How the deceased are remembered on Trinity Saturday: Orthodox tradition. Parents' Saturdays. (Prayer for the departed - appendix)

Ecumenical or Trinity Parental Saturday falls on May 26 in 2018; the Orthodox Church devotes this day to the commemoration of all the departed - from Adam (the ancestor of the human race) to the present day.

Trinity Saturday is the second ecumenical parental Saturday of the year, on which special services are held in churches, prayers are read for the remission of sins and the gift of eternal life.

The funeral service on this day is called: “Memory of all Orthodox Christians who have departed from time immemorial, our fathers and brothers.”

Trinity Parents' Saturday

This day has no specific date in church calendar, since it is tied to the celebration of Easter. The Orthodox Church celebrates this day on the Saturday before the Holy Trinity or Pentecost, on the ninth day after the Ascension.

Trinity is the sixth parental Saturday of the year (there are seven of them in the church calendar), when Orthodox churches A special commemoration of deceased Orthodox Christians is performed. All but one (May 9 - Commemoration of Deceased Soldiers) have a moving date.

To Trinity parent's Saturday They especially pray for those who suffered an untimely death in a foreign country, far from relatives, at sea, in the mountains, from hunger or infectious diseases, in battle, during natural disasters, who did not have time to repent before death, and against whom no crime was committed funeral rite.

The Holy Church, based on the apostolic teaching, established this general, universal commemoration so that no one, where, when and no matter how he ends his earthly life, is deprived of her prayers.

History and significance

Trinity Ecumenical Parental Saturday is probably the oldest memorial day in Christianity. It originates from apostolic times - from the 1st century after the Nativity of Christ. It is always performed on the eve of the Holy Trinity - hence the name.

According to legend, on this day, still persecuted and not recognized by anyone, Christians gathered together to honor the memory of tortured and executed brothers and sisters in faith who did not receive a proper burial.

If Trinity Day is a kind of birthday of the Universal Apostolic Church, then Trinity Saturday represents, as it were, the last day of the Old Testament Church before the revelation of the Church of Christ in its entirety. Therefore, the Orthodox Church considers it important to remember before the Day of the Holy Trinity all those who have departed from the ages.

The Church says that the Holy Spirit descended to earth on the day of Pentecost in order to teach, sanctify and lead people to eternal salvation. Therefore, the Church calls on all people to perform commemoration on Parental Saturday in order to cleanse all souls with the saving grace of the Holy Spirit.

During the service, they remember the parable of the Last Judgment of the living and the dead, so that a person remembers that he will have to answer for sinful acts committed during the Judgment.

Therefore, the Church has established to intercede not only for its living members, but also for everyone who has died from time immemorial, especially for those who have passed away. sudden death, and prays to the Lord for their mercy. Thus, the Church gives everyone a chance to save their soul.

What is Parents' Saturday

On these Saturdays, special commemoration of deceased Orthodox Christians is performed in Orthodox churches. The name “parental” most likely comes from the tradition of calling the deceased “parents,” that is, those who went to their fathers.

And also because Christians prayerfully commemorated, first of all, their deceased parents. Among parental Saturdays, Ecumenical Saturdays are especially distinguished, on which the Orthodox Church prayerfully commemorates all the departed.

There are two such Saturdays a year: Meat Saturday (a week before the start of Lent, which was celebrated on February 18 in 2017) and Trinity. On these days, special services are held - ecumenical memorial services. The remaining parental Saturdays are not ecumenical and are reserved specifically for private commemoration of people dear to our hearts.

How they are remembered in church

In Orthodox churches, on the eve of parental Saturday - on Friday evening, the Great Requiem Service is served, which is also called by the Greek word "parastas". The funeral Divine Liturgy is served on Saturday morning, followed by a general memorial service.

On this day, one should remember their deceased parents in church - people submit notes with the names of loved ones of the deceased and pray for the repose of their souls in the afterlife.

Parishioners according to the old church tradition brought to the temple lean products and wine for the liturgy, which are consecrated during the service, and later distributed to those who wish.

What is customary to do

After visiting churches, Orthodox Christians go to the cemetery, read prayers for the repose of the souls of deceased relatives, and tidy up the graves.

The Church believes that on this day it is more important to hold a service in the church than to go to the cemetery, since prayer for deceased relatives and friends is much more important than visiting the grave.

But, if it is not possible to visit the temple and cemetery these days, you can pray for the repose of the deceased at home. Another custom of Trinity Saturday is the obligatory distribution of alms to all those in need with a request to pray for the departed.

There is a belief that on parental Saturday before Trinity you cannot work, clean the apartment, or even wash the dishes, although the church has a different opinion.

The clergy say that work restrictions exist primarily to ensure that household chores do not interfere with prayer and visiting church.

Parents' Saturday should begin with visiting church and praying for the departed, and after returning home from church, you can do homework.

Customs

In Rus', folk traditions of commemorating dead people were somewhat different from church traditions. Ordinary people went to the graves of relatives before major holidays - on the eve of Maslenitsa, Trinity, Intercession Holy Mother of God and the day of remembrance of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica.

The people most revered Dmitrievskaya Parental Saturday. This is the last parent's Saturday of the year, which in 2017 falls on October 28.

In 1903, Emperor Nicholas II even issued a decree on holding a special memorial service for the soldiers who fell for the Fatherland - “For the faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland, who laid down their lives on the battlefield.”

The days of special remembrance of the dead in Ukraine and Belarus were called “Grandfathers”. There were up to six such “Grandfathers” a year. People superstitiously believed that on these days all deceased relatives invisibly joined the family funeral meal.

According to ancient custom, on parental Saturdays it was customary to eat kutya - an obligatory dish for the funeral meal. Sweet porridge was usually prepared from whole grains of wheat or other cereals with the addition of honey, as well as raisins or nuts. True, today few people follow it.

Prayer for the departed

Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants: my parents, relatives, benefactors (their names) and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven. During church service, Orthodox people remember by name many generations of their deceased ancestors.

The material was prepared based on open sources

“Today is parenting!” - a phrase we hear several times a year. With God, everyone is alive, and memory and prayer for our deceased relatives and friends is an important part of the Christian faith. We will talk about what kind of parental Saturdays there are, about church and folk traditions of days of special remembrance of the dead, about how to pray for the dead and whether it is necessary to go to the cemetery on parental Saturdays.

What is Parents' Saturday

Parents' Saturdays (and there are several of them in the church calendar) are days of special remembrance of the dead. On these days, special commemoration of deceased Orthodox Christians is performed in Orthodox churches. In addition, according to tradition, believers visit graves in cemeteries.

The name “parental” most likely comes from the tradition of calling the deceased “parents,” that is, those who went to their fathers. Another version is that Saturdays began to be called “parental” Saturdays, because Christians prayerfully commemorated, first of all, their deceased parents.

Among other parental Saturdays (and there are seven of them in a year), Ecumenical Saturdays are distinguished, on which the Orthodox Church prayerfully commemorates all baptized Christians. There are two such Saturdays: Meat (the week before Lent) and Trinity (on the eve of the Feast of Pentecost). The remaining parental Saturdays are not ecumenical and are reserved specifically for private commemoration of people dear to our hearts.

