Days of special commemoration of the dead. When you can go to the cemetery: folk signs

Landscaping and planning 15.10.2019

After the death of a person, relatives and friends of the deceased keep the memory of him. Coming to the grave is one of the obligatory rituals. As a rule, it is combined with important church holidays, as well as when there is a need for care and cleaning of the burial site. Is it possible to visit the cemetery on the birthday of the deceased and how to behave on this day?

Opinion of the Christian Church

The clergy do not interfere with the desire of the relatives of the deceased to visit the cemetery on the birthday of the deceased person. It is good to combine such visits with the order of the funeral service, the distribution of alms. Commemoration in the world is flowers on the grave, candles. At the same time, it is important to maintain a sense of proportion. Ordering ritual wreaths in bulk, arranging magnificent feasts at the grave is not only not necessary, but also undesirable.

The main thing, according to the clergy, is to come to the cemetery on this day with a prayer, to be full of good intentions. It is also undesirable to cry when visiting the resting place - in this case, the soul will toil and will not find peace. There are no restrictions on the time of the visit to the cemetery - you can come and stay at the grave at any time of the day and for any period.

How to commemorate the deceased on his birthday?

The Christian church does not take this day as special. After death, it loses its meaning. Therefore, it is not worth attaching any special significance to the day. Everything that a loved one does on this day can be done on any other.

What can be done on this day?

  • perform a memorial service in the Temple;
  • commit a common prayer rule at the grave;
  • distribute charity.

Upon returning home, according to tradition, you can treat relatives and neighbors with sweets and funeral food. This will help to remember the deceased, to pray for his soul.

What is undesirable to do on this day?

  • arrange a lavish commemoration;
  • drink alcoholic beverages;
  • bring food to the grave and eat there;

You can also remember the deceased at home and in the church, and time the visit to the burial place on any other day. If it is impossible to arrive at the grave for the deceased, they pray at the location. Church services and commemorations can also be held regardless of the distance to the final resting place of a person.

Death is the end of human life, and what follows after it can only be guessed at. Wise people they say: "Everything will be there," but for now it is advisable to carefully study all the possible signs associated with this extremely unpleasant life moment.

But is it possible to go to the cemetery on your birthday? As a rule, there are no prohibitions on this topic, but why spend such a significant day in such a dull place? Of course, you can visit your parents or other relatives, but knowledgeable people It is advised not to combine these days.

It turns out that a sufficient number of signs are associated with the cemetery, which any believer should remember. For example, it is undesirable to talk in such places swear words and swearing, because such speeches "stick" to the person himself and noticeably spoil his future life. In addition, it is not recommended to visit the cemetery in the afternoon, because it is during this period that devils can walk and be published. But the main thing: you should not bring anything from the cemetery into the house, since there is a completely objective opinion that a person brings nothing more than death in his bosom, so to speak.

However, many are more interested in when you can go to the cemetery in order to save yourself from extremely undesirable encounters with evil spirits. As a rule, the ideal time is the morning hours before lunch, but not the second half of the day and especially the evening. Night visits are especially dangerous and frightening, because at this time all the devils climb out of hell, and the dead rise from their graves to stretch their bones, figuratively speaking. Such a sabbath continues until the first roosters, and then the cemetery becomes re-opened for all living and righteous souls. Before leaving such a place, it is necessary to say: "With what I came, I leave with that." This will get rid of any evil spirits that decided to ride a person into the real world.

So you can safely go to the cemetery during the day, but it is best not to take anything from the graves, whether it be funeral food or flowers. Of course, the priest strongly recommends not to disdain a funeral treat, but you should not take it from the graves either. It is best to meet a funeral procession along the way, which will pass such food from hand to hand. There can be no talk of stealing flowers from graves at all. Well, it’s not worth reminding an adequate person about sinful vandalism and the destruction of graves.

If during the next walk through the cemetery a funeral procession moves towards, they carry a coffin, a cross, then it is very important to stop, step aside, bow your head and pray, reading "Our Father" to yourself. There is no need to look at the deceased and even look up at the coffin, since such neglect can only anger higher power. You should also not refuse a memorial treat, but in no case should you throw it away and put it in your bag. It is best to eat everything at once, while mentally leading the deceased to another world, wishing him: "Let the earth rest in peace."

