Prayer service in church: what is it, how to order correctly

Misconceptions and myths about magpie

You should not think that the magpie about health is taken instead of medicine.
The magical understanding of the magpie has nothing to do with its real meaning. We pray to God, submit a petition to the Church and make a bloodless sacrifice in the hope that the Lord will help our loved one overcome the illness. But it is important to remember that only the Lord knows the best for a person’s soul and an order from a soroast about health is not an unconditional guarantee of recovery. Many people mistakenly believe that giving a magpie can only be about repose, so giving a magpie about health is a bad omen. This is wrong

You can also pray for health; in addition, there is no place for superstitions in the Church. It is believed that 40 in forty is simply a “lucky number”; in fact, it did not appear by chance. It contains two numbers - four and ten (the four cardinal directions, symbolizing completeness) and ten - a symbol of ending. The number 40 appears frequently in Holy Scripture. Moses led the people through the desert for 40 days. Our Lord Jesus Christ kept forty days of fasting and prayer. Sorokoust must be served in person - another myth. Now you can order magpies from churches and monasteries online. This is very useful for those who, due to health reasons, cannot come to church themselves, but want to order a magpie for the health of their loved ones. The form of the request in this case does not matter. Superstitious people believe that if you give a magpie for the repose of an enemy while the person is still alive, trouble awaits the offender. The Church cannot support this intention, because Christianity teaches something completely different. The only one who will suffer from such an act is the soul of the person who ordered the magpie, wanting to cause harm and not help the person. There is a misconception that the magpie about health must be ordered simultaneously in three temples or seven churches, but this is nothing more than a superstition.

On what day is the magpie read for the newly deceased?

You can, as the priests say, at any time. However, it is best to order magpie as soon as possible after the person's death. After all, an important period is coming for him - going through ordeals and completing a private trial. Prayer in this case is the most effective means of helping the soul of the deceased.

After the 40th day, you can order a commemoration for six months or even for a year. Then periodically continue this good Orthodox tradition. The soul of the deceased, in human terms, will rejoice whenever it is remembered during a church service. Moreover, she will get rid of the attacks of the servants of the devil, whose goal is to lure every human soul into the abyss of hell.

No matter what time the magpie for the repose was ordered, it will in any case help the deceased in the world where he is now. After all, the deceased is awaiting the main event - the Last Judgment, at which his fate will be finally determined. And heartfelt, sincere prayer is the best guide to the Kingdom of God.

The answer to this is no. Sorokoust about repose during Lent is not read in church. This is due to the fact that during this period Divine Liturgies are not celebrated in the church every day, which means it is impossible to constantly offer prayers to God for the departed for 40 days.

However, this does not mean that you cannot pray for the dead during Lent. You can ask God to ease their fate by submitting a church note of repose. And, of course, the personal prayer of the one who submits such a note is important.

Remember, O Lord, our God, in the faith and hope of the life of Thy eternally departed servant, our brother (name), and as the Good and Lover of mankind, forgiving sins and consuming iniquities, 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 Thy eternal good things prepared for those who love Thee: even if Thou sin, yet do not depart from Thee, and undoubtedly in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Thy God in the Trinity of the glorified faith, and the One in the Trinity and Trinity in Unity, Orthodox even until his last breath of confession. Be merciful to the same, and faith, even in You instead of deeds, and with Your saints, as you are Generous, give 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 unto the ages of ages. Amen.

We recommend watching the video - “What is magpie and how to serve it?”:

How to order a prayer service in a church?

And so, first of all, this is a short prayer about any of our needs (petition), or a prayer of thanks. There is a prayer service for health, a prayer service for the beginning of the school year, a prayer service for thanksgiving, a prayer service for the gift of children, and for other occasions and needs.

A prayer service is a prayer of thanksgiving or petition to God. It can be performed either at the end of the Liturgy or as a separate sequence, which is essentially a shortened version of Matins and consists of troparions, canon, Gospel, litany and prayer. What is the form of a prayer service? This is general or private prayer in church or at home. Many people who go to church but are not initiated into church life see people submitting notes or even submitting notes themselves. So what does a piece of paper with a prayer inscription mean? Is this the prayer service itself? - ordinary people will think. No, notes are just an attribute, they are a form, and the prayer itself will be the essence of the prayer service.

A prayer service is a fervent prayer to God about something specific. If we take this into account and turn to the Holy Scriptures, then what does it say about prayer services? The Apostle James tells us in the Council Epistle, “If any of you are sick, let him call the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” James 5:14. The prayer service is usually performed in the Church. And the Church is “His body, the fullness of him that fills all in all” Eph 1:23. Therefore, in any worship and prayer service we are, as it were, a particle in the body

That is, it should be important for a Christian to participate in any Divine service, because through it we join the body of the Church, and through this we join Christ himself. Church prayer, of course, has greater grace, greater power than the prayer of one person.

Prayer for health

Order a prayer service in Jerusalem

Notes with names in the dimension of Church history began to be included quite recently, but before there were no notes. But there was a special rite of remembrance and prayer - this is the commemoration. Nowadays there are also memorials, but they are not used in the Church. The “Prayer” note is essentially a small memorial in which some names are indicated with an explanation (Servant of God, sick person, etc.). The Lord himself speaks about the power of joint prayer: “Truly I also tell you that if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in Heaven, for where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst of them” Matt. 18:19.20. that is, the Lord says that common prayer is more effective, since the Lord Himself is invisibly present in such prayer. This way the prayer reaches God faster, and the result does not take long to arrive. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is felt more strongly in common prayer, in church prayer, therefore the public prayer service in church has greater power. There are two types of prayer services: 1) prayer service of petition 2) prayer service of thanksgiving. The prayer of petition has as its goal to ask God for something specific: - blessing in business, in an undertaking - blessing in travel - help in illness - help in difficult situations and circumstances. A thanksgiving prayer is performed when a person wants to thank God for something: - about a good deed - about success at work - about recovery - about success in business.

