The ninth day is dedicated to nine angels who will intercede with God for the salvation of the soul of the deceased. It is believed that on the 9th day after death the soul will first appear before the eyes of God. This is an extremely important moment. It is important that on this day, relatives and friends who remained on Earth are mentally with the deceased and commemorate with prayers and kind words.
Christians believe that the death of a person is only a step towards eternity. Yes, his earthly existence is over and his body has already died. But his soul cannot disappear so easily, and it is waiting for a meeting with God. For some this may be a bright and joyful event, but for others it is very difficult at this moment because of sins committed during life.
Tests of the soul on the 9th day after death
In the Orthodox faith, the ninth day after death is very significant for the deceased. It is believed that until this moment the soul of the deceased is in Paradise and comprehends all the joys of the Heavenly Kingdom. She rests from the pain of earthly life and suffering for her sins. 9 days after death, the Lord commands the angels to bring the soul to his throne.
After a conversation with God, she goes to Hell until the 40th day , where she will prepare for the Heavenly Court. Ordeals and terrible trials await her. With the help of a guardian angel, the soul overcomes sinful temptations and torments. If she can go through all the ordeals, then her good half will defeat the evil one, the Lord will forgive her lifetime sins at the Heavenly Court.
Thus, nine days is one of the most important stages in the posthumous journey of the deceased. The support of family and friends is very important for the soul of a deceased person in order to pass difficult trials and appear before the Almighty cleansed of sins.
More about the posthumous fate of the soul in Orthodoxy
The connection between the qualities of the soul and the characteristics of dying
From an esoteric point of view, one must take it for granted that the purer the soul, the easier it leaves. However, the Dark forces will carry out many attacks on this soul, creating various obstacles in their attempts to capture it and prevent it from meeting the Lord.
On the 9th day, a departing soul that has lost energy during death requires powerful energy support:
- well, if several people pray, there will be more help;
- the soul, recharged with energy, will quickly become stronger and get used to the peculiarities of another world;
- will begin to develop faster and strive forward.
It is believed that people who have a strong attachment to material things and place of residence die hard and extremely slowly. For example, an elderly man who had been growing rare fruit trees all his life was very worried.
And, even when he was dying, he did not stop thinking about what would happen to his garden. It was very important for him whether someone would be able to look after him in the future with the same love as he did.
To avoid such excesses, relatives need to demonstrate in advance the importance of his garden to them - whitewash the trunks or trim young growth, fertilize or spray the trees.
And at the moment of death, one should burn something from the clothes of the dying person. Fire will help him break even the most powerful bindings and provide him with the missing energy necessary for the transition.
What should relatives do on day 9?
On the ninth day, the family of the deceased still cannot come to terms with the loss. The loss of a loved one brings suffering and pain. But on this day, relatives must be persistent and strong as never before. Crying, screaming and tears will not benefit the soul on the difficult path in the afterlife. Orthodoxy believes that prayer, a memorial service and kind words spoken by family and friends are more important to her.
Cards and words of condolences about death
- How to Express Condolences Sincerely
- How to respond to condolences
- Funeral cards of condolences
Prayers for a deceased spouse
Widow's prayer for her deceased husband
“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 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."
Prayer for a deceased wife
(A widower’s prayer for his deceased wife)
“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; Thus crown me with Thy eternal glory in Thy Heavenly Kingdom, with all the saints who rejoice there, so that together with them He may forever sing Thy all-holy name with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen."
Memorial service on the 9th day after death
A memorial service is a service that is similar in structure to the morning and burial rites. It is carried out on the third, ninth and fortieth day after death. To order the service you must:
- Come to church early.
- Place food on the funeral table. They represent alms in honor of the deceased. You can carry bakery and confectionery products, sugar, flour, eggs, fruits, vegetables, wine. It is prohibited to bring meat or spoiled food.
- Write a note to the priest with the name of the deceased, as well as the names of other deceased relatives and close people.
- Inform the temple minister that you want to serve a memorial service.
This service is intended to bring spiritual benefit to the dead and give comfort to the living. The funeral service lasts about 20 minutes. It begins with the chant “Trisagion” and Psalm 90. After this, the litany about the deceased, troparia, canon, chant “From the Spirits of the Righteous”, dismissal are read. During the funeral service, those who come to the temple hold candles, expressing sincere love for the deceased.
How to light candles for the repose
- First you need to go to the icon, near which there are candles for the repose and cross yourself. Most often, this is an image of the crucified Savior.
- The funeral candle must be lit from other burning candles. If they are not available, then it is permissible to use fire from a lamp. It is strictly forbidden to use matches or lighters brought with you.
- A lit candle is placed in any free place. To make it stand stable, you can pre-melt its lower edge.
- Ask God to rest the soul of a deceased person and be merciful to it. In this case, it is necessary to give the full name of the deceased.
- Cross yourself, bow to the icon and quietly move away from the lamp.
The memorial service on the 9th day can be held not only in the church, but also in the cemetery. Relatives of the deceased may invite a priest for the litia. This service is performed directly over the grave of the deceased. If it is not possible to invite a priest, you can conduct the lithium yourself.
Commemoration at the cemetery is a mandatory rite. You need to clear the grave of debris, light a candle or lamp and read a prayer for the repose of the soul. It is not advisable to eat anything at the cemetery, with the exception of kutia consecrated in the church . Drinking alcohol is strictly prohibited. There is no need to leave food at the grave - it is better to distribute treats to the hungry and poor.
What is a memory page
Prayer for the newly deceased
“Remember, O Lord our God, in faith and hope the life of Thy eternal newly departed servant (or Thy servant), (name), and as he is good and a lover of mankind, forgiving sins and consuming iniquities, weaken, forsake and forgive all his voluntary and involuntary sins, raising him up at Thy holy second coming into the communion of Thy eternal blessings, for the sake of which in Thee is the only faith, the true God and Lover of mankind.
For Thou art the resurrection and life and rest of Thy servant, (name), Christ our God. And we send glory to You, with Your beginningless Father and with the Most Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages, amen.”
Funerals on the 9th day are usually held at home
In Orthodoxy, a wake on the 9th day is a mandatory ritual. It is not customary to invite many guests to an event . It is believed that to commemorate the deceased, people must come themselves. The closest relatives and friends of the deceased are present at the wake on the 9th day
all relatives, colleagues, friends and acquaintances of the deceased are invited to the wake on the 40th day after death . The funeral ceremony on the 40th day is crowded.
An obituary, or, in old Russian, a “biography” of the deceased , today can not only be printed for guests, but also posted in the Obituary Newspaper. This will give many fellow believers the opportunity to remember the deceased with kind words and prayer .
Funeral dinner