If a black cat ran into the cemetery or a raven began to croak, then this indicates that the soul is rushing about, cannot leave this world and rest in harmony. It is best to ignore the approach of such creatures, because the souls are able to move into living people, breaking the aura and taking possession of the essence. It is best to cross yourself three times and leave this disturbing place as soon as possible.

In those cases when any thing was lost in the cemetery, it is better to forget it right away, but in no case go back and look for it. If you disobey such a warning, and bring such a find to your own home, then soon you should expect trouble, serious trouble, and even death. Losses during funerals are especially dangerous, so in such situations it is best to come to terms with the loss, especially since the world has left a loved one. At such moments, the loss of any item seems like nonsense and a trifle.

Can I go to the cemetery on my birthday? In general, there are no obstacles to this, however Special attention it is desirable to devote to your attire. No wonder people wear mourning, which is considered to be dark tones, and more specifically black. The point is that this great way hide from evil spirits, which is not able to distinguish everything dark, which means that it cannot take possession of the human soul during its lifetime.

If a person came to commemorate his deceased relatives and friends, then in no case should he rejoice at the grave of enemies and ill-wishers. In addition, you should refrain from joyful stories about your prosperous life, otherwise it will remain a cemetery. The dead also do not tolerate boasting, and such speeches can provoke illnesses in the family and failure in all endeavors. It is advisable to remember the deceased only from the best side and wish him "Earth in peace".

When this action is over, collect all the garbage and in no case take it out of the cemetery, especially carry it to your home. Return from the grave to the stop along the same path along which the path to the grave was built. It is better not to turn off the chosen route and, moreover, not to cut corners, because it is in such dangerous places that the devils can take them to themselves. By the way, during pregnancy, the cemetery is not the best place for walks, it is best to go to church and light a candle for the repose of the souls of loved ones and relatives in this world.

In general, there are many moments, and it is very important to take them into account during the next planned or unplanned visit to the cemetery.

If you are wondering if it is possible to go to the cemetery on your birthday, then everyone must decide for himself how to do it right. If such a not very pleasant trip takes place, then a person must have good and justified reasons for it.

So we can conclude that the cemetery is not that terrible place that needs to be bypassed by the tenth road. A person is more afraid of such places because of ignorance, so it is recommended to carefully study all the details and nuances of this topic.

Death loved one- it's a big grief. And it is especially dramatic when this event coincides with his birthday, although this happens quite rarely. It happens that due to family or unforeseen life circumstances it is not possible to organize a memorial service on the appointed day. Then people plan it for another date, but what if it coincides with the birthday of the deceased by chance? In such cases, relatives and friends begin to wonder whether it is possible to commemorate the deceased on the day he was born, or whether it would be more correct to postpone the commemoration a day earlier or later.

How did our ancestors

Our ancestors studied the laws of life and nature for years, and in many areas they understood more than modern progressive society. In those distant times, people were just as respectful of rituals and observed traditions, but, having important knowledge, they acted differently from what was customary for subsequent generations. For example, it was not customary to visit the cemetery and bring memorial food and related attributes (towels, candles) to the burial place. Also, they did not arrange memorial procedures in the family circle in honor of the birthday of a deceased person.

You can consider this disrespectful and think that relatives forgot about such an important day, but this is due to the belief of that time, which says that the day of death is the new day of her birth. Since the soul left the body forever, it is this date that is considered worthy of remembrance. Death was considered the moment of the rebirth of the soul in a new body, so the deceased was commemorated on the day of his departure to another world. Remembering the deceased on his birthday was considered a bad deed, forcibly returning the departed to a past life, preventing him from being reborn. It also has a bad effect on the state of mind of the relatives of the deceased, who oppress themselves with sad thoughts and cannot let go of a loved one.

The opinion of the priests

For those who are not familiar with the basic rules of Christianity, it may be news, but Orthodox priests consider commemoration with magnificently laid tables and the presence of alcoholic beverages to be pagan attributes that have been preserved since ancient times. The soul of the deceased does not need food and alcohol, so such things are not required to be present at the commemoration procedure. The presence on the table of simple worldly food is not excluded: rice, honey, bread. But there's no place for alcoholic beverages where they remember with prayer and kind word deceased relative.

The main rule for the living is to remember the departed with prayer, to beg for the repose of their souls. Traditional memorial days the third, ninth and fortieth days are considered with a meal. The Orthodox Church does not forbid commemorating the deceased on other days, including his birthday, but this should be, first of all, prayerful commemoration.