Prayer for health

Order a prayer service in Jerusalem

Prayer notes are submitted before the Liturgy. Some people may not understand what the Liturgy is and may not pay due attention to such notes, and yet they must be submitted precisely before the Liturgy. Also at the beginning of the Liturgy at the altar for proskomedia. You need to indicate in your notes the names of the people for whom you pray (want to pray). Names are indicated in full (not Artyom, but Artemy, etc.). Explanations are made: if a person was killed, then “killed” is written next to the name. If sick, then “sick” is written next to it, etc. With the help of such a service as a prayer service, a person learns to trust in God, to entrust himself into His hands. Such a person enters the Body of Christ, that is, church life itself, and ultimately learns to communicate with God.

We advise you to study Pictures of the Baptism of the Lord

Ordering requirements in the Holy Land

Commemoration at the Divine LiturgyWater Blessed PrayerPrayer for healthPrayer for reposePrayer for healthCandle for reposeCandle for healthSorokoust for reposeSorokoust for healthPanikhida

How to order a memorial service for the anniversary of death

You should come to the church before the service and submit a note.
It is compiled, as for nine days, with the difference that it already indicates “deceased” or “of blessed memory.” They are usually received at proskomedia, masses, and litanies. After attending the service, they go to the cemetery and place flowers, sweets and cookies. Sometimes you can see whole feasts in the cemetery. According to Orthodox rules, you cannot eat in burial places. Then a funeral dinner is organized at home with the family. Before meals, the Lord's Prayer and Psalm 90 are read.

Text of the memorial service for the departed:

Watch another video about what a memorial service is:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=oFHKKuHE3Ac

What is a memorial service and when is it ordered in a church?

What is it: the answer in simple words

In Church practice, the magpie for health is a special prayer performed at the request of a believer, in which the clergy pray daily for forty days for the granting of health to the requester. The service is held in the church during the Divine Liturgy.

The essence of the special commemoration is the removal of small parts from the prosphora for each name indicated in the note submitted on 40th. The extracted parts are dipped into a cup of wine and a special prayer is read over it with a request to wash away the pressing sins from the person being mentioned.

At the end of the service, the vessel with the particles is taken out for communion, and believers have the opportunity to join the great miracle, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Since the symbolic bloodless sacrifice taking place on the altar marks Jesus’ selflessness for the entire human race, presence at the Sacrament for every parishioner is of great importance for even greater faith in the Lord.

The name “magpie” has a historical meaning and comes from the number “forty”, most often mentioned in the Holy Scriptures:

After his Baptism, Jesus spent forty days in the desert, and after his Ascension into the Kingdom of God, he initiated the Apostles into the sacrament of paradise.
Through forty days of fasting and prayer, the Lord defeated the temptation of the Devil.
The people of Judah wandered through the desert for forty days in search of a better world, and the prophet Moses kept a forty-day fast.
The Holy Apostles strengthened the law in the Church to mourn for the dead for forty days.

Since then, the Holy Church has been paying remembrance for human sins, trying to cleanse souls from evil spirits and vices. However, it is worth remembering that Church rules are observed only in relation to true Christians who lead an active church life and are present at services.

So, if a believer is absent from three services for no apparent reason, then he is considered lost to church life. It is also believed that the person in whose name the petition for commemoration is submitted does not strive for salvation, then the sacrifice of Christ becomes in vain, the Lord will not be able to save the sinner without his participation and sincere desire.

The difference between the Sorokoust prayer and the psalter for health

The main difference between the magpie and the reading of the Psalter for health is that the prayer at the magpie lasts forty days, and the reading of the liturgical book goes on continuously and is accompanied by the giving of alms. The Indestructible Psalter is considered a special prayer read in monasteries. In addition, there are a number of main differences:

Monks, as members of a community especially close to God, have a great opportunity to beg the laity.
Psalm prayer protects against the possession of demons and passions.
Commemoration takes place every day several times a day
The reading of the prayer takes place day and night.
Read for both health and peace.

Commemoration on the Psalter can be ordered for different periods, and you can also read it yourself.

Prayer in Three Churches

When a critical situation occurs in life, a person is mad with despair and it seems to him that the situation is hopeless, a magpie ordered in three or seven churches can come to the rescue.

Before submitting a petition, you should fast. Before submitting your petition, you should fast for nine days and lead a godly lifestyle, read Psalm 90, “Alive in Help.” It’s worth ordering ahead of time, preferably on the same day and in time before sunset.

Typically, believers either book a trip to holy places or choose three nearby churches. Sorokousts, ordered in three or seven churches, have great power and, as a rule, already during the service, the person in question feels the joy of being freed from the burden of doubts.

Text of the Sorokoust prayer for health

O Most Merciful God, Father, Son and Holy Soul, worshiped and glorified in the inseparable Trinity, look kindly upon Thy servant (name), who is overcome by illness; forgive him all his sins; give him healing from his illness; restore his health and bodily strength; Give him a long and prosperous life, Your peaceful and premium blessings, so that together with us he brings grateful prayers to You, the All-Bountiful God and my Creator.

Most Holy Theotokos, through Your omnipotent intercession, help me to beg Your Son, my God, for the healing of God’s servant (name).

All saints and angels of the Lord, pray to God for His sick servant (name). Amen.

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REMEMBRANCE OF THE DEAD

Why do people die?