How many parent's Saturdays a year?

In the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church there are seven days of special commemoration of the departed. All but one (May 9 - Commemoration of Dead Soldiers) have a moving date.

Meat Saturday (Ecumenical Parental Saturday)

Saturday of the 2nd week of Lent

Saturday of the 3rd week of Lent

Saturday of the 4th week of Lent

Radonitsa

Saturday Trinity

Saturday Dimitrievskaya

Parents' Saturdays in 2015

What are universal parental Saturdays?

Among other parental Saturdays (and there are seven of them in a year), Ecumenical Saturdays are distinguished, on which the Orthodox Church prayerfully commemorates all baptized Christians. There are two such Saturdays: Meat (the week before Lent) and Trinity (on the eve of the Feast of Pentecost). On these two days, special services are held - ecumenical memorial services.

What is invillage funeral services

On parental Saturdays, the Orthodox Church holds ecumenical or parental memorial services. Christians use the word “requiem service” to refer to a funeral service at which believers pray for the repose of the dead and ask the Lord for mercy and forgiveness of sins.

What is a memorial service

Panikhida translated from Greek means " All-night vigil." This funeral service, at which believers pray for the repose of the dead, asking the Lord for mercy and forgiveness of sins.

Ecumenical (meat-free) parental Saturday

Meat Saturday (Ecumenical Parental Saturday) is the Saturday a week before the start of Lent. It is called Meat Eating Week because it falls on Meat Eating Week (the week before Maslenitsa). It is also called Little Maslenitsa.

On this day, Orthodox Christians commemorate all the baptized dead from Adam to the present day. An ecumenical requiem service is served in the churches - “The memory of all Orthodox Christians who have departed from time immemorial, our fathers and brothers.”

Trinity Parents' Saturday

Trinity is the second ecumenical parental Saturday (after Meat), on which the Orthodox Church prayerfully commemorates all baptized Christians. It falls on the Saturday preceding the holiday of Trinity, or Pentecost. On this day, believers come to churches for a special ecumenical memorial service - “In memory of all Orthodox Christians who have departed from time immemorial, our fathers and brothers.”

Parental Saturdays of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks of Lent

During Lent, according to the Charter, funeral commemorations are not performed (funeral litanies, litias, requiems, commemorations of the 3rd, 9th and 40th days after death, magpies), therefore the Church has set aside special three days when one can prayerfully remember the departed. These are the Saturdays of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks of Lent.

Radonitsa

Radonitsa, or Radunitsa, is one of the days of special remembrance of the dead, which falls on the Tuesday after St. Thomas week (the second week after Easter). On Thomas Sunday, Christians remember how the resurrected Jesus Christ descended into hell and defeated death, and Radonitsa, directly associated with this day, also tells us about victory over death.

On Radonitsa, according to tradition, Orthodox Christians go to the cemetery, and there, at the graves of their relatives and friends, they glorify the Risen Christ. Radonitsa, in fact, is called so precisely from the word “joy”, the joyful news of the Resurrection of Christ

Commemoration of deceased soldiers - May 9

Commemoration of the departed warriors is the only day of special remembrance of the dead in the year, which has a fixed date. This is May 9, Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War. On this day, after the liturgy, churches serve a memorial service for the soldiers who gave their lives for their homeland.

Dimitrievskaya Parents' Saturday

Demetrius Parental Saturday is the Saturday before the day of remembrance of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki, which is celebrated on November 8 according to the new style. If the saint’s memorial day also falls on a Saturday, the previous one is still considered the parent’s day.

Dimitrievskaya Parental Saturday became a day of special remembrance of the dead after the victory of Russian soldiers in the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380. At first, on this day they commemorated precisely those who died on the Kulikovo field, then, over the centuries, the tradition changed. In the Novgorod chronicle of the 15th century, we read about Dimitrievskaya parental Saturday as a day of remembrance of all the dead.

Funeral commemoration on Parents' Saturday

On the eve of parental Saturday, that is, on Friday evening, in Orthodox harmas a great requiem service is served, which is also called by the Greek word “parastas”. On Saturday itself, in the morning, they serve the funeral Divine Liturgy, followed by a general memorial service.

At the parastas or at the funeral Divine Liturgy, you can submit notes of repose with the names of those who have died close to your heart. And on this day, according to the old church tradition, parishioners bring food to the temple - “for the canon” (or “for the eve”). These are Lenten products, wine (Cahors) for celebrating the liturgy.

Why do they bring food “for the eve”?

Answers p

Bringing food to the temple - “on the eve” - is an ancient practice of performing general funeral feasts, that is, commemorating the dead. According to tradition, the parishioners of the temple gathered a larger common table in order to all together remember the deceased people close to their hearts. Now the food that believers bring and place on a special table then goes to the needs of the parish and to help the poor people whom the parish cares for.

It seems to me that this is a good custom - to help those in need or ease the burden of people who serve in the temple (of course, these are not only clergy, but also candle makers and all those who, for free, by the will of their hearts, help in the House of God). By bringing food to the temple, we serve our neighbors and remember our departed ones.

Prayer for the departed

It is more convenient to read names from a commemoration book - a small book where the names of living and deceased relatives are written down. There is a pious custom of conducting family memorials, reading which both in home prayer and during church services, Orthodox people remember by name many generations of their deceased ancestors.

Prayer for a deceased Christian

Remember, O Lord our God, in the faith and hope of the eternal life of Your departed servant, our brother (name), and as Good and Lover of mankind, forgiving sins and consuming untruths, weaken, forsake and forgive all his voluntary and involuntary sins, deliver him eternal torment and fire of Gehenna, and grant him the communion and enjoyment of Your eternal good things, prepared for those who love You: even if you sin, do not depart from You, and undoubtedly in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Your glorified God in the Trinity, Faith, and Unity in the Trinity and the Trinity in Unity, Orthodox even until his last breath of confession. Be merciful to him, and faith, even in You instead of deeds, and with Your saints, as You give generous rest: for there is no man who will live and not sin. But You are the One besides all sin, and Your righteousness is righteousness forever, and You are the One God of mercies and generosity, and love for mankind, and to You we send glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen

Widower's Prayer

Christ Jesus, Lord and Almighty! In contrition and tenderness of my heart, I pray to You: rest, O Lord, the soul of Your departed servant (name), in Your Heavenly Kingdom. Lord Almighty! You blessed the marital union of husband and wife, when you said: it is not good for man to be alone, let us create for him a helper for him. You have sanctified this union in the image of the spiritual union of Christ with the Church. I believe, Lord, and confess that You have blessed me to unite me in this holy union with one of Your handmaids. By your good and wise will you deigned to take away from me this servant of yours, whom you have given to me as a helper and companion of my life. I bow before Your will, and I pray to You with all my heart, accept my prayer for Your servant (name), and forgive her if you sin in word, deed, thought, knowledge and ignorance; Love earthly things more than heavenly things; Even if you care more about the clothing and decoration of your body than about the enlightenment of the clothing of your soul; or even careless about your children; if you upset anyone by word or deed; If there is a grudge in your heart against your neighbor or condemn someone or anything else you have done from such evil people.
Forgive her all this, for she is good and philanthropic; for there is no man who will live and not sin. Do not enter into judgment with Thy servant, as Thy creation, do not condemn her to eternal torment for her sin, but have mercy and mercy according to Thy great mercy. I pray and ask You, Lord, to grant me strength throughout the days of my life, without ceasing to pray for Your departed servant, and even until the end of my life to ask her from You, the Judge of the whole world, to forgive her sins. Yes, as if You, God, placed a crown of stone on her head, crowning her here on earth; So crown me with Your eternal glory in Your Heavenly Kingdom, with all the saints who rejoice there, so that together with them the all-holy may eternally sing your name with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Widow's Prayer