Is it necessary to go to the cemetery on the birthday of the deceased?

    They go to the cemetery along large holidays - Easter, Krasnaya Gorka, Palm, parental and other convenient times for a person. On the birthday of the deceased, they remember at home, in the circle of relatives, friends, acquaintances. Most people commemorate the day of death, go to church, order a prayer service.

    For a long time I have heard such an opinion that after the death of a person, his birthday is no longer considered and on this day you do not have to go to the cemetery.

    But it seems to me that this is not entirely true. If you feel that you want to go to the cemetery that day, then there is nothing wrong with that, but on the contrary, it is worth going.

    As far as I know, the negative from people associated with the church or close to it, to visiting the cemetery on the birthdays of the deceased has gone, as far as I know, only recently. And it is connected with the fact that cemeteries in our multinational country are visited not only by representatives of, let's say, Slavic culture (who will bring flowers, clean up and leave), but also by representatives of some other cultures, where it is customary to celebrate and feast right at the cemetery. But they, however, also consider themselves Orthodox. The call to abstain is addressed primarily to the noisy birthday celebrations of the deceased in the cemetery, because in the Slavic culture, the cemetery is by no means the place for this. You can just visit the cemetery at least.

    They go to the cemetery when there is a desire to go there. Although they say that a birthday is for the living, and for the dead - only the date of death. But you do not go to the grave to celebrate your birthday, but there is simply such a need that this person is in your memory, in your heart. A person who has lost his dearest person does not care about any prejudices, he goes when he wants to. I only agree that there is no need to cry for a long time and call the deceased, reproach that he left this world. You have to come to terms with the loss.

    Although I myself don’t like to visit the cemetery, my legs don’t go there and I don’t want to scold myself for it ..

    Once I also had such a question, I turned to the priest in the church and he told me that the birthdays of the dead are not celebrated. With what it is connected I do not know. Probably because the person has really already left this life, you can just remember him on this day with a good, kind word.

    Well, it's certainly hard to say. Perhaps someone goes to the cemetery on the birthday of friends and relatives. But I think that the day of death is considered more normal than the day of birth. But you can always go to the cemetery. And for a birthday, you just need to remember how good he was, and all the good things about this person.

    If you visit a cemetery on the birthday of a loved one, then there is no sin in this. Just according to church canons, the day of a person's death is considered a higher priority than the day of birth. A visit to the burial site will never be superfluous.

    It is customary in our family to walk. Until the birthday, we clean up, paint the fences, fix everything. And on the birthday itself, we just come for a while, remember, leave flowers, and so, we put sweets on the graves of all relatives.

    People close to the church will say more precisely. But they also differ in their opinions. Some will say that it would not be necessary to appear at the graves for no reason, to disturb the dead. Others, the orthodox, will almost call for living in a cemetery.

    Nowhere does it say it is necessary;, it is said read the deadquot ;.

    You can visit the cemetery any day and any time. Whether it is necessary, your state of mind, your heart will tell you. Feel the need - go. No one will judge or praise.

    Do not remind the dead of their past life. Therefore, it is better not to go to the cemetery on birthdays. It will be much better if you visit the grave of a person directly on the day of death. There are even such concepts as a year from the date of death, five years from the date of death, etc. If the soul of the deceased is reminded of his life, then she will be restless.

    it is necessary to order a note in the Temple, and preferably in several.

The custom of remembering the dead is found already in the Old Testament church (Numbers 20:29; Deut. 34:9; 1 Sam. 31:13; 2 Mac. 7:38-46; 12:45).
AT Christian Church this custom is ancient, as is the very foundation on which the remembrance of the dead is performed.

Death is the completion of the earthly path, the cessation of suffering, a kind of frontier, beyond which comes what he has been going and striving for all his life. Whoever knew the truth and died in faith, he conquered death, together with the Risen Christ. The Church does not divide its members into the living and the dead; in Christ everyone is alive.
Love for dead relatives imposes on us, who are now alive, a sacred duty - to pray for the salvation of their souls.