- “God did not create death and does not rejoice in the destruction of the living, for He created everything for existence” (Wis. 1:13-14). Death appeared as a result of the fall of the first people. “Righteousness is immortal, but unrighteousness causes death: the wicked attracted her with hands and words, considered her a friend and wasted away, and made a covenant with her, for they are worthy to be her lot” (Wis. 1:15-16).

To understand the issue of mortality, it is necessary to distinguish between spiritual and physical death. Spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God, Who for the soul is the Source of eternal joyful existence. This death is the most terrible consequence of the Fall of man. A person gets rid of it in Baptism.

Although physical death after Baptism remains in a person, it takes on a different meaning. From punishment, it becomes the door to heaven (for people who were not only baptized, but also lived in a manner pleasing to God) and it is already called the “dormition.”

What happens to the soul after death?

— According to Church Tradition, based on the words of Christ, the souls of the righteous are carried by angels to the threshold of heaven, where they remain until the Last Judgment, expecting eternal bliss: “The beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22). The souls of sinners fall into the hands of demons and are “in hell, in torment” (see Luke 16:23). The final division into the saved and the condemned will occur at the Last Judgment, when “many of those sleeping in the dust of the earth will awaken, some to eternal life, others to eternal reproach and shame” (Dan. 12:2). In the parable of the Last Judgment, Christ speaks in detail about the fact that sinners who did not do deeds of mercy will be condemned, and the righteous who did such deeds will be justified: “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25). :46).

What do the 3rd, 9th, 40th days after the death of a person mean? What should you do these days?

- Holy Tradition preaches to us from the words of holy ascetics of faith and piety about the mystery of testing the soul after its departure from the body. For the first two days, the soul of a deceased person remains on earth and, with the Angel accompanying it, walks through those places that attract it with memories of earthly joys and sorrows, good deeds and evil ones. This is how the soul spends the first two days, but on the third day the Lord, in the image of His three-day Resurrection, commands the soul to ascend to heaven to worship Him - the God of all. On this day, the church commemoration of the soul of the deceased, who appeared before God, is timely.

Then the soul, accompanied by an Angel, enters the heavenly abodes and contemplates their indescribable beauty. The soul remains in this state for six days - from the third to the ninth. On the ninth day, the Lord commands the Angels to again present the soul to Him for worship. The soul stands before the Throne of the Most High with fear and trembling. But even at this time, the Holy Church again prays for the deceased, asking the Merciful Judge to place the soul of the deceased with the saints.

After the second worship of the Lord, the Angels take the soul to hell, and it contemplates the cruel torment of unrepentant sinners. On the fortieth day after death, the soul ascends for the third time to the Throne of God. Now her fate is being decided - she is assigned a certain place, which she has been awarded due to her deeds. That is why church prayers and commemorations on this day are so timely. They ask for forgiveness of sins and the inclusion of the soul of the deceased in paradise with the saints. On these days, the Church celebrates memorial services and litias.

The Church commemorates the deceased on the 3rd day after his death in honor of the three-day Resurrection of Jesus Christ and in the image of the Holy Trinity. Commemoration on the 9th day is performed in honor of the nine ranks of angels, who, as servants of the Heavenly King and representatives to Him, petition for pardon for the deceased. The commemoration on the 40th day, according to the tradition of the apostles, is based on the forty-day cry of the Israelis about the death of Moses. In addition, it is known that the forty-day period is very significant in the history and Tradition of the Church as the time necessary for preparing and receiving a special Divine gift, for receiving the gracious help of the Heavenly Father. Thus, 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 prophet Elijah reached Mount Horeb after forty days. The Israelites reached the promised land after forty years of wandering in the desert. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself ascended into heaven on the fortieth day after His Resurrection. Taking all this as a basis, the Church established the commemoration of the departed on the 40th day after their death, so that the soul of the deceased would ascend the holy mountain of Heavenly Sinai, be rewarded with the sight of God, achieve the bliss promised to it and settle in the heavenly villages with the righteous.

On all these days, it is very important to order the commemoration of the deceased in the Church, submitting notes for commemoration at the Liturgy and memorial service.

What soul does not go through ordeals after death?

- From the Holy Tradition it is known that even the Mother of God, having received notification from the Archangel Gabriel about the approaching hour of Her relocation to heaven, prostrated herself before the Lord, humbly begged Him so that, at the hour of the exodus of Her soul, She would not see the prince of darkness and hellish monsters, but so that the Lord Himself would accept Her soul into His Divine embrace. It is all the more useful for the sinful human race to think not about who does not go through ordeals, but about how to go through them, and do everything to cleanse the conscience and correct life according to the commandments of God. “The essence of everything: fear God and keep His commandments, because this is everything for man; For God will bring every work into judgment, even every secret thing, whether it is good or evil” (Eccl. 12:13-14).

What concept of heaven should you have?

— Heaven is not so much a place as a state of mind; just as hell is suffering stemming from the inability to love and non-participation in the Divine light, so heaven is the bliss of the soul stemming from the excess of love and light, to which the one who has united with Christ fully and completely participates. This is not contradicted by the fact that heaven is described as a place with various “abodes” and “chambers”; all descriptions of paradise are only attempts to express in human language that which is inexpressible and surpasses the human mind.

