Prayer for the repose of the soul of the deceased - reassurance of the soul of the deceased, memorial words spoken in memory of the departed person. By praying for the repose of their relatives, remembering them in churches and temples, people not only invisibly help the dead, but also find comfort in communion with God. All this is embedded in the Christian canons, where death is given a different, non-tragic meaning.
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.
Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Holy Lady Theotokos! We resort to You, our Intercessor: You are a quick helper, our never-ending intercessor with God! Most of all, we pray to Thee at this hour: help Thy newly departed servant (Thy servant) (name) to cross this terrible and unknown path; We pray to Thee, Lady of the world, by Thy power to drive away from his (her) fear-driven soul the terrible powers of dark spirits, so that they may be confused and put to shame before Thee; free the air tax collectors from torture, destroy their councils and overthrow them as malicious enemies. Be her, O All-Merciful Lady Theotokos, an intercessor and protector from the airy prince of darkness, the tormentor and the terrible paths of the champion; We pray to You, Most Holy Theotokos, to protect us through Your honorable robe, so that He may pass from earth to heaven without fear and without restraint. We pray to Thee, our Intercessor, intercede for Thy servant (Thy servant) with Thy motherhood before the Lord with boldness; We pray to You, our Help, help him (her), who has to be judged even before the Last Judgment Seat, help him to be justified before God, as the Creator of heaven and earth, and implore Your Only Begotten Son, the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, may he rest the deceased in the bosom of Abraham with the righteous and all the saints. Amen.
Prayer to the Lord God for the repose of the departed
God of spirits, and of all flesh, having trampled down death and abolished the devil, and given life to Thy world, O Lord Himself, rest the soul of Thy departed servant (name) in a bright place, in a green place, in a place of peace, from where sickness, sorrow and sighing have escaped . Every sin committed by him, in deed or word or thought, as the Good Lover of Mankind, God forgives: for there is no man who lives and does not sin, for You are the only One besides sin, Your truth is righteousness forever, and Your word is truth. Thou art the resurrection, and the life, and the rest of Thy departed servant (name), Christ our God, and to Thee we send up glory, with Thy Beginningless Father, and Thy Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Farewell prayer for death
The Lord Jesus Christ our God, who gave the divine commandments to the saints as his disciple and apostle, to bind and solve the sins of the fallen, and from them we also accept guilt and create: may he forgive you, spiritual child, if you have done anything free in this present world or involuntary, now and ever, forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for someone who died suddenly (suddenly)
Lord Jesus Christ, Lord of life and death, Thou hast declared in Thy holy Gospel: watch, for thou knowest not when the Son of Man shall come, at that hour do not think, the Son of Man shall come. But we are earthly and sinful, having given ourselves over to the sorrows and pleasures of this life, we consign the hour of our death to oblivion, and thus we call to You, the Court of heaven and earth, suddenly, at an hour, in the future, neither in anticipation nor in imagination. Thus, Your deceased servant, our brother (name), was suddenly called to You. Unsearchable and incomprehensible are the ways of Your wondrous glance at us, O Lord the Savior! I humbly bow my head before these Thy paths, Lord Master, and I pray to Thee with my zealous faith, look down from the height of Thy holy dwelling and cover me with Thy Grace, that my prayer may be corrected before Thee, like a fragrant censer. Most merciful Lord, hear my prayer for Thy servant, according to Thy inscrutable destinies, he was suddenly condemned by death from us; have mercy and have mercy on his trembling soul, called to Thy impartial judgment at an hour he had not expected, May he not reprove him with Thy wrath, nor punish him with Thy wrath; but have mercy and have mercy on her, for the sake of Your merits on the cross and prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother and all Your saints, forgive her all sins, voluntary and involuntary, in word, in deed, in knowledge and ignorance. Even if Thy servant (name) was caught up, but rather in this life, faith in Thee and confession of Thee, the God and Savior of the world, Christ, and having trust in Thee: this faith and this hope instead of works of imputation. Merciful Lord! You do not want the death of a sinner, but you mercifully accept from him and for him everything that is done towards conversion and salvation, and you yourself arrange his path so that he may live. I pray to You, deign to remember in this way all the works of mercy and all the prayers done here on earth for Your departed servant, deign to accept my prayer for him together with the prayers of the clergy of Your Holy Church, and forgive his soul all the sins, pacify his troubled heart, spare him from eternal torment and rest him in a brighter place. For it is Yours to have mercy and save us, Christ our Savior, and to You alone befits ineffable goodness and eternal glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Prayer for the newly deceased until 40 days
During the period up to 40 days, prayers for a deceased person should be read, following certain rules. The whole point is that from the day of death the Lord calls His slave to Himself and from that moment a difficult and thorny path begins to determine the place for the soul of the deceased.