According to Christian tradition, a wake for the deceased is held on the day of the funeral (on the third day after death), on the ninth and fortieth day after death. In the future, commemorations are traditionally held a year later, as well as on the birthday, death day and on the name day of the deceased. These days it is customary to visit the grave of the deceased.
Everyone who was at the cemetery and helped with the funeral is traditionally invited to the wake on the day of the funeral. Therefore, as a rule, commemorations on the third day are the most numerous. At the wake of the ninth day, it is customary to invite only close friends and relatives of the deceased. The memorial meal on the fortieth day is similar to the wake on the day of the funeral. On the fortieth day, everyone who wants to remember a person who has passed away comes.
It is possible to hold a memorial service both in the house of the deceased, and in any other place. Commemoration these days is consecrated by an ancient church custom.

Immediately after death, it is customary to order a magpie in the church, so that during the first forty days of the newly deceased, they would be especially commemorated every day. The third and ninth days are especially noted, when, according to the teachings of the Church, the soul appears to the heavenly Throne, and the fortieth day, when the Lord pronounces a temporary sentence, determining where the soul will be until the Last Judgment. These days, you need to pray fervently for the deceased, and after these days, more often submit notes for the Liturgy and memorial service. Panikhida is a funeral service that can be performed both before and after burial.
Of particular power are the general commemorations of the departed, which are performed on the meat-fare parental Saturday (a week before Great Lent), on Radonitsa (nine days after Easter), on the eve of the Trinity and on Dimitriev's parental Saturday (Saturday until November 8). In addition, on three Saturdays in Great Lent (2nd, 3rd and 4th), the Ecumenical Church decided to commemorate all dead Christians in a conciliar manner.
The dead cannot pray for themselves, they are waiting for our prayers. Most of all, the soul needs them for the first 40 days, while it goes through ordeals and a private judgment is made. It is necessary in all, as far as possible, temples to order a magpie - a commemoration for 40 days, serve every day for a memorial service, commemorate at the Psalter, give alms and ask to pray for this soul. So, constantly remembering, with the help of the Church, you can beg your soul even from hell.

But commemoration in the Church provides special help to the deceased. Before visiting the cemetery, you should come to the temple at the beginning of the service, submit a note with the names of the deceased relatives for commemoration in the altar (best of all, if it is a commemoration at the proskomedia, when a piece is taken out of a special prosphora for the deceased, and then as a sign of the washing of his sins dipped into the Chalice with the Holy Gifts). After the Liturgy, a memorial service should be served. Panikhidas that are performed on such days are called ecumenical, and the days themselves are called ecumenical parental Saturdays.
A candle set for the repose "on the eve" is one of the indispensable types of commemoration. At the same time, it is necessary to offer prayers to the Lord for the departed: “Remember, Lord, the souls (of) the departed (his) servants (a) of Your (his) (their names), and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven” .
Kanun - a quadrangular table with a marble or metal board, on which cells for candles are located.

What you need to know about funeral

In addition to the daily commemoration of the dead at the services of the daily cycle, the Church has established a number of funeral commemorations. Among them, the first place is occupied by the requiem.
Panikhida - memorial service, Divine service for the dead. The essence of the requiem lies in the prayerful commemoration of our deceased fathers and brothers, who, although they died faithful to Christ, did not completely renounce the weaknesses of fallen human nature and took their weaknesses and infirmities with them to the grave.
When performing a panikhida, the Holy Church focuses our attention on how the souls of the departed ascend from the earth to the Judgment to the Face of God, and how they stand at this Judgment with fear and trembling and confess their deeds before the Lord.
"Calm down" - is sung during the memorial service. The physical death of a person does not yet mean complete peace for the deceased. His soul may suffer, find no rest, it may be tormented by unrepentant sins, remorse. Therefore, we, the living, pray for the departed, we ask God to give them peace and relief. The Church does not anticipate the mystery of His Judgment on the souls of our departed loved ones from the Lord of all justice, she proclaims the basic law of this Court - Divine Mercy - and encourages us to pray for the departed, giving full freedom to our hearts to speak out in prayerful sighs, to pour out in tears and petitions.
During the memorial service and the funeral service, all worshipers stand with lit candles, in commemoration of the fact that the soul of the deceased has passed from the earth to the Kingdom of Heaven - to the Non-Evening Divine Light. According to the established custom, candles are extinguished at the end of the canon, before singing "From the spirits of the righteous ...".

Days of remembrance of the dead.