Christ Jesus, Lord and Almighty! You are the consolation of the weeping, the intercession of the orphans and widows. You said: call on Me in the day of your sorrow, and I will destroy you. In the days of my sorrow, I run to You and pray to You: do not turn Your face away from me and hear my prayer brought to You with tears. You, Lord, Master of all, have deigned to unite me with one of Your servants, so that we may be one body and one spirit; You gave me this servant as a companion and protector. It was Your good and wise will that you would take this servant of Yours away from me and leave me alone. I bow before Your will and I resort to You in the days of my sorrow: quench my sorrow about separation from Your servant, my friend. Even if you took him away from me, do not take your mercy away from me. Just as you once accepted two mites from widows, so accept this prayer of mine. Remember, Lord, the soul of Your departed servant (name), forgive him all his sins, voluntary and involuntary, whether in word, or in deed, or in knowledge and ignorance, do not destroy him with his iniquities and do not consign him to eternal torment, but according to Your great mercy and according to the multitude of Thy compassions, weaken and forgive all his sins and commit them with Thy saints, where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but endless life. I pray and ask You, Lord, grant that all the days of my life I will not cease to pray for Your departed servant, and even before my departure, ask You, the Judge of the whole world, to forgive all his sins and place him in the Heavenly abodes, which You have prepared for those who love Cha. For even if you sin, do not depart from You, and undoubtedly the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are Orthodox even to your last breath of confession; impute to him the same faith, even in You, instead of works: for there is no man who will live and not sin, You are the only one besides sin, and Your righteousness is righteousness forever. I believe, Lord, and confess that You will hear my prayer and do not turn Your face away from me. Seeing a widow weeping green, you were merciful, and you brought her son to the grave, carrying her to the grave; How did You open to Your servant Theophilus, who went to You, the doors of Your mercy and forgave him for his sins through the prayers of Your Holy Church, heeding the prayers and alms of his wife: here and I pray to You, accept my prayer for Your servant and bring him into eternal life. For You are our hope. You are God, the hedgehog to have mercy and save, and we send glory to You with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Parents' prayer for deceased children

Lord Jesus Christ, our God, Lord of life and death, Comforter of the afflicted! With a contrite and tender heart I run to You and pray to You: remember. Lord, in Your Kingdom your deceased servant (your servant), my child (name), and create for him (her) eternal memory. You, Lord of life and death, have given me this child. It was your good and wise will to take it away from me. Blessed be Thy name, O Lord. I pray to You, Judge of heaven and earth, with Your endless love for us sinners, forgive my deceased child all his sins, voluntary and involuntary, in word, in deed, in knowledge and ignorance. Forgive, O Merciful One, our parental sins as well, so that they may not remain on our children: we know that we have sinned many times before You, many of whom we have not observed, and have not done, as You commanded us. If our deceased child, ours or his own, for the sake of guilt, lived in this life, working for the world and his flesh, and not more than You, the Lord and his God: if you loved the delights of this world, and not more than Your Word and Your commandments, if you surrendered with the pleasures of life, and not more than with contrition for one’s sins, and in intemperance, vigil, fasting and prayer have been consigned to oblivion - I earnestly pray to Thee, forgive, most good Father, all such sins of my child, forgive and weaken, even if you have done other evil in this life . Christ Jesus! You raised up the daughter of Jairus through the faith and prayer of her father. You healed the daughter of the Canaanite wife through faith and the request of her mother: hear my prayer, and do not despise my prayer for my child. Forgive, Lord, forgive all his sins and, having forgiven and cleansed his soul, remove eternal torment and dwell with all Your saints, who have pleased You from the ages, where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but endless life: like there is no man like He will live and will not sin, but You are the only One besides all sin: so that when you judge the world, my child will hear Your most beloved voice: come, blessed of My Father, and inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For You are the Father of mercies and generosity. You are our life and resurrection, and we send glory to You with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Children's prayer for deceased parents

Lord Jesus Christ our God! You are the keeper of the orphans, the refuge of the grieving and the comforter of the weeping. I come running to you, an orphan, groaning and crying, and I pray to you: hear my prayer and do not turn your face away from the sighs of my heart and from the tears of my eyes. I pray to You, merciful Lord, satisfy my grief over separation from my parent (my mother), (name) (or: with my parents who gave birth and raised me, their names) - , and his soul (or: her, or: them), as having gone (or: gone) to You with true faith in You and with firm hope in Your love for mankind and mercy, accept into Your Kingdom of Heaven. I bow before Your holy will, which was taken away (or: taken away, or: taken away) from me, and I ask You not to take away from him (or: from her, or: from them) Your mercy and mercy. We know, Lord, that You are the Judge of this world, you punish the sins and wickedness of the fathers in children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, even to the third and fourth generation: but you also have mercy on the fathers for the prayers and virtues of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. With contrition and tenderness of heart, I pray to Thee, merciful Judge, do not punish with eternal punishment the unforgettable deceased (unforgettable deceased) for me Thy servant (Thy servant), my parent (my mother) (name), but forgive him (her) all his sins ( her) voluntary and involuntary, in word and deed, knowledge and ignorance, created by him (her) in his (her) life here on earth, and according to Your mercy and love for mankind, prayers for the sake of the Most Pure Mother of God and all the saints, have mercy on him (her) and eternal save me from torment. You, merciful Father of fathers and children! Grant me, all the days of my life, until my last breath, not to cease to remember my deceased parent (my deceased mother) in my prayers, and to beg Thee, the righteous Judge, to order him in a place of light, in a place of coolness and in a place of peace, with all the saints, from nowhere all sickness, sorrow and sighing have fled. Merciful Lord! Accept this day for Thy servant (Your) (name) my warm prayer and give him (her) Your reward for the labors and cares of my upbringing in faith and Christian piety, as He taught (taught) me first of all to lead You, my Lord, in reverently pray to You, trust in You alone in troubles, sorrows and illnesses and keep Your commandments; for his (her) concern for my spiritual progress, for the warmth of his (her) prayer for me before You and for all the gifts he (she) asked me from You, reward him (her) with Your mercy. Your heavenly blessings and joys in Your eternal Kingdom. For You are the God of mercies and generosity and love for mankind, You are the peace and joy of Your faithful servants, and we send glory to You with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen

Is it necessary to go to the cemetery on Parents' Saturday?

Answers p Rotopriest Igor FOMIN, rector of the Church of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky at MGIMO:

The main thing is not to go to the cemetery instead of services in the temple. For our deceased relatives and friends, our prayer is much more important than visiting the grave. So try to get into the worship service, listen to the chants in the temple, turn your heart to the Lord.