In the Bible, "paradise" is the garden where God placed man; The same word in the ancient church tradition was used to describe the future bliss of people redeemed and saved by Christ. It is also called the “Kingdom of Heaven,” “the life of the age to come,” “the eighth day,” “the new heaven,” “the heavenly Jerusalem.” The Holy Apostle John the Theologian says: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I, John, saw the holy city Jerusalem, new, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying: Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them; they will be His people, and God Himself with them will be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death; There will be no more crying, no crying, no pain, for the former things have passed away. And He who sat on the throne said: Behold, I am creating all things new... I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end; to the thirsty I will give freely from the fountain of living water... And the angel took me up in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, holy Jerusalem, which came down from heaven from God. It has the glory of God... But I did not see a temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb. And the city has no need of either the sun or the moon for its illumination; for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The saved nations will walk in its light...And nothing unclean will enter into it, nor anyone who practices abomination and lies, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:1-6,10,22-24,27 ). This is the earliest description of heaven in Christian literature.

When reading descriptions of paradise found in theological literature, it is necessary to keep in mind that many Church Fathers talk about the paradise that they saw, into which they were caught up by the power of the Holy Spirit. In all descriptions of paradise, it is emphasized that earthly words can only to a small extent depict heavenly beauty, since it is “inexpressible” and surpasses human comprehension. It also speaks of the “many mansions” of paradise (John 14:2), that is, of different degrees of bliss. “God will honor some with great honors, others with less,” says St. Basil the Great, “because “star differs from star in glory” (1 Cor. 15:41). And since the Father “has many mansions,” He will rest some in a more excellent and higher state, and others in a lower state.” However, for everyone, his “abode” will be the highest fullness of bliss available to him - in accordance with how close he is to God in earthly life. “All the saints who are in paradise will see and know one another, and Christ will see and fill everyone,” says St. Simeon the New Theologian.

What concept should you have of hell?

- There is no person deprived of the love of God, and there is no place that is not involved in this love; however, everyone who has made a choice in favor of evil voluntarily deprives himself of God's mercy. Love, which for the righteous in heaven is a source of bliss and consolation, for sinners in hell becomes a source of torment, since they recognize themselves as not participating in love. According to Saint Isaac, “the torment of Gehenna is repentance.”

According to the teachings of the Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, the main reason for a person’s torment in hell is an acute sense of separation from God: “None of the people who believe in You, Master,” writes the Venerable Simeon, “none of those baptized in Your name will endure this great and the terrible severity of separation from You, Merciful One, because this is terrible sorrow, unbearable, terrible and eternal sadness.” If on earth, says the Monk Simeon, those who are not involved in God have bodily pleasures, then there, outside the body, they will experience one incessant torment. And all the images of hellish torment that exist in world literature - fire, cold, thirst, red-hot ovens, lakes of fire, etc. - are only symbols of suffering, which comes from the fact that a person feels not involved in God.

For an Orthodox Christian, the thought of hell and eternal torment is inextricably linked with the mystery that is revealed in the services of Holy Week and Easter - the mystery of Christ’s descent into hell and the deliverance of those there from the dominion of evil and death. The Church believes that after His death, Christ descended into the abysses of hell in order to abolish hell and death, to destroy the terrible kingdom of the devil. Just as by entering the waters of the Jordan at the moment of His Baptism, Christ sanctifies these waters, filled with human sin, so by descending into hell, He illuminates it with the light of His presence to the last depths and limits, so that hell can no longer tolerate the power of God and perishes. Saint John Chrysostom in the Easter Catechetical Sermon says: “Hell was upset when it met You; he was grieved because he was abolished; he was upset because he was ridiculed; he was grieved because he was killed; I was upset because I was deposed.” This does not mean that hell no longer exists at all after the Resurrection of Christ: it exists, but the death sentence has already been passed on it.

Every Sunday, Orthodox Christians hear hymns dedicated to the victory of Christ over death: “The council of angels was surprised, in vain you were imputed to the dead, but the mortal fortress, O Savior, was destroyed... and freed all from hell” (from hell, who freed everyone). Deliverance from hell, however, should not be understood as some kind of magical action performed by Christ against the will of man: for one who consciously rejects Christ and eternal life, hell continues to exist as suffering and the torment of abandonment by God.

How to cope with grief when a loved one dies?

- The grief of separation from the deceased can be satisfied only by prayer for him. Christianity does not perceive death as the end. Death is the beginning of a new life, and earthly life is only a preparation for it. Man was created for eternity; in paradise he fed from the “tree of life” (Gen. 2:9) and was immortal. But after the Fall, the path to the tree of life was blocked and man became mortal and corruptible.

But life does not end with death, the death of the body is not the death of the soul, the soul is immortal. Therefore, it is necessary to see off the soul of the deceased with prayer. “Do not give up your heart to sorrow; move her away from you, remembering the end. Do not forget this, for there is no return; and you will not bring him any benefit, but will harm yourself... With the repose of the deceased, soothe the memory of him, and take comfort in him after the outcome of his soul” (Sir. 38:20-21,23).

What should you do if, after the death of a loved one, you are tormented by your conscience about the wrong attitude towards him during life?

— The voice of conscience denouncing guilt subsides and ceases after sincere heartfelt repentance and confession to God to the priest of one’s sinfulness towards the deceased. It is important to remember that with God everyone is alive and the commandment of love also applies to the dead. The deceased are in great need of the prayerful help of the living and alms given for them. A person who loves will pray, give alms, submit church notes for the repose of the departed, strive to live in a manner pleasing to God, so that God will show His mercy for them.

If you constantly remain in active concern for others and do good to them, then not only peace will be established in your soul, but deep satisfaction and joy.

What to do if you dream of a dead person?

- You don’t need to pay attention to dreams. However, we should not forget that the eternally living soul of the deceased experiences a great need for constant prayer for it, because it itself can no longer do good deeds with which it would be able to appease God. Therefore, prayer in church and at home for deceased loved ones is the duty of every Orthodox Christian.

How many days do people mourn for the deceased?