The text of the prayer, read over the body of the deceased for up to 3 days
The third day after a person’s death is called thirds. On this day, the soul of the deceased goes to heaven. Therefore, it is very important to offer prayers over the body all three days and after the funeral, so that the soul does not suffer, but receives temporary peace.
Immediately after death, a special ritual of washing and dressing the deceased is performed. After it, loved ones can read a prayer-appeal to the Guardian Angel over the body of the deceased.
It sounds like this:
“Holy Guardian Angel, you were assigned to the deceased servant of God (name of the deceased)! So I ask you not to abandon his soul during this period, protect it from evil, terrible demons; be her protector in the invisible world of spirits, take the soul of the deceased under your wing and guide her through the gates of the air; stand as an intercessor for her with God and pray to the Almighty to have mercy and forgive all the earthly sins of the servant of God (name of the deceased). Beg the Lord not to send the soul of the deceased to a place of eternal darkness, but to send it to the Kingdom of Heaven, where it will find eternal peace.”
Prayer for peace after the funeral
Prayer for repose immediately after the funeral is very important, since it is at this moment that the support of living loved ones is very important for the soul. In no case should one treat dead people carelessly, since in this case the Lord will appreciate such an attitude and will not show leniency towards the soul of the deceased at the Last Judgment.
It is believed that after the funeral it is best to read a special prayer in the temple. This is the most powerful prayer. With its help, you can beg for forgiveness of many of the deceased person’s sins that he committed during his lifetime.
The text of the prayer after the funeral is:
“Remember, Lord Almighty, in the faith and hope of eternal life, Your departed servant (name of the deceased), and as a great and merciful Lover of mankind, forgive him his voluntary and involuntary sins, weaken, forgive and forgive all his sins committed through human foolishness and inexperience, do not allow him to suffer eternal torment in fiery hell, give him communion and take him to the Kingdom of Heaven, so that he can enjoy the blessings and bounties of God prepared for those who sincerely loved the Lord, our Savior and sincerely praised His Name in their prayers. I trust only in You, Lord, only in Your truth forever and ever. Amen".
Prayer for the 9th day after death
From the third to the ninth day in heaven, the soul of the deceased is shown the tabernacles of paradise. After this, she will have to wander through hell, experiencing various ordeals. To support the soul of the deceased before the expected trials, it is recommended that a funeral be held on that day.
The prayer, which is read on the 9th day after death, sounds like this:
“God Almighty of spirits and all flesh, who trampled down death and abolished the devil himself, who gave life to the whole world! Lord, rest the soul of Your deceased Servant (proper name), as well as all those who served You by faith and glorified Your Holy Name in their prayers. Amen".
How to help the deceased?
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A grave without a censer is like a coal pit.
Russian proverb.
The fate of those who have departed is not considered decided until the general judgment. Until then, we cannot consider anyone completely condemned; and on this basis we pray, strengthened by the hope of God’s immeasurable mercy. The deceased do not suddenly get used to their new life. Even saints retain an earthiness for some time. Until it wears off, it will take more or less time, judging by the degree of earthiness and attachment to the earthly. Tretiny (the third day after death), devyatiny (ninth day) and sorochiny (fortieth day) indicate the degree of purification from earthiness. Those who have departed soon begin the feat of crossing through the ordeal. She needs help here! Stand then in this thought, and you will hear its cry to you: “Help!” - this is where you should direct all your attention and all your love for her. I think the most real testimony of love will be if, from the moment your soul departs, you, leaving the worries about the body to others, step away yourself and, secluded where possible, immerse yourself in prayer for it in its new state and new unexpected needs. Having started this way, be in a constant cry to God for help for six weeks, and beyond.
Saint Theophan, Recluse of Vyshensky (1815-1894).
It is possible to ease the punishment of a deceased sinner. If we make frequent prayers for him and give alms, then, even if he is unworthy in himself, God will hear us.
Saint John Chrysostom (407).
It is not necessary to deny that the souls of the dead receive relief from the pious when the Sacrifice of the Intercessor is offered for them or alms are given for their benefit, but such deeds of piety are beneficial only when the dead deserve to be useful.
St. Augustine (354-430).
While you, mother, are alive, you can still do a lot for your child. Pray, give liturgy and alms for him. God has no dead, everyone is alive.
Archimandrite John (Peasant) (1910-2006).