Folk traditions of parental Saturdays

In Rus', folk traditions of commemorating dead people were somewhat different from church traditions. Ordinary people went to the graves of relatives before major holidays - on the eve of Maslenitsa, Trinity (Pentecost), the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and the day of remembrance of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica.

Most of all, people revered Dmitrievskaya parental Saturday. In 1903, Emperor Nicholas II even issued a decree on holding a special memorial service for the soldiers who fell for the Fatherland - “For the faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland, who laid down their lives on the battlefield.”

In Ukraine and Belarus, days of special commemoration of the dead were called “Grandfathers”. There were up to six such “Grandfathers” a year. People superstitiously believed that on these days all deceased relatives invisibly joined the family funeral meal.

Radonitsa was called “Joyful Grandfathers”; people loved this day very much, because they went to the graves of loved ones with the happy news of the Resurrection of Christ. There were also Pokrovskys, Nikolsky Grandfathers and others.

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. Sermon on the Remembrance of Orthodox soldiers who died on the battlefield

We are accustomed in our lives to the fact that for every need, for every occasion, we turn to God for His help. And for our every call, for every cry of anguish, suffering, fear, we expect that the Lord will intercede for us, protect us, comfort us; and we know that He does this constantly and that He showed His utmost care for us by becoming Man and dying for us and for our sake.

But sometimes it happens in the life of our world that God turns to man for help; and this happens all the time, but often barely noticeable, or goes completely unnoticed by us. God constantly turns to each of us, asking, praying, persuading us to be in this world, which He loved so much that He laid down His life for it, to be His living presence, to be His living care, sighted, good-acting, attentive. He tells us: whatever good we did for any person, we did for Him, calling us by this to be, as it were, in His place.

And sometimes He calls some people to more personal service to Him. In the Old Testament we read about prophets: the prophet Amos says that a prophet is a person with whom God shares His thoughts; but not only with your thoughts, but also with your deeds. Remember the prophet Isaiah, who in a vision beheld the Lord looking around and saying: Whom shall I send? - and the prophet stood up and said: Me, Lord!

But here, among the prophets, among the people who served God with an undivided heart, all great strength souls, there is one whose memory we commemorate today and whom Christ called the greatest among those born on earth.

And indeed, when you think about his fate, it seems that there is no fate more majestic and more tragic. His whole fate was, as it were, not to be, so that in the consciousness and vision of people the Only One Who There is: Lord.

Remember the first thing that is said about him in the Gospel of Mark: He is a voice crying in the wilderness... He is only a voice, he is so indistinguishable from his ministry that he has become only God’s voice, only an evangelist; as if he, as a person of flesh and blood, a person who can yearn, and suffer, and pray, and search, and ultimately stand before impending death - as if this person does not exist. He and his calling are one and the same; he is the voice of the Lord, sounding and thundering in the midst of the human desert; that desert where souls are empty - because there were people around John, and the desert remained unchanged from this.

And further. The Lord Himself says about him in the Gospel that he is the Friend of the Groom. A friend who loves the bride and groom so much, so deeply that he is able, forgetting himself, to serve their love, and to serve so that he will never be superfluous, never be there and then when it is not needed. He is a friend who is able to protect the love of the bride and groom and remain outside, the keeper of the secret of this love. Here, too, is the great secret of a man who is capable of, as it were, don't become in order for something greater than him to was.

And then he speaks about himself in relation to the Lord: I need to decrease, come to naught, in order for Him to increase... It is necessary that they forget about me, and remember only about Him, so that my disciples turn away from me and leave, like Andrew and John on the banks of the Jordan, and followed Him with an undivided heart: I live only so that I am gone!

And the last is the terrible image of John, when he was already in prison, when the ring of death was narrowing around him, when he no longer had a way out, when this colossally great soul wavered... Death was coming towards him, the life in which he had there was nothing of our own: in the past there was only the feat of self-denial, and ahead was darkness.

And at that moment, when his spirit wavered, he sent his disciples to ask Christ: Are you the one for whom we have been waiting? If That - then it was worth in my youth die alive; if He, then it was worth diminishing from year to year so that he would be forgotten and only the image of the Coming One would increase in the eyes of people; if He - then it was worth it even now to die the last dying, because everything for which he lived was fulfilled and perfect.

But what if He is not the One? Then everything is lost, youth is ruined, mature years are ruined greatest power, everything is ruined, everything is meaningless. And it’s even more terrible that this happened, because God seemed to deceive: God, who called him into the desert; God, who took him away from people; God, who inspired him to the feat of self-death. Has God really deceived, and life has passed, and there is no return?

And so, sending the disciples to Christ with the question: Are you the one? - he does not receive a direct, comforting answer; Christ does not answer him: Yes, I am He, go in peace! He only gives the prophet the answer of another prophet that the blind receive their sight, that the lame walk, that the dead are raised, that the poor preach the good news. He gives an answer from Isaiah, but does not add His words - nothing except one formidable warning: Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me; go tell John...

And this answer reached John in his dying anticipation: believe to the end; believe, without requiring any signs, or evidence, or proof; believe, because you heard inside, in the depths of your soul, the voice of the Lord, commanding you to do the work of the prophet... Others can somehow rely on the Lord in their times greatest feat; God supports John only by commanding him to be the Forerunner and for this to show utmost faith and confidence in invisible things.

And that’s why it takes our breath away when we think about him, and that’s why, when we think about a feat that has no limit, we remember John. That is why, of those who were born among people by natural birth and ascended miraculously by grace, he is the greatest of all.

Today we celebrate the day of the beheading of his head. Let's celebrate... We are used to understanding the word “celebrate” as “joy,” but it means “to remain idle.” And you can remain idle because joy overwhelms your soul and there is no time for ordinary affairs, or it may happen that you give up from grief and horror. And this is today’s holiday: what will you take up in the face of what we heard about today in the Gospel?

And on this day, when we give up before the horror and greatness of this fate, the Church calls us to pray for those who were also in horror, and trembling, and bewilderment, and sometimes died in despair: they died on the battlefield, they died in dungeons, they died the lonely death of a man. After you venerate the cross, we will pray for all those who laid down their lives on the battlefield so that others could live; bowed to the ground so that another could rise. Let us remember those who perished not only in our time, but from millennium to millennium terrible death, because they knew how to love, or because others did not know how to love - let us remember everyone, because the Lord’s love embraces everyone, and the great John will pray for everyone, who went through the whole tragedy of the sacrifice of dying and death without a single words of consolation, but only according to the sovereign command of God: “Believe to the end, and be faithful to the end!” Amen.

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. About death

I have a peculiar attitude towards death, and I would like to explain why I treat death not only calmly, but with desire, with hope, with longing for it.