Third day. The commemoration of the deceased on the third day after death is performed in honor of the three-day resurrection of Jesus Christ and in the image of the Holy Trinity.
For the first two days, the soul of the deceased is still on earth, passing along with the Angel accompanying her to those places that attract her with memories of earthly joys and sorrows, evil and good deeds. The soul that loves the body sometimes wanders around the house where the body is laid, and thus spends two days like a bird looking for its nest. The virtuous soul, on the other hand, walks in those places where it used to do the right thing. On the third day, the Lord commands the soul to ascend to heaven to worship Him, the God of all. Therefore, the church commemoration of the soul, which appeared before the face of the Just, is very timely.

Ninth day. The commemoration of the deceased on this day is in honor of the nine orders of angels, who, as servants of the King of Heaven and intercessors to Him for us, intercede for mercy on the deceased.
After the third day, the soul, accompanied by an Angel, enters the heavenly abodes and contemplates their inexpressible beauty. She remains in this state for six days. For this time, the soul forgets the sorrow that it felt while in the body and after leaving it. But if she is guilty of sins, then at the sight of the enjoyment of the saints, she begins to grieve and reproach herself: “Alas for me! How busy I am in this world! I spent most life in carelessness and did not serve God as it should, so that I too would be worthy of this grace and glory. Alas, poor me!” On the ninth day, the Lord commands the Angels to again present the soul to Him for worship. With fear and trembling the soul stands before the throne of the Most High. But even at this time, the holy Church again prays for the deceased, asking the merciful Judge to place the soul of her child with the saints.

Fortieth day. The forty-day period is very significant in the history and tradition of the Church as the time necessary for preparation, for the acceptance of the special Divine gift of the grace-filled help of the Heavenly Father. 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 Israelites reached the promised land after forty years of wandering. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself ascended into heaven on the fortieth day after His resurrection. Taking all this as a basis, the Church established a commemoration on the fortieth day after death, so that the soul of the deceased ascended the holy mountain of Heavenly Sinai, was rewarded with the sight of God, achieved the blessedness promised to her and settled in heavenly villages with the righteous.
After the second worship of the Lord, the angels take the soul to hell, and she contemplates the cruel torments of unrepentant sinners. On the fortieth day, the soul ascends for the third time to worship God, and then its fate is decided - according to earthly affairs, it is assigned a place of residence until doomsday. That's why it's so timely church prayers and commemoration on this day. They blot out the sins of the deceased and ask his soul to be placed in paradise with the saints.

Anniversary. The Church commemorates the dead on the anniversary of their death. The basis for this establishment is obvious. It is known that the largest liturgical cycle is the annual cycle, after which all fixed feasts are repeated again. The anniversary of the death of a loved one is always celebrated with at least a hearty commemoration of his loving relatives and friends. For an Orthodox believer, this is a birthday for a new, eternal life.

Ecumenical funeral service (PARENTAL SATURDAYS)

In addition to these days, the Church has established special days for the solemn, universal, ecumenical commemoration of all fathers and brothers in faith who have passed away from time immemorial, who have been honored with a Christian death, as well as those who, having been overtaken by sudden death, were not sent to the afterlife by the prayers of the Church. Memorial services performed at the same time, indicated by the charter Universal 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 remembrance are:

Saturday is meatless. Dedicating the Meat-Feast Week to the remembrance of the last Last Judgment of Christ, the Church, in view of this judgment, has established intercession not only for her living members, but also for all those who have died from time immemorial, who have lived in piety, of all genera, ranks and conditions, especially for those who died a sudden death. and pray 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 dead fathers and brothers, and at the same time serves as an expression of the fullness of the Church life that we live. For salvation is possible only in the Church - the community of believers, whose members are not only those who live, but also all those who have died in the faith. And communion with them through prayer, prayerful commemoration of them is the expression of our common unity in the Church of Christ.

Saturday Trinity. The commemoration of all the dead pious Christians was established on the Saturday before Pentecost due to the fact that the event of the descent of the Holy Spirit completed the economy of the salvation of man, and the departed also participate in this salvation. Therefore, the Church, sending up prayers on Pentecost for the revitalization of all living by the Holy Spirit, asks on the very day of the feast that for the departed the grace of the all-holy and all-sanctifying Spirit of the Comforter, which they were honored during their lifetime, would be a source of bliss, since by the Holy Spirit “every soul is alive.” ". Therefore, the eve of the holiday, Saturday, the Church dedicates to the remembrance of the dead, to prayer for them. St. Basil the Great, who compiled the touching prayers for the Vespers of Pentecost, says in them that the Lord, most of all, on this day deigns to accept prayers for the dead and even for "those who are held in hell."