It is necessary to remember his name at the proskomedia and give alms for him to the poor, so that the mercy of God may visit his soul. From church history it is clear that commemorations and alms performed for them greatly benefit the souls of the departed.
Monk George (Stratonicus), recluse of Zadonsk (1789-1836).
We will remember as best we can on earth, and departed souls will remember us in heaven, and their heavenly prayer for us brings us much more spiritual benefit than ours for them. 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.
Venerable Anthony of Optina (1795-1865).
Relatives and friends of the deceased! Do for them what they need and what you can. Spend money not on external decorations of the coffin and grave, but on helping those in need, in memory of deceased loved ones, on churches where prayers are offered for them.
Archbishop John (Maximovich) (1896-1966).
Often death strikes a person suddenly, and he, without making any repentance, also departs with his sins. He himself can no longer help himself by any means. A person can change his fate only when he is alive, doing good deeds and praying to the Lord for his salvation. It is in such cases that prayer for the departed is very necessary and provides them with the greatest benefit. The time will come when we will see them. How joyful it will be to hear from them a word of gratitude for prayer! They will say: “Behold, you remembered me, did not forget me, and helped me in my time of need. Thank you". And on the contrary: how bitter it will be to hear a reproach for someone who did not pray for the dead! “You didn’t remember me, you didn’t pray for me, you didn’t help me in my hour of need, I reproach you.” The state of the deceased is similar to the position of a person floating on a very dangerous river. Prayer for the dead is like a lifeline that a person throws to a drowning neighbor. If somehow the gates of eternity opened before us and we saw these hundreds, thousands of millions of people rushing to a peaceful refuge, then no matter what heart would be amazed and crushed at the sight of their fellow believers and half-blooded loved ones, without words calling out to our prayer help!
Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) (XX century).
The fact that Aunt Nyura gave poor Fenya a loaf of bread does not make deceased Uncle Vasya feel any better. However, it is no coincidence that the Church teaches that alms bring great benefit to the dead, and calls us to make donations, help the poor, and care for the sick. External affairs in themselves are vain, the departed need heartfelt prayer for them, but the fact of the matter is that deep concern for our own earthly well-being has made our hearts dead and callous for prayer, almost completely incapable of it. And when we do good deeds, the soul, as it were, learns goodness from the body, softens, becomes capable of pitying both the living, who can be helped by prayer and deed, and the deceased, who only needs prayer.
Priest Konstantin Ostrovsky (b. 1954).
Venerable Athanasia, when, on the fortieth day after her death, the sisters, having counted the days, forgot to ask the priest to perform the liturgy for her repose, in the evening of the same day appeared in a sleepy vision of the abbess and denounced her for having forgotten the fortieth day after her death her, and because she gave alms for her repose not for forty days, as she bequeathed, but only nine. And in conclusion she said: “Let it be known to you that alms performed for the soul and priestly prayers propitiate God: if the souls of the departed are sinful, then through this they receive forgiveness of sins from God, and if they are pure and righteous, then those who perform remembrance on themselves through it is the mercies of God that bring down.”
Bishop Hermogenes (Dobronravin) (1893).
Just as when we visit prisoners, we bring them soft drinks and the like and thereby alleviate their suffering, so we alleviate the suffering of the deceased with prayers and alms that we perform for the repose of their souls. The prayers of the living for the departed and the services performed for their repose are the last opportunity to receive the help that God gives to the departed - before the Second Coming. That is why our Church established the consecration of the funeral coliva, funeral services, and memorial services. Funeral services are the best advocate for the souls of the departed. Funeral services have such power that they can even bring a soul out of hell. If you pray for the deceased using the rosary, then pray with him for the other deceased. Why would a train travel such a distance with only one passenger? After all, he can take others too. Do you know how many deceased people need prayer? The unfortunate are asking for help, and they have no one to pray for them! Some people very often perform a memorial service for one of their deceased relatives. But even the person for whom the prayer is being prayed does not receive help from this, because such prayer is not very pleasing to God. Since they have performed so many funeral services for this deceased, let them simultaneously pray for the other deceased. More useful than all the memorials and funeral services that we can perform for the deceased will be our attentive life, the struggle that we make in order to cut off our shortcomings and cleanse our soul. After all, the result of our freedom from material things and from spiritual passions will not only be that we ourselves will feel relief. The deceased forefathers of our entire family will also receive relief. The deceased experience joy if their descendant lives with God. If we are not in a good spiritual state, then our deceased parents, grandfather and great-grandfather, all our ancestors suffer. Look how our descendant lives! - they say and get upset. However, if we are in a good spiritual dispensation, they rejoice because they were co-workers with God in our birth and God is in some way obligated to help them.