— There is a tradition of mourning for forty days for a deceased loved one. According to the Tradition of the Church, on the fortieth day the soul of the deceased receives a certain place in which it will remain until the time of the Last Judgment of God. That is why, until the fortieth day, intense prayer is required for the forgiveness of the sins of the deceased, and the external wearing of mourning is intended to promote internal concentration and attention to prayer, and to prevent active involvement in previous everyday affairs. But you can have a prayerful attitude without wearing black clothes. The internal is more important than the external.

Who is the newly deceased and ever-memorable?

— Newly deceased in church tradition refers to a deceased person within forty days after death. The day of death is considered first, even if death occurred a few minutes before midnight. On the 40th day of the Church, God (at the private judgment of the soul) determines its afterlife fate until the general Last Judgment prophetically promised by the Savior (see Matt. 25:31-46).

A person is usually called eternally remembered after forty days after his death. Ever-memorable - the word “ever-memorable” means always. And the ever-memorable one is always remembered, that is, the one for whom they always remember and pray. In funeral notes, they sometimes write “of everlasting memory” before the name when the next anniversary of the death of the deceased(s) is celebrated.

How is the last kiss of the deceased performed? Do I need to be baptized at the same time?

— A farewell kiss to the deceased occurs after his funeral service in the church. They kiss the aureole placed on the forehead of the deceased, or apply it to the icon in his hands. At the same time, they are baptized on the icon.

What to do with the icon that was in the hands of the deceased during the funeral service?

— After the funeral service for the deceased, the icon can be taken home or left in the church.

What can be done for the deceased if he was buried without a funeral service?

— If he was baptized in the Orthodox Church, then you need to come to the church and order an absentee funeral service, as well as order magpies, memorial services and pray for him at home.

How to help the deceased?

— It is possible to alleviate the fate of the deceased if you perform frequent prayers for him and give alms. It is good to work for the Church in memory of the deceased, for example, in a monastery.

Why is the remembrance of the dead performed?

— Prayer for those who have passed from temporary life to eternal life is an ancient tradition of the Church, sanctified by centuries. Leaving the body, a person leaves the visible world, but he does not leave the Church, but remains its member, and it is the duty of those remaining on earth to pray for him. The Church believes that prayer eases a person’s posthumous fate. While a person is alive, he is able to repent of sins and do good. But after death this possibility disappears, only hope remains in the prayers of the living. After the death of the body and private judgment, the soul is on the threshold of eternal bliss or eternal torment. It depends on how the short earthly life was lived. But much depends on prayer for the deceased. The lives of the holy saints of God contain many examples of how, through the prayer of the righteous, the posthumous fate of sinners was eased - right up to their complete justification.

Is it possible to cremate the deceased?

— Cremation is a custom alien to Orthodoxy, borrowed from Eastern cults and spread as the norm in a secular (non-religious) society during the Soviet period. Therefore, the relatives of the deceased, if possible to avoid cremation, should prefer burying the deceased in the ground. There is no prohibition in the sacred books to burn the bodies of the dead, but there are positive indications from Christian doctrine of another way of burying bodies - this is burying them in the earth (see: Gen. 3:19; John 5:28; Matt. 27:59-60). This method of burial, accepted by the Church from the very beginning of its existence and sanctified by it with a special rite, stands in connection with the entire Christian worldview and with its very essence - the belief in the resurrection of the dead. According to the strength of this faith, burial in the ground is an image of the temporary euthanization of the deceased, for whom the grave in the bowels of the earth is a natural bed of repose and who is therefore called by the Church the deceased (and in worldly terms, the deceased) until the resurrection. And if the burial of the bodies of the dead instills and strengthens the Christian faith in the resurrection, then the burning of the dead is easily related to the anti-Christian doctrine of non-existence.

The Gospel describes the burial order of the Lord Jesus Christ, which consisted of washing His Most Pure Body, dressing in special funeral clothes and placing in the grave (Matthew 27:59-60; Mark 15:46; 16:1; Luke 23:53 ; 24:1; John 19:39-42). The same actions are supposed to be performed on deceased Christians in the present time.

Cremation may be permissible in exceptional cases when there is no way to bury the body of the deceased.

Is it true that on the 40th day, the commemoration of the deceased must be ordered in three churches at once, or in one, but three services in succession?

— Immediately after death, it is customary to order magpies from the Church. This is a daily intensified commemoration of the newly deceased during the first forty days - until the private trial, which determines the fate of the soul beyond the grave. After forty days, it is good to order an annual commemoration and then renew it every year. You can also order longer-term commemorations in monasteries. There is a pious custom - to order commemoration in several monasteries and churches (their number does not matter). The more prayer books there are for the deceased, the better.

What is eve?

— Kanun (or eve) is a special table of a square or rectangular shape, on which there is a Cross with a Crucifix and holes for candles. Before the eve there are funeral services. Here you can light candles and put food to commemorate the dead.

Why do you need to bring food to the temple?

— Believers bring various foods to the temple so that the ministers of the Church will remember the departed at a meal. These offerings serve as donations, alms for those who have passed away. In former times, in the courtyard of the house where the deceased was, on the most significant days for the soul (3rd, 9th, 40th) funeral tables were set, at which the poor, homeless, and orphans were fed, so that there would be many people praying for the deceased. For prayer and, especially for alms, many sins are forgiven, and the afterlife is made easier. Then these memorial tables began to be placed in churches on the days of the universal remembrance of all Christians who have died since the ages for the same purpose - to remember the departed.

What foods can you put on the eve?

— The products can be any. It is prohibited to bring meat food into the temple.

Which commemoration of the dead is the most important?