Parental Saturdays of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks of Holy Forty Days. On Holy Forty Days - the days of Great Lent, spiritual feat, the feat of repentance and doing good to others - the Church calls on believers to be in the closest union of Christian love and peace not only with the living, but also with the dead, to make prayerful commemorations on the appointed days of those who have departed from this life. In addition, the Saturdays of these weeks are appointed by the Church to commemorate the dead also for the reason that no funeral commemorations are performed on the weekly days of Great Lent (this includes funeral litanies, litias, memorial services, commemorations of the 3rd, 9th and 40th days after death, forty-mouthed), since there is no daily full liturgy, with the celebration of which the commemoration of the dead is associated. In order not to deprive the dead of the saving intercession of the Church on the days of Holy Forty Days, the indicated Saturdays are singled out.

Radonitsa. The basis of the general commemoration of the dead, which takes place on Tuesday after St. Thomas' week (Sunday), is, on the one hand, the remembrance of the descent of Jesus Christ into hell and His victory over death, combined with St. Thomas Sunday, on the other hand, the permission of the church charter to perform the usual commemoration after Passion and bright week, starting with 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 commemoration is called Radonitsa (or Radunitsa).
Unfortunately, in Soviet time a custom was established to visit cemeteries not on Radonitsa, but on the first day of Easter. It is natural for a believer to visit the graves of his loved ones after an earnest prayer for their repose in the temple - after a memorial service served in the church. During the Easter week, there are no requiems, for Easter is an all-encompassing joy for those who believe in the Resurrection of our Savior Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, during the entire Paschal week, litanies for the dead are not pronounced (although the usual commemoration is performed at the proskomedia), and memorial services are not served.

Dimitrievskaya parent saturday - on this day, a commemoration of all Orthodox killed soldiers is made. It was established by the holy noble prince Dimitry Donskoy at the suggestion and blessing of St. Sergius of Radonezh in 1380, when he won a glorious, famous victory over the Tatars on the Kulikovo field. Commemoration takes place on the Saturday before Demetrius Day (October 26, old style). Subsequently, on this Saturday, Orthodox Christians began to commemorate not only the soldiers who laid down their lives on the battlefield for their faith and fatherland, but together with them for all Orthodox Christians.
The commemoration of the deceased soldiers is performed Orthodox Church April 26 (May 9, according to the new style), on the holiday of the victory over Nazi Germany, and also on August 29, on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist.
It is imperative to commemorate the deceased on the day of his death, birth and name day. The days of commemoration should be spent decorously, reverently, in prayer, doing good to the poor and loved ones, in thinking about our death and future life.
The rules for submitting notes "On repose" are the same as for notes on "Health".

It is necessary to commemorate the deceased in the Church as often as possible, not only on the indicated special days commemoration, but also on any other day. The main prayer for the repose of the departed Orthodox Christians is performed by the Church on Divine Liturgy offering a bloodless sacrifice to God for them. To do this, before the start of the liturgy (or the night before), a note with their names should be submitted to the church (only baptized Orthodox can be entered). On the proskomedia, particles for their repose will be taken out of the prosphora, which at the end of the liturgy will be lowered into the holy cup and washed with the Blood of the Son of God. Let us remember that this is the greatest good that we can give to those who are dear to us. Here is how the commemoration at the liturgy is spoken of in the Epistle of the Eastern Patriarchs: “We believe that the souls of people who have fallen into mortal sins and did not despair at death, but repented even before being separated from real life, only those who did not have time to bring any fruits of repentance (such fruits could be their prayers, tears, kneeling during prayer vigils, contrition, consolation of the poor and expression in deeds of love for God and neighbor), - the souls of such people descend into hell and suffer for what they have done sins of punishment, without losing, however, the hope of relief. They receive relief through the infinite goodness of God through the prayers of the priests and good works performed for the dead, and especially through the power of the bloodless sacrifice, which, in particular, the clergy brings for each Christian for his loved ones, and in general for everyone, the Catholic and Apostolic Church daily brings.

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