Elder Paisiy Svyatogorets (1924-1994).
Erecting expensive monuments and decorating them as best an inventive mind can suggest, spending hundreds and thousands of rubles on them, at the same time we regret giving a beggar a pound of bread or covering the nakedness of a naked person for the sake of the soul of the deceased. Would our hearts really not be touched by compassion if we saw a child, stuck in the mud, drowning in it, and would not take him out? The child does not have the strength to crawl out of the mud on his own, and so we give him a helping hand. In the same way, the dead, being in sinful darkness, in a place of torment, are deprived of the opportunity to cleanse themselves of sins, to free themselves from a bitter fate, since after death there is no repentance. Who can help them if not the living? Meanwhile, the living, often close, even relatives, forget about them, the children of their parents, the parents of children, the brothers of sisters, the sisters of brothers forget. For the most part, everyone has one concern about appearance and about the ostentatious side, about what others can see, but their soul, their difficult fate, is on the sidelines. We must believe that when we pray for the dead, we pray at the same time for ourselves, because for our mercy towards the dead the Lord sends us His mercy, for our prayerful memory of them the Lord remembers us, in His mercy. We must believe that no good is forgotten or wasted. Especially when we pray for the souls of the departed, remembering them in our home or church prayer, accompanying this memory with alms for them - this goodness of ours is especially pleasing to the All-Merciful God, and He, in His all-wise and almighty goodness, arranges it this way: whoever prays for the dead, they will certainly also pray for them after death.
Archpriest Dimitry Bulgakovsky (1845-?).
My dear, imagine the fierce hellish abyss in which countless thousands of people are tormented without respite, among whom, of course, are our relatives, and understand how insignificant in the face of this our vanity, which takes away so much precious time from us, our wounded pride, vanity , grievances... We must forgive everyone as soon as possible, help the person and ourselves to improve, just so that neither he, nor I, nor you end up here. So that, looking at our sincere life, the Lord would want to have mercy—to take us out of hell—our deceased relatives.
Nun Nadezhda (Brenner) (1890-1983).
Help for the human soul: funeral service, memorial service, prayer for the deceased
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Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos for the newly deceased
A very strong prayer for the newly deceased is an appeal to the Most Holy Theotokos. During her lifetime, the Most Pure Virgin Mary experienced a lot of grief associated with the loss of loved ones. Therefore, her prayers always calm, but most importantly, such appeals are necessarily taken into account by the Lord when carrying out the Judgment.
Prayer for the repose of the soul of the newly deceased
Until 40 days, the prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos for the newly deceased sounds as follows:
“Most Holy Lady of Heaven, Most Holy Theotokos! I resort to You with all sincerity, Our Intercessor and Comforter: You are an ambulance, our intercessor before the Almighty Lord. Today I ask you to help the newly departed servant of God (name of the deceased) to move into the unknown world at this hour. Drive away, Most Holy Theotokos, all fears from his soul and allow it to calm down. Preserve the soul of the deceased in ordeals, do not allow evil spirits to harm the soul in search of a bright path, become protection from the prince of darkness, a terrible tormentor of souls. I pray to you, our Intercessor, to become a supporter of the soul of the deceased servant of God (name of the deceased) at the Last Judgment of the Lord. Beg your Son to forgive him all his sins and not allow him to suffer terrible torment in fiery hell. Amen".
Prayer for the newly deceased after 40 days
After 40 days, you need to pray for the repose of the deceased, turning to the Most Holy Theotokos, on special days, and also when an internal need arises for this. You don't have to visit for this. You can offer a prayer to the Most Pure Virgin Mary at home in front of her image.
The prayer goes like this:
“Most Holy Theotokos, Lady of Heaven, hear my prayer and do not refuse help. I ask you for peace of mind for myself, a servant of God (my own name), in my sorrowful hour. My prayer is also for the repose of the soul of the deceased servant of God (name of the deceased person). By your power, the Lady of Heaven, drive away the fears of the unknown world from his soul, be next to him and lead him along bright paths, bypassing all the obstacles emanating from the prince of darkness. Be, Most Holy Theotokos, the protector of the soul of the deceased servant of God (name of the deceased person) before the Lord God, the Savior of mankind and your All-Merciful Son. I pray to you, Most Holy Theotokos, with your robe to always protect the soul of the deceased servant of God (the name of the deceased person) from any unknown dangers in this world. Forgive me, servant of God (proper name), for my daring request and do not refuse me it. Pray to Thy Only Begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to give rest to the deceased (name of the deceased) Amen.”