—Prayers at the Liturgy have special power. The Church prays for all the departed, including those in hell. One of the kneeling prayers read on the feast of Pentecost contains a petition “for those kept in hell” and for the Lord to rest them “in a brighter place.” The Church believes that through the prayers of the living, God can alleviate the afterlife fate of the dead, saving them from torment and worthy of salvation with the saints.

Therefore, it is necessary, in the coming days after the death, to order a magpie in the church, that is, a commemoration at forty Liturgies: the Bloodless Sacrifice is offered forty times for the deceased, a particle is taken from the prosphora and immersed in the Blood of Christ with a prayer for the forgiveness of the sins of the newly deceased. This is a feat of love from the entirety of the Orthodox Church in the person of the priest who celebrates the Liturgy for the sake of the people commemorated at the proskomedia. This is the most necessary thing that can be done for the soul of the deceased.

What is Parents' Saturday?

— On certain Saturdays of the year, the Church commemorates all previously deceased Christians. The memorial services that take place on such days are called ecumenical, and the days themselves are called Ecumenical Parental Saturdays. On the morning of Parents' Saturdays, during the Liturgy, all previously deceased Christians are remembered. On the eve of parental Saturday, on Friday evening, parastas is served (translated from Greek as “presence”, “intercession”, “intercession”) - the continuation of the great requiem for all deceased Orthodox Christians.

When are Parents' Saturdays?

— Almost all parental Saturdays do not have a fixed date, but are associated with the moving day of Easter celebration. Meat Saturday occurs eight days before the start of Lent. Parents' Saturdays occur on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks of Lent. Trinity Parental Saturday - on the eve of the Holy Trinity, on the ninth day after the Ascension. On the Saturday preceding the day of remembrance of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (November 8, new style) there is Dimitrievskaya Parental Saturday.

Is it possible to pray for repose after parental Saturday?

- Yes, you can and should pray for the repose of the deceased even after parental Saturdays. This is the duty of the living to the dead and an expression of love for them. The deceased themselves can no longer help themselves, they cannot bear the fruits of repentance or give alms. This is evidenced by the Gospel parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Death is not a departure into oblivion, but the continuation of the existence of the soul in eternity, with all its characteristics, weaknesses and passions. Therefore, the deceased (except for the saints glorified by the Church) need prayerful commemoration.

Saturday days (except for Great Saturday, Saturday of Bright Week and Saturdays coinciding with the twelve, great and temple holidays) in the church calendar are traditionally considered days of special remembrance of the dead. But you can pray for the departed and submit notes in the church on any day of the year, even when, according to the charter of the Church, no memorial services are served; in this case, the names of the deceased are remembered at the altar.

What other days of remembrance of the dead are there?

- Radonitsa - nine days after Easter, on Tuesday after Bright Week. On Radonitsa they share the joy of the Resurrection of the Lord with the deceased, expressing hope for their resurrection. The Savior Himself descended into hell to preach victory over death and brought from there the souls of the Old Testament righteous. Because of this great spiritual joy, the day of this commemoration is called “Rainbow”, or “Radonitsa”.

Unction

Many people have heard about the sacrament of unction, and, as a rule, it is performed in some parishes of the Orthodox Church in the first weeks of Great Lent. Forgiveness of forgotten sins and healing from illnesses is what is widely known about the sacrament.

Unction arose in the Ancient Church. The sacrament owes this name to the number of priests who were called to perform a special rite over the sick - the “cathedral”. In extreme cases, the sacrament was performed by one priest. Prayers were said collectively (together) over the sick person, his body was anointed with oil (olive oil), and healing from physical and spiritual ailments was asked from God. Oil in the sacrament symbolically means the mercy of God, and the wine added to it is the atoning blood of the Savior.

The priest is invited to the patient’s home; after performing special prayers, he anoints the forehead, nostrils, cheeks, lips, chest, outer and back of the hands with oil in a cross pattern. The oil remaining after the sacrament is carefully stored, consumed internally with faith during illnesses, or anointed on sore spots.

Unction of the sick

The sacrament of unction is known from the letter of the Apostle James: “Is any of you sick, let him call the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord...” (James 5:14). We are talking specifically about bedridden patients. And unction in no way replaces the sacraments of confession and Communion. A relatively healthy person who is able to visit the temple of God is recommended to participate in the Divine Liturgy and there is no need to enhance the sacrament of Communion with the additional sacrament of unction.

Annual prayer services

The New Year is a special celebration celebrated in the church on the civil New Year, on the New Year according to the old style.
Thanksgiving prayer for the Nativity of Christ - served in memory of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812
The Great Blessing of Water is the feast of the Epiphany. The main one of the water-blessing prayers.
Thanksgiving on the first Sunday of Great Lent (Triumph of Orthodoxy) - in honor of the restoration of the veneration of icons in the 9th century. Christians owe this event many miraculous icons and the opportunity to pray in front of the images of the house.
Consecration of honey (Honey Savior) is a prayer service held on August 14, in memory of the “removal of the Trees of the Cross of the Lord.” During epidemics raging in the summer in the 7th and 8th centuries in Byzantium, it was customary to go around cities with a shrine - particles of the Cross of the Lord, asking the Lord for deliverance from the disease. This event has nothing to do with honey, but since honey harvesting began in Rus' by mid-August, the first fruits of the harvest were brought for blessing and donation to the church. At the water blessing service held on this day, a prayer is read for the blessing of honey.
Consecration of fruits (Apple Savior), August 19 - refers to the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. On this day, a water-blessing prayer service is served with the reading of prayers for the consecration of fruits. A separate prayer is read for the consecration of grapes; this fruit is especially revered in the Church; wine for Communion is made from it.
Nut Savior is a holiday in memory of a miracle performed by the Lord at the request of King Abgar. Wanting to have a portrait of Christ, the king sent a painter to paint Him. Taking the canvas from the artist, the Lord applied it to his face and the Most Pure Face was displayed on it. On this day, on the occasion of the ripening of nuts, the consecration of the first harvest takes place.
The beginning of the youths' teaching is a special prayer service held on the occasion of the beginning of the school year. Notes with the names of schoolchildren and students are submitted. Such prayer services are also performed in educational institutions.