My first vivid impression of death was a conversation with my father, who once told me: “You must live in such a way that you learn to expect your death the way a groom expects his bride: to wait for it, to long for it, to rejoice in advance about this meeting.” , and meet her reverently and affectionately.” The second impression (of course, not immediately, but much later) was the death of my father. He died suddenly. I came to him, in a poor little room at the top French house, where there was a bed, a table, a stool and several books. I entered his room, closed the door and stood there. And I was overcome by such silence, such a depth of silence that I remember exclaiming out loud: “And people say that death exists!” What a lie this is!” Because this room was full of life, and such a fullness of life that I had never seen outside it, on the street, in the yard. This is why I have such an attitude towards death and why I experience the words of the Apostle Paul with such force: For me, life is Christ, death is gain, because while I live in the flesh, I am separated from Christ... But the apostle adds further words that also greatly amazed me. The quote is not exact, but this is what he says: he completely wants to die and unite with Christ, but he adds: “However, it is necessary for you that I remain alive, and I will continue to live.” This is the last sacrifice he can make: everything he strives for, everything he hopes for, everything he does, he is ready to put aside because others need him.

I have seen a lot of death. I worked as a doctor for fifteen years, five of which were in the war or in the French Resistance. After that, I lived for forty-six years as a priest and gradually buried an entire generation of our early emigration; so I saw a lot of death. And I was amazed that the Russians were dying calmly; Western people are more often with fear. Russians believe in life, go into life. And this is one of the things that every priest and every person must repeat to himself and others: we must not prepare for death, we must prepare for eternal life.

We know nothing about death. We don’t know what happens to us at the moment of dying, but we at least know rudimentarily what eternal life is. Each of us knows from experience that there are some moments when he no longer lives in time, but with such a fullness of life, such a jubilation that does not just belong to the earth. Therefore, the first thing we must teach ourselves and others is to prepare not for death, but for life. And if we talk about death, then talk about it only as a door that will open wide and allow us to enter eternal life.

But dying is still not easy. Whatever we think about death, about eternal life, we know nothing about death itself, about dying. I want to give you one example of my experience during the war.

I was a junior surgeon in a front-line hospital. A young soldier of about twenty-five, my age, was dying. I came to him in the evening, sat down next to him and said: “Well, how are you feeling?” He looked at me and replied, “I’m going to die tonight.” - “Are you afraid to die?” - “It’s not scary to die, but it hurts me to part with everything that I love: with my young wife, with the village, with my parents; and one thing is really scary: to die alone.” I say, "You won't die alone." - "So how?" - “I’ll stay with you.” - “You can’t sit with me all night...” I replied: “Of course I can!” He thought and said: “Even if you sit with me, at some point I will no longer be aware of this, and then I will go into the darkness and die alone.” I say: “No, not like that at all. I'll sit next to you and we'll talk. You will tell me everything you want: about the village, about the family, about childhood, about your wife, about everything that is in your memory, in your soul, that you love. I will hold your hand. Gradually you will become tired of talking, then I will begin to talk more than you. And then I will see that you are starting to doze, and then I will speak more quietly. You close your eyes, I will stop talking, but I will hold your hand, and you will periodically shake my hand, know that I am here. Gradually, your hand, although it will feel my hand, will no longer be able to shake it, I myself will begin to shake your hand. And at some point you will no longer be among us, but you will not leave alone. We will make the whole journey together." And so hour after hour we spent that night. At some point, he actually stopped squeezing my hand, I started shaking his hand so that he knew I was there. Then his hand began to grow cold, then it opened, and he was no longer with us. And this is a very important point; It is very important that a person is not alone when he goes into eternity.

But it also happens differently. Sometimes a person is sick for a long time, and if he is then surrounded by love and care, it is easy to die, although it hurts (I will also say this). But it is very scary when a person is surrounded by people who are just waiting for him to die: they say, while he is sick, we are prisoners of his illness, we cannot move away from his bed, we cannot return to our lives, we cannot rejoice in our joys; he hangs over us like a dark cloud; as if he would die quickly... And the dying person feels it. This can last for months. Relatives come and coldly ask: “How do you like it? Nothing? Do you need something? do not need anything? OK; you know, I have my own things to do, I’ll come back to you.” And even if the voice does not sound cruel, the person knows that he has been visited only because it was necessary to visit, but that his death is eagerly awaited.

But sometimes it happens differently. A person dies, dies for a long time, but he is loved, he is dear; and he himself is also ready to sacrifice the happiness of being with a loved one, because this can give joy or help to someone else. Let me now say something personal about myself.

My mother had been dying of cancer for three years; I followed her. We were very close and dear to each other. But I had my own job - I was the only priest of the London parish, and besides, once a month I had to travel to Paris for meetings of the Diocesan Council. I didn’t have the money to make a phone call, so I came back, thinking: will I find my mother alive or not? She was alive - what a joy! what a meeting! .. Gradually it began to fade away. There were times when she would ring the bell, I would come, and she would tell me: “I’m sad without you, let’s be together.” And there were times when I myself felt unbearable. I went up to her, leaving my work, and said: “It hurts me without you.” And she consoled me about her dying and her death. And so we gradually went into eternity together, because when she died, she took with her all my love for her, everything that was between us. And there was so much between us! We lived almost our entire lives together, only the first years of emigration we lived apart, because there was nowhere to live together. But then we lived together, and she knew me deeply. And once she told me: “How strange: the more I know you, the less I could say about you, because every word I would say about you would have to be corrected with some additional features.” Yes, we reached the point when we knew each other so deeply that we could not say anything about each other, but we could join in life, in dying and in death.

And so we must remember that everyone dying in a situation where any kind of callousness, indifference or desire “for it to finally end” is unbearable. A person feels this, knows it, and we must learn to overcome all the dark, gloomy, bad feelings in ourselves and, forgetting about ourselves, think deeply, peer, and get used to the other person. And then death becomes victory: O death, where is your sting?! O death, where is your victory? Christ has risen, and not one of the dead is in the tomb...

I want to say something else about death because what I have already said is very personal. Death surrounds us all the time, death is the fate of all humanity. Now there are wars, people are dying in terrible suffering, and we must learn to be calm in relation to our own death, because in it we see life, eternal life emerging. Victory over death, over the fear of death, lies in living deeper and deeper into eternity and introducing others to this fullness of life.

But before death there are other moments. We don’t die right away, we don’t just physically die out. There are very strange phenomena. I remember one of our old women, Maria Andreevna, a wonderful little creature, who once came to me and said: “Father Anthony, I don’t know what to do with myself: I can’t sleep anymore. Throughout the night, images of my past rise in my memory, but not light ones, but only dark, bad images that torment me. I turned to the doctor and asked him to give me some sleeping pills, but sleeping pills don’t relieve this haze. When I take sleeping pills, I am no longer able to separate these images from myself, they become delirium, and I feel even worse. What should I do?" I then told her: “Maria Andreevna, you know, I don’t believe in reincarnation, but I believe that we have been given by God to experience our lives more than once, not in the sense that you will die and come back to life again, but in the sense that what is happening to you now. When you were young, you, within the narrow limits of your understanding, sometimes did wrong; in word, thought, and action they defamed themselves and others. Then you forgot this and at different ages continued, to the best of your understanding, to act like, again, humiliating, desecrating, defaming yourself. Now, when you no longer have the strength to resist the memories, they pop up, and each time they pop up, they seem to say to you: Maria Andreevna, now what are you over eighty years old, almost ninety - if you were in the same position that you are now I remember when you were twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years old, would you have acted as you did then? If you can look deeply at what happened then, at your condition, at events, at people and say: no, now, with my life experience, I could never say this murderous word, I could not do that what I did! - if you can say this with your whole being: with your thought, and your heart, and your will, and your flesh - it will leave you. But other, more and more other images will come. And every time the image comes, God will pose the question to you: is this your past sin or is it still your present sin? Because if you once hated a person and did not forgive him, did not reconcile with him, then the sin of that time is your present sinfulness; she has not left you and will not leave until you repent.”

