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Funeral prayer for repose
Orthodox Christianity, like any religion, is built on communication with God through prayer. The prayer can be a request for the granting of health, success, a peaceful journey, as well as a prayer for the repose of the soul of the deceased. In general, in Orthodoxy it is customary to constantly, if not daily, pray for the departed. It is believed that the Lord forgives the sins of those who pray for the souls of the dead, since they themselves can no longer change the situation in which they find themselves in the afterlife. Funeral prayer is an opportunity to atone for sins committed during life.
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 pray for an unbaptized mother?
It happens that children belong to the bosom of the Orthodox Church, but their parents never accepted baptism, leaving life not aligned with God. How to pray for the deceased mother in this case? After all, everything that we told earlier is done only for Orthodox Christians who have been baptized. Is it really possible to leave mom’s soul without repentance and prayer?
These questions, as it turns out, worry many parishioners of the Orthodox Church. On this score, clergy advise praying at home in your own words. This cannot be done within the walls of the temple. Also, if you wish, you can read a prayer to Saint Uar, but, we repeat, this can only be done at home.
Our parents were always by our side during life, and they do not leave their children even after leaving life. Often it is through their prayers that we cope with our troubles and life’s trials, so our primary duty is to ask God for the souls of our mothers and fathers.
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.”
What prayer to read at home?
Prayer for the deceased mother should be daily for up to 9 days. It is best to read the following text, which we present in full without abbreviations.
The same prayer must be said on all days of commemoration of the deceased mother. This is usually done on the ninth and fortieth day. In the future, the deceased is remembered on specially designated church holidays and on the anniversary of death.
On such days, you need to come to the grave of your loved ones and read a prayer there or at home if you cannot get to the cemetery.
Prayer for a deceased spouse
For any woman, her husband is support, support, a person who gives her a feeling of security and love. Losing a spouse is difficult. In order to come to terms with the loss, you will have to work hard on yourself and wait for the pain to subside. But at the same time, everyone should never forget how important the support of the living is for those who have passed on to another world. And the wife, as one of the people closest to a man, can contribute to the salvation of the soul of her loved one. To do this, it will be enough to strengthen your faith and, cultivating it inside, ask the Lord mentally and out loud to grant salvation to the lost.
We are all sinners, and no matter how many sins the deceased husband has committed, it is necessary to pray for him, remembering that God is merciful. You can supplement the prayer for a deceased partner with other prayers that we usually use in the first days after the death of a loved one. The more often and sincerely you turn to the Savior with such a prayer book, the better for the soul of your loved one.
A short prayer for the departed
The number of prayers for any occasion is truly impressive. The mourner has the opportunity to read a prayer dedicated to the deceased, taking into account their family connection, universal prayers, including a short one that anyone can remember without any problems. It is useful to say it whenever the deceased is mentioned during a conversation with someone.
There are several versions of such prayer forgiveness, any of them is suitable for the period before burial, for the period of the first 9 and 40 days from the date of death of a person. Regardless of which Orthodox Christian chooses, it must be pronounced thoughtfully, slowly, trying to open up to the Lord with both heart and soul. Only then will a conversation with God help the deceased who is going through ordeals in another world.
Another one:
Prayer for a deceased wife
It is difficult to imagine what a man’s life would be like without a faithful woman by his side, ready to give him her love, affection and care every minute. Losing all this when faced with the death of a partner is difficult. No matter how hard this blow may be, finding time to pray is essential. It is through the prayer of the living that the departed find salvation and gain eternal life next to our Savior. You can pray in your own words, but a prayer written specifically for the repose of the soul of his wife will be much more effective for a man. You need to read it, like any other, having cleared your heart and mind, slowly, so that you can think about every word spoken. The prayer books for a deceased husband and wife are essentially identical, but each option is adapted taking into account the person about whom the Orthodox will have a conversation with the Lord.
It is not necessary to memorize all the lines, especially since such a prayer is larger in volume than the traditional one, which is read in the first 9 and 40 days after the death of a person.