We advise you to study the Morning Prayers of Optina Hermitage

You can submit health notes at any of the listed prayer services.

Types of prayer services

Doctor of soul and body

Unfortunately, over time, everyone is faced with the fact that a loved one falls ill. A competent and deeply religious parishioner, in addition to the obligatory help of medical workers, calls on the disease to recede, combining prayer with the depth of his faith. To maintain the spirit of the sick person, the parishioner chooses the most powerful prayers, the text of which emphasizes a special appeal to the Savior with a pleading request to give his loved one health.

Such prayers include the requirement “To the Doctor of Souls and Bodies,” which heals not only physically, but also mentally. An ordered prayer service with the reading of the prayer will calm the soul and soften it with repentance, give support and hope for healing.

A special commemoration of the demand for a seriously ill patient is added by a petition for proskomedia, gifts of wine and bread, where small parts are taken out from the prosphora. This is followed by the recitation of the litany, and the prayer service ends with the reading of a prayer for the restoration of the health of the sick person, “To the Physician of Souls and Bodies.” Prayer can be carried out without the participation of the patient.

About health

A prayer for health will help the patient recover faster. A prayer for health ordered in the Church has enormous beneficial power. In case of illness, melancholy or depression, notes should be submitted with the names of people to whom the requesting parishioner wishes health.

These could also be enemies with whom the praying Christian wants to stop aggressive actions. In order for the prayer to reach the Lord, you should not only leave a note, but also take part in collective prayer, expressing a sincere desire to correct the situation.

Prayer service with canon

The canon is considered the main church creation, praising the holiday or life of a saint. The canon, in combination with prayer, is allowed to be read at home, but by ordering a prayer service with the reading of the canon in the Church, the sick person gains exceptional faith in a complete recovery.

There are cases when medicine and fervent prayer brought a terminally ill patient back to life. In addition to hope, repeated recitation of the canons has a calming effect. At first, even automatic reading of the canons puts thoughts in order, but as you delve into the meaning, prayer with the canons has a beneficial effect on a sick person.

Ognevitsa prayer service

The mention of fireweed is found in the text of the prayer for health and implies the recovery of a sick person from body heat or epilepsy. And many Christians have a similar question: where can they order a prayer service to help with fever or fever?

Unfortunately, the Ognevitsa prayer service is not held in the Orthodox Church, since it has Nikonian roots and the sacrament can only be performed in pagan temples. But in the clergyman’s service book there is a section “Services for various needs. A service for the sick many or for the one,” which is included in the prayer service. It is this service that is popularly called “Ognevitsa”.

Prayer service for curse

An important prayer service and a strong prayer is a prayer service for the curse. A curse is a wish for misfortune, grief, misfortune to a person. A curse created with the help of demons - magical rituals - will have a special evil power. Every curse harms the cursed, but the one who pronounces the curse will not escape trouble and punishment. Cursing another person is a great sin. After all, the main commandment given to humanity by the Lord Jesus Christ is to love God, your neighbors and all people, even your enemies. This means that he who curses others transgresses it.

You can harm yourself, curse yourself, if you often swear and swear. Often people don’t even know that they are ruining their destiny with dark words.

According to eyewitness accounts and church traditions, there are a number of signs of the deliberate influence of dark forces designed by another person to harm you:

Ongoing difficulties in life;

Inability to build relationships with the opposite sex;

Constant difficulties in financial situation, despite all efforts;

Mental discord, depression, unstable emotional background.

However, any curse will not have its power if the person to whom evil is wished is a church member, believes in God, goes to church, attends church services and partakes of the Mysteries of Christ.

Knowing or supposing the existence of a curse is not a reason for despair. Order a prayer service for the removal of the curse and turn to God with prayer yourself. You need to order a prayer service in a church, but you should prepare for the prayer service spiritually, because prayer is not a “rite of removal of damage” that sorcerers deceive.

Believe in the existence of God as a Person, in the coming to earth and the Resurrection of His Son - the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray at home using a prayer book or find prayers on the Internet - the most common ones, for example, “To the King of Heaven,” “Theotokos, Virgin,” “Our Father”;

Reflect on your life, prepare for confession - perhaps you committed significant sins or yourself caused evil to people, accidentally or deliberately cursed them;

Then visit the temple and contact the note receiving window or church shop with a request to perform a prayer service for the removal of the curse. Prepare for the Sacraments of Confession and Communion and come to the Liturgy to confess and receive communion.

Commemoration of the living for their repose

Sometimes it occurs to some people to want to harm their neighbors. Even if a person has offended or caused suffering, he still remains a neighbor, as is repeatedly stated in the Gospel. Perhaps you want to hurt him too, but you have to fight this urge. You can only make it worse for yourself - the consequences of spiritual evil are much stronger and deeper than any physical wound. The pain will subside, the bruises will heal, and the person will take bad deeds with him into eternity.

In addition, one must understand that one cannot simply manipulate some “church energy” like that. After all, God is not stupid, not blind - He sees and knows everything. You can only deceive yourself in this way, opening the door to your own soul to dark forces. Punishment of sinners is the privilege of the Lord alone; it was given to Christ after He suffered innocently for all people. Who would dare, instead of Jesus, to arrogate to themselves the right to dispose of other people's lives? Only a very stupid or - even worse - evil person.