I can give another example of the same kind. I was once called by the family of one of our decrepit old women, a bright, bright woman. She clearly should have died that day. She confessed, and finally I asked her: “Tell me, Natasha, have you forgiven everyone and everything, or do you still have some kind of thorn in your soul?” She replied: “I have forgiven everyone except my son-in-law; I’ll never forgive him!” I said to this: “In this case, I will not give you a prayer of permission and will not commune the Holy Mysteries; you will go to God’s judgment and will answer before God for your words.” She says: “After all, I’m going to die today!” - “Yes, you will die without a prayer of permission and without communion, if you do not repent and reconcile. I’ll be back in an hour,” and left. When I returned an hour later, she greeted me with a shining gaze and said: “You were so right! I called my brother-in-law, we explained ourselves, reconciled - he is now coming to see me, and I hope we will kiss each other to death, and I will enter eternity reconciled with everyone.”

Before the most important Christian holiday, Trinity, Trinity Saturday is celebrated. IN Orthodox calendar this day is also called Ecumenical Parental Saturday, during which a church-wide commemoration of all the departed is performed. In a number of countries, parental Saturday is considered the most important memorial day, namely in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

In 2017, due to the fact that the Trinity holiday is constantly changing in terms of date, parent's Saturday falls on June 3. Accordingly, Trinity will be celebrated tomorrow.

It is customary to commemorate the deceased before Trinity, since this particular holiday symbolizes the Christian salvation of man, in which the deceased also participate. Therefore, Christians, in their prayer to the Holy Spirit, also remember all their deceased coreligionists.

Prayer for the departed

Prayer for everyone who has died

Remember, O Lord our God, in the faith and hope of the life of Thy eternally departed servant, our brother (name), as Good and Lover of mankind, forgiving sins and consuming untruths, weaken, forsake and forgive all his voluntary and involuntary sins, deliver him from eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna, and grant him the communion and enjoyment of Your eternal good things, prepared for those who love You: even if you sin, do not depart from You, and undoubtedly in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, You are glorified God in the Trinity, faith, and the Unity in the Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is Orthodox even until his last breath of confession. Be merciful to him, and have faith in You instead of deeds, and rest with Your saints as You are Generous: for there is no man who will live and not sin. But You are the One besides all sin, and Your truth is the truth forever, and You are the One God of mercies and generosity, and love for mankind, and to You we send glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Children's prayer for deceased parents

Lord Jesus Christ our God! You are the keeper of the orphans, the refuge of the grieving and the comforter of the weeping. I, an orphan, come running to You, groaning and crying, and I pray to You: hear my prayer and do not turn Your face away from the sighs of my heart and from the tears of my eyes. I pray to You, merciful Lord, satisfy my grief over separation from my parent (matter) (name), and his soul (her), as if she has gone to You with true faith in You and firm hope in Yours accept philanthropy and mercy into Your Heavenly Kingdom. I bow before Your holy will, which was taken away from me, and I ask You not to take away from him (her or them) Your mercy and mercy. We know, Lord, that You, the Judge of this world, punish the sins and wickedness of the fathers in children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, even to the third and fourth generation: but you also have mercy on the fathers for the prayers and virtues of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

With contrition and tenderness of heart, I pray to Thee, merciful Judge, do not punish with eternal punishment the deceased, unforgettable for me, Your servant (s), my parent (mother) (name), but forgive him (her) all his (her) sins, voluntary and involuntary, in word and deed, knowledge and ignorance, committed by him (her) in his (her) life here on earth, and according to Your mercy and love for mankind, prayers for the sake of the Most Pure Mother of God and All saints, have mercy on him (you) and deliver him from eternal torment. You, merciful Father of fathers and children! Grant me, all the days of my life, until my last breath, not to cease to remember my deceased parent (mother) in my prayers, and to beg Thee, the righteous Judge, to order him (s) in a place of light, in a place cool and in a calm place, with all the saints, from where all illness, sadness and sighing have escaped. Merciful Lord!

Accept this day for Thy servant (Your) (name) my warm prayer and give him (her) Your reward for the labors and cares of my upbringing in faith and Christian piety, as having taught me first of all to lead You, my Lord, pray to You in reverence, trust in You alone in troubles, sorrows and illnesses and keep Your Commandments; for his (her) concern for my spiritual progress, for the warmth of his (her) prayer for me before You and for all the gifts he (she) asked me from You, reward him (her) with Your mercy, Your heavenly blessings and joys in Your eternal Kingdom. For you are the God of mercies and generosity and love for mankind. You are the peace and joy of Your faithful servants, and we send glory to You with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Trinity Saturday: what to do

On this day, they especially pray for those who suffered an untimely death in a foreign country, far from their relatives, at sea, in the mountains, from hunger or infectious diseases, in battle, during natural disasters, who did not have time to repent before death, and over whom no funeral rites were performed.

The Holy Church, based on the apostolic teaching, established this general, universal commemoration so that no one, where, when and no matter how he ends his earthly life, is deprived of her prayers.

Funeral Liturgies and memorial services are celebrated in all churches today. In the church you can order the commemoration of the names of the deceased at the liturgy. The commemoration is performed by the clergy at the altar, when particles are taken out of the prosphora, which are then immersed in a chalice with the Body and Blood of Christ. At this moment the prayer is read: “Wash away, Lord, the sins of those here remembered by Your Honest Blood, by the prayers of Your saints.”

On the day of Trinity Parental Saturday, it is customary to go to a service where the 17th kathisma is read. It commemorates all departed Christians (from the ages), and this Saturday the clergy commemorate all the notes submitted by parishioners, it became known w. Such general prayer is very important for the deceased. In the evening, the 17th kathisma can be read at home.

You should definitely visit the temple, but you must take into account that memorial services are not celebrated in the temple after Vespers. Together with everyone, during church service one should ask the Lord for eternal peace and forgiveness for the souls of deceased relatives.

If Christians were unable to visit the temple, then they can pray for the departed at home, since prayer is what is available to us to show pity, gratitude and love for loved ones who have passed on to another world. Prayer is a huge grace and salvation for the soul of the deceased, therefore, do not skimp on prayers, but multiply them.

On this day, Orthodox Christians can go to the cemetery to visit the graves of relatives. This is done after the relatives have been remembered in the church. It is generally accepted that those who have passed on to another world pray for us precisely at the time when we pray for them.

According to folk tradition, on this day the deceased should be remembered at the cemetery, bringing funeral food, birch branches, flowers and wreaths. Since ancient times, in order to remember their dead, it was customary to arrange a ritual meal. Traditional dishes of this meal are kutia, eggs and pancakes.

Parents' Saturday: what not to do

Our ancestors believed that on the eve of Trinity, mermaids come out of reservoirs, playing various pranks in the fields and forests and singing songs loudly. Hearing this noise, the merman begins to stir up the water in rivers and lakes. To calm the merman, on the night of Trinity, young people burned fires near the water or ran through the forest with branches, chasing the playful mermaids. At the same time, swimming on the night of Trinity was strictly prohibited, since a merman awakened by the mermaids could drag him to the bottom.

