed above.
It should also be noted that on this day there is a commemoration of those who drowned and died unbaptized. So, now you know what date Radonitsa is, on what day after Easter it falls.
Special occasions in commemoration
It should be noted that there are special exceptions when you can commemorate the suicidal in the church. Priests may sing some of them. However, for this, one should know for sure that a person committed this sin when he could not control himself due to mental illness or severe insanity due to some events. Of course, all this must be confirmed by proper medical documents.
Before performing the funeral, you should receive the blessing of the bishop who is ruling at that time. He must give it in writing, and only after that do this action. If the decision was made independently without a higher permission, and the clergyman deviated from the rule when it is possible to commemorate the suicidal, then he is punished. He may be banned from performing his duties for some time or even defrocked.
How relatives can alleviate the fate of those who voluntarily passed away
If it happened in the family that one of the relatives passed away of his own free will, then the relatives should know how the suicidal are commemorated. Of course, there can be no talk of any church commemorations, since this is prohibited. But the relatives themselves can make consolation for them.prayers. They can be held on memorial days. The clergy separately read this prayer service in the temple in the presence of grieving relatives.
However, it should be remembered that it is not a memorial service. It cannot be performed near the coffin and memorial table. This is done only for relatives as a consolation. It was specifically approved for such cases only in 2011, as the number of people who take their own lives is inexorably increasing every year.
Besides the above-described rank, there are other rules for how the suicidal are commemorated. So, there is a special private reading of the prayer of St. Elder Lev of Optina. Of course, before its implementation, it is necessary to receive the blessing of the priest. But the most effective method that can help the dead of their own free will in the afterlife is almsgiving and the pious life of all relatives.
You can still make independent prayers both at home and in the temple. You can put candles in the temple for the repose of his soul, ask the Lord for mercy.
It is also desirable not to arrange the conventional suicide wake on the third, ninth, fortieth day and a year from the date of death. This should not be done because the deceased on these special days goes through certain ordeals. Therefore, in order to make these deeds easier for him, one should pray harder these days (and not drink alcoholic beverages). However, those who arbitrarily died, according to church canons, immediately go to hell. Therefore, traditional commemorations do not make sense and can even harm the living. That's why you should refrain from them.
Controversial suicide cases
When can we commemorate the suicidal in church? Throughout the history of Christianity, there have been rather controversial cases of voluntary departures from life. For example, the martyr Domnina and her daughters. In order to protect their honor from desecration, not to desecrate their purity, they threw themselves into the sea and drowned. If you look at this case from a different angle, they committed suicide. However, in the name of what did they accept voluntary death? And it certainly wasn't a decision that was thought out in advance.
And there are many such examples in the life of Christian martyrs. Many accepted death in the name of the Lord. Of course, the question may arise as to whether this is correct? But there is no right answer here. The Church does not classify as suicide those who lost their lives in the name of her or God, as well as to save a large group of people. All this is considered self-sacrifice. But where is the truth, really? It is impossible to judge everything by human standards, because only the Lord knows the truth.
Black magic and the graves of the suicidal
Separately, it should be said about the graves of suicides. They are in particular demand for black rituals that are carried out by those who have decided to connect their lives with witchcraft. Why exactly did the unclean people like them so much? The fact is that, as mentioned above, the bodies of suicides are not buried, graves often do not have crosses, which creates fertile ground for the creation of various ritual objects. For many conspiracies, land taken from such a grave is used.
It is not by chance that those who died voluntarily, at will, were buried earlier, not oncommon cemetery. And there was not even a question about whether the suicidal were commemorated, since this was usually not done. Such an unclean grave used to attract (and now too) those who serve the Devil.
Conclusion
So our article came to an end, which talked about whether it is possible to commemorate suicides. Of course, this is a terrible tragedy when a person, for whatever reason, cannot bear the burden of his worries and find a way out of the current situation. Thus, the suicide refuses the intercession of the Lord, does not go through his life path to the end, no matter how difficult it may be. Of course, it can be difficult, sometimes it seems that there is no way out, but it is not. Turning to God, pure and sincere prayer will help you find peace and calm your soul. Before you take a rash step and die voluntarily, remember the Almighty, how he loves you. Do not forget that there will be no turning back, and your relatives will have to go through the suffering that you will doom them with your own hands. Take care of yourself and your loved ones! Be strong!