Ordering a magpie for the repose of a living person is a daring and undignified act. He will not be able to bring harm to anyone except the instigator himself. There is no need to be afraid - a Christian does not need any protection other than God’s, which is for all baptized people, regardless of amulets, days of the week, the number of candles and icons in the house.

How to order the magpie about health in church
How to hang icons in the house correctly - see here
How to properly place candles in church - https://bogolub.info/kak-pravilno-stavit-svechi-v-cerkvi/

Indeed, there is an invisible spiritual world. People sometimes want to believe that they are able to bend spiritual forces to their will. But true believers understand that they come from different sources. You cannot subjugate yourself to God, just like demons - flirting with them can end in obsession, the death of the soul in eternity. You should think carefully about the consequences before trying to practice magic, especially within church walls.

Death is the beginning of a new reality for the deceased. The task of the living is to support them with prayers and good deeds that are performed in memory of departed loved ones. After all, someday everyone will have to cross this line; it is better to store up treasures in heaven in advance.

Prayers - strong prayers for health

Prayer for health is the best support for the sick (sick in Church Slavonic), as well as the best medicine for any illness. After all, one of the most important aspects of treatment is the patient’s peace of mind. Rely on the will of God by turning to the Lord and His saints in prayer.

Medicines, pills and procedures may not help with a number of chronic diseases, such as neurological and oncological diseases. In such trouble, a prayerful appeal to the Lord will help.

A prayer service in the church is ordered in especially difficult cases of illness. During the prayer service, the priest prays for the sick on behalf of the entire Church. You can order a prayer for your health and for the health of sick loved ones and acquaintances.

On the temple grounds or in the temple, find a candle box (church bench). When entering the temple, cross yourself three times, repeating “Lord, have mercy on me,” “Most Holy Theotokos, save us,” “All saints, pray to God for us.” Women should visit the temple in a scarf and a skirt - in most temples both skirts and scarves can be borrowed (be careful - they are usually in boxes or drawers near the temple doors, or an employee of the church shop can give them to you).

Ask for a health note form. Write on the top of the note “To pray for health to the Lord (or: holy... Mother of God...).”

List in the note the names (in the genitive case) of the people you want to pray for. Traditionally, no more than 10 names are placed on one note, but you can write more (however, then you will have to pay for more notes - this is the traditional donation). Before the patient's name, write "sick" or "sick." You can also list the names of healthy people as a kind of spiritual prevention.

The note should list only the names of the baptized people; If in doubt, please contact the temple staff or the priest. If you yourself are not baptized, but you have health problems, perhaps this is a reason to change your life in a spiritual direction, talk with a priest, receive Holy Baptism, attend church and Sunday school.

Write names in the genitive case, that is, “About the health of (whom?) Alexei, Lydia...”.

Do not write anything other than first names, such as middle name, last name, or title.

Remember that a prayer for health is a request for physical and spiritual health. Therefore, you can order a prayer service for your enemies, for loved ones who suffer from unpleasant emotional reactions and suffer from sins. So we ask the Lord to help such people, so that He Himself touches their hearts.

Your note will be read during a separate short service after the big morning service - the Liturgy.

We advise you to study Prayers for passing the driving test

Try to find out the time of the prayer service and attend it: church prayer is not a ritual, it is a living appeal to God in which you should participate. You need to pray with concentration, trying to understand the words of the prayers.

In addition to the prayer service, you can also order a sorokoust for health: this is the remembrance of a person in the temple for forty Liturgies. Such notes are transferred directly to the altar before the service.

Memorial service

A memorial service is also a funeral service, only it is served an unlimited number of times, possibly daily. We say goodbye to the deceased once, during the funeral service, but we need to pray for the repose of the soul of a loved one for the rest of our lives.

Usually a memorial service is performed in the next 3 or three days after death, 9 and 40 days after it. Then on significant dates for the deceased: the anniversary of death, birthday, name day. It is not forbidden to serve a memorial service at home, at a grave or in a church. The requiem in an abbreviated version is called litia, and any baptized person can read it.

Sorokoust

A special prayer for health or repose, read for 40 days, is called Sorokoust. This is an intense prayer for the health of a seriously ill person or the repose of a deceased child of the Church of Christ. It is believed that if Sorokoust is read in three churches at the same time, the effect of the prayer service is further enhanced.

Sometimes this prayer service is called “church magic.” Orthodox believe that this type of prayer best helps to cope with various misfortunes. Sorokoust also helps against the evil eye and damage. If there is any person who wishes you harm, then if you order a 40-day prayer for his health, then the evil will definitely return back to him without harming you at all. Only the priests warn that you definitely need to forgive this person.

Prayer for health and other needs

One of the most common requests is a prayer for health. “Go order some health care” - you probably heard two women over fifty in a conversation in a hospital queue or other public place, actively discussing personal problems.

During prayer services, believers ask God for help in their needs or give thanks for a gift that has already been sent. At prayer services for health, the priest and parishioners pray to God or His saints for the health and preservation of people, whose names are first written down on a special piece of paper.

Sample of filling out notes for health and peace

At a certain moment, the priest pronounces the names, and the believers silently prayerfully ask the Lord to grant health to a loved one. The same thing happens at prayer services dedicated to other requests, or aimed at praying to a specific saint, icon, holiday, during which believers silently pray for their needs. It happens that a priest is invited to a house and he serves a prayer service there. As a rule, all prayer services end with the sprinkling of believers with holy water.