Also on Trinity Saturday and Trinity, it was forbidden to work in the field and in the yard, and one could not go into the forest alone - for fear of meeting mermaids. For the same reason, these days they also tried not to graze cattle near forests and water bodies.

On this day it was forbidden to sew or spin. In addition, all prohibitions related to water were in effect: washing and rinsing clothes, washing and swimming in open water, etc. were prohibited. In general, these days, mermaids should have been careful, or better yet, appeased with some kind of offering.

The purpose of parental Saturdays is the unification of the Church. Parental Saturdays give us the opportunity to experience the reality of the unification of all its members - both its saints, those living today, and those who have died. The Day of the Most Holy Trinity, on which the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire, is called the birthday of the Church. Therefore, the establishment of parental Saturday on the eve of this day is so understandable.

Our prayers are especially needed for the dead. After all, having completed their earthly journey, they themselves can no longer add good deeds, repent of sins, or ask the Lord. But we can ask for mercy for them, ask for their repose, for it is not the dead who will praise Thee, Lord; those in hell will dare to bring confession to Thee: but we who are alive will bless Thee and pray and offer sacrifices to Thee for their souls.”

The Lord God, through the depth of His wisdom, humanely builds everything and gives useful things to everyone, i.e. if whose life continues, he benefits; and if he shortens someone’s days, it is for this purpose, lest malice change his mind or flattery deceive his soul. And our duty in both cases is to say with childlike submission to the Heavenly Father: Our Father, Thy will be done! We will remember as best we can on earth, and the departed souls will remember us in heaven. And not only the righteous, whose souls are in the hand of God, pray to the Lord for our salvation, but also the souls of sinners also care about us, so that we do not end up in the same place as they are, and, according to the Gospel parable, they ask Saint Abraham to send us to the house of some righteous Lazarus, so that he would admonish us about what we should do, so that we may avoid eternal torment.

Sorokoust about repose

The Holy Church offers unceasing prayers for our departed fathers and brothers at every Divine service. But, in addition, the Church at certain times creates a special commemoration of all fathers and brothers in faith who have died from time immemorial, who have been honored with a Christian death, as well as those who, caught by sudden death, were not given farewell afterlife prayers of the Church. The memorial services performed at this time are called ecumenical.

On parenting days you can always see many people going to cemeteries to honor the memory of their deceased relatives and clean up the graves. But it is also very important on this day to come to the Church of God at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, submit a note with the names of the deceased and pray for their repose, or at least light a candle. Notes can be given to several churches at once, because the more prayers offered, the better it is for our loved ones. It is our prayers for the departed that are the main and invaluable help to those who have passed into another world.

These days, many of us are busy with our gardens, and therefore, unfortunately, not everyone finds time to come to the temple to pray on Parents' Saturday. But this can be done the day before, on Friday, by submitting a note so that a priest can pray for our loved ones. This evening service is also followed by a memorial service for the departed. It’s also good if we pray for them every day in home prayer.

The holy righteous John of Kronstadt speaks very well about this: “Pray to the Lord for the repose of your forefathers, father and brothers, every morning and evening, may the mortal memory live in you, and may the hope for you not fade away.” future life after death, and your spirit expands daily, thinking about your fleeting life.”

The everlasting psalter

In addition, it is very useful to give alms to the poor with a request to pray for the deceased. And also donate to the church, and when during the Divine service they pray for all the beautifiers, beautifiers and donors of this temple, then you and your loved ones will certainly be remembered.

According to the Charter of the Ecumenical Orthodox Church, on the eve of the feast of Holy Pentecost (Trinity), a funeral service is held, as on the day of the first Ecumenical Parental Saturday, which occurs during the Meat Week before the Week (Resurrection) of the Last Judgment. This Parental Saturday is called Trinity Saturday and, like Meat Saturday, precedes the entry into fasting, which begins every week and is called Apostolic.

This commemoration of the dead dates back to the times of the apostles. Just as it is said about the establishment of meat-free Parental Saturday that “the Divine Fathers received it from the holy apostles,” so one can say about the origin of Trinity Saturday. In the words of St. ap. Peter, spoken by him on the day of Pentecost, is an important indication of the beginning of the custom of remembering the dead on the day of Pentecost. On this day, the Apostle, addressing the Jews, speaks of the Risen Savior: God raised Him up, breaking the bonds of death (Acts 2:24). And the Apostolic decrees tell us how the apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, preached to the Jews and pagans our Savior Jesus Christ, the Judge of the living and the dead. Therefore, from ancient times the Holy Church calls on us to commemorate all the pious forefathers, fathers, brothers and sisters who have departed from time immemorial before the day of the Most Holy Trinity, since on the day of Pentecost the redemption of the world was sealed by the sanctifying power of the Life-giving Most Holy Spirit, which graciously and savingly extends as to us, the living, and the dead. Both on Meat Saturday, which represents, as it were, the last day of the world, and on Trinity Saturday, which represents the last day of the Old Testament Church before the revelation of the kingdom of Christ in all its power on the Day of Pentecost, the Orthodox Church prays for all the departed fathers and brothers. On the very holiday day, in one of his prayers, he lifts up sighs to the Lord for them: “Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your servants, the fathers and our brothers who have fallen before the dead, and other relatives in the flesh, and all of ours in the faith, and for them We are creating memory now."

Memorial service

While a person is alive, he is able to repent of sins and do good. After death, this opportunity disappears, but hope remains in the prayers of the living. The Lord Jesus Christ repeatedly healed the sick through the faith of their loved ones. The lives of saints contain many examples of how, through the prayer of the righteous, the posthumous fate of sinners was eased, right up to their complete justification. If the prayer is made for a person who has already been pardoned by God and is in the heavenly abodes, it will still not remain in vain, but will turn to the benefit of the one praying. As St. John Chrysostom said: “Let us try, as much as possible, to help the departed instead of tears, instead of sobs, instead of magnificent tombs - with our prayers, alms and offerings for them, so that in this way they and we will receive the promised benefits.” Prayer for the departed is our main and invaluable help to those who have passed on to another world. The deceased, by and large, does not need a coffin, a grave monument, or, moreover, a memorial table - all this is just a tribute to traditions, albeit very pious ones. But prayer for the departed is the duty of every Orthodox Christian.

The Church remembers her children by name, because God is our Father and for Him, every person is like his own child, irreplaceable, unique in his personality, and a person’s personality is imprinted with his name. In funeral notes, names are written in full and in the genitive case (for example: about the repose of Lyudmila, Mikhail, etc.). For clergy, the rank must be indicated, children under seven years of age are called babies, from 7 to 16 years old - youths or young women, if 40 days have not passed since the date of death, the word “newly deceased” must be added. Names are written Orthodox, i.e. data at Holy Baptism. For the deceased, whose names are written in the notes, the priest takes a particle from the prosphora and, with a prayer for the forgiveness of sins, washes himself in the Blood of Christ. It is very good to give feasible alms to the poor with a request to pray for the deceased. You can donate some food for the funeral of the soul; for this purpose, there are special memorial tables in churches. The simplest and most common way to sacrifice for the deceased is to light a candle. Each temple has a kanun - a special candlestick in the form of a rectangular table with a small Crucifix. It is here that candles are placed with a prayer for repose; memorial services and funeral services in absentia are held here.

Commemoration at the Divine Liturgy

After the service, Orthodox Christians go to the cemetery. Out of love for the deceased, one must keep his grave clean and tidy - the place of future resurrection. We must especially ensure that the cross on the grave is not askew and is always painted and clean. Arriving at the cemetery, it is good to light a candle and at least briefly pray for the deceased. If possible, ask the priest to perform a litia (short funeral service) at the grave. Then clean up the grave or simply remain silent, remembering your loved one. It is not appropriate for a Christian to eat or drink (especially vodka) in a cemetery. There is no need to leave food on the grave so that the grave is not trampled, for example, by dogs. Food should be given to the poor.
By interceding for the dead, the living become fulfillers of the commandment of love and, therefore, become “participants in heavenly rewards.” Prayers for the dead are needed not only for them, but also for us, because they attune the soul to heavenly things, distract it from vain things, and warm the heart with love for God. In addition, they dispose souls to fulfill the commandment of Christ - to prepare for the outcome at every hour. And this gives us strength to evade evil and abstain from sins.

Even if your loved ones died unbaptized, and the Church cannot remember them, you can pray for them yourself, at home, just like for the baptized. But it is better to do this by coming to the temple and to the grave on parental Saturday.

Trinity Ecumenical Parents' Saturday in 2015 - May 30

Several times a year in Orthodoxy it is customary to remember the deceased, pray for them and visit their graves. Such days are called Parents' Saturdays. On the Saturday before Trinity Day, Trinity Parents' Saturday begins - the day when every Orthodox Christian commemorates deceased relatives and loved ones. But why Saturday? How is this day celebrated, what traditions and customs are usually observed? And how many times a year is Parents' Saturday celebrated? These are the questions we have to answer in this article.

The meaning and meaning of Parents' Saturday

If this Saturday is intended to remember the dead in general, then why was it called parental Saturday? After all, unfortunately, among the deceased there are not only parents. There are versions about this:

Because any person remembers first of all his loved ones - his parents;
Parents' days are considered Saturdays, since in all weeks of the year the dead are predominantly commemorated on Saturdays.
According to the opinion of many Orthodox priests, the first people we should remember on this day are our deceased parents. Because they were the ones who gave us life and raised us. Therefore, the first prayer, according to the priests, should be specifically about the deceased parents.

How many Parents' Saturdays a year?

There are three most famous parental Saturdays - Myasopustnaya, Trinity and Dmitrievskaya. There are seven of them in total in the calendar - Meat Saturday (Ecumenical Parental Saturday), Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent, Saturday of the 3rd week of Great Lent, Saturday of the 4th week of Great Lent, Radonitsa, May 9 - Commemoration of the departed soldiers, Trinity Saturday . It is worth noting that only one of them is a fixed date - May 9, all the others are moving.

The nearest Parent's Saturday is Trinity, which in 2015 falls on May 30. Judging by the name, you can guess that it precedes the holiday of Trinity. In addition to the departed, on this day they remember and reflect on the Last Judgment and Lent. Since ancient times, this was the largest and most revered memorial day in Rus'.

Meat Saturday is held on the Saturday before the Last Judgment Week or before the Meat Week. This Saturday is so named because it is located in the meat-eating week. What do you do on Meat Shabbat? They visit the temple, go to the cemetery, read prayers. It is worth remembering that the meaning of parental Meat Saturday is much broader than the usual commemoration of deceased relatives. You can remember all the dead, even those who are not relatives.

Dmitrievskaya Saturday has a centuries-old history. Such a day of remembrance was established long ago at the initiative of Prince Donskoy. On the day of St. Demetrius Saturday, as on other days, Christians hold prayers for the repose of the souls of the dead, especially parents. However, Dmitrievskaya Saturday carries a special meaning. It reminds us of those who died and also suffered for Orthodoxy. On such a day, the Slavs steamed for a long time in the bathhouse, then left fresh broom And clean water to the dead so that they could wash themselves. After the Friday meal, a clean tablecloth was laid on the table, and food was also left for the ancestors.

Trinity Saturday 2015

Since the next memorial day is Trinity Parents' Saturday, we will dwell on it in more detail. Trinity Saturday is celebrated, as we have already mentioned, the day before the celebration of Trinity (Pentecost) and is considered the Ecumenical Parental Saturday in the Orthodox Church.

According to traditions and rituals, this day is no different from other Parents' Saturdays. On Trinity Saturday, people visited cemeteries, had meals, and prayed for the dead. At the same time, it is very important to tune in to the serious mood of this day, and put aside all the work that distracts you from prayer and reflection.

According to many Orthodox priests, Trinity Saturday is, first of all, a symbol of the fact that the Old Testament church has gone into oblivion, and has been replaced by the New Testament one. Therefore, it is also customary to remember all departed Christians.

Traditions for Trinity Saturday

Funeral liturgies and memorial services are served in all churches on Trinity Saturday. At the liturgy you can order the remembrance of the departed. After church services, believers went to cemeteries, where they had ritual meals, commemorated deceased relatives and decorated their graves with greenery.

On the day of Ecumenical Trinity Parental Saturday, the day of remembrance of the dead takes place. Orthodox Church conducts general funeral services, praying for all previously deceased Christians, regardless of relationship. This is a designation of universal love, which does not distinguish the world between friends and strangers: “The memory of all departed Orthodox Christians from time immemorial, our father and brothers.” The name “parental” most likely comes from the tradition of calling the deceased “parents” who went to their fathers. And perhaps because they commemorated their parents first, and then all Christians.

Every year, the “Trinity” icon by Andrei Rublev from the State Tretyakov Gallery on Friday, on the eve of Trinity Parental Saturday, is transferred to the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi for four days. In the evening, on Monday, Holy Spirit Day, the shrine returns to its place.

Trinity Parents' Saturday is similar to other parent's Saturdays. It is important that on this day nothing distracts us from praying for the departed. How to spend this day correctly? In the temple, prayerfully remembering the dead who are dear to our hearts. And also - to honor their memory with good deeds, try to change yourself for the better. It will be the best gift for those who are dear to us and are behind the grave, in the face of God.

One of the oldest traditions on this day is to help the poor and needy. In addition, on this Saturday they tried to remember those who might have been offended and asked for forgiveness, and also forgave their offenders.

Since many folk holidays have always been closely associated with pagan ones, some traditions are not associated with Orthodox customs. For example, it used to be customary to decorate the graves of deceased relatives with green plants and birch branches. Most likely, this tradition came from national holiday Whit Monday.

Prayer for the departed on Trinity Saturday

“Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants: my parents, relatives, benefactors (their names) and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.”

In your prayer you must mention the names of all your deceased relatives. In order not to forget anyone, it is better to do this using a special memorial book. The names of deceased relatives are recorded in the memorial book. In Orthodoxy, believers usually conduct family memorials, according to which they remember by name many generations of their deceased ancestors both in prayer at home and during church services.