What to do with the icon from the coffin after
The burial ceremony involves the presence of a cross with a crucifix in the hands of the deceased. The icon is placed on the side of the deceased. During the funeral service and funeral, she is in the coffin as close as possible to the body of the deceased.
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Church canons dictate that after the funeral of the soul, relatives bidding farewell to the deceased press their lips to the aureole on his forehead, and then, having crossed themselves, kiss the face of the saint on the icon.
At the end of the funeral, the face of the deceased is covered and the coffin lid is closed.
The icon that was in the hands of the deceased has enormous power and the relatives decide on their own whether to leave it in the coffin or take it home after the funeral.
Church opinion
Religious scriptures do not talk about prohibitions regarding the icon, which was in the hands of the deceased during the funeral rite.
The clergy note that, based on the traditions of a particular parish, the saint’s face can be left in the coffin, buried with the deceased, or taken home after the funeral service.
At the end of the funeral, the attribute that the deceased had is used:
- Believers often leave the icon in the church where the funeral service was held for 40 days. It is believed that the attribute helps the soul go through all the ordeals before entering the gates of heaven. Religion does not see anything reprehensible in the fact that relatives do not leave the icon in the coffin with the deceased at the funeral. If, after the funeral service, a relic with the face of a saint or guardian angel is taken out of the coffin, then it can be given to the temple named after the saint depicted on it. After the prayer service on the 40th day, she is taken home or left at the temple.
- The icon is buried with the deceased during the funeral. The Church allows this, the deceased in the coffin is wrapped in a cloth with a crucifix, crowned with a forehead crown with the face of Christ, the burial of religious relics is permissible.
Icons
Icons on metal can be made with holes for mounting on a monument. It is possible to produce various icons from files and images provided by the customer.
Visit to the cemetery. Icons on the grave. Words of prayer
Anyone who experiences the death of a loved one for the first time inevitably has many questions. What is the right way, according to tradition, to see him off on his last journey and how to honor his memory in the future? Is it necessary to regularly visit a grave in a cemetery or is it enough to just pray for the deceased in church? There is a clear answer to these questions in the Orthodox tradition: visiting the cemetery by relatives and caring for the grave are necessary. The grave is the place of future resurrection, so it is necessary to keep it clean and tidy.
By caring for the grave of a loved one, we pay tribute to his memory and respect. However, this is not all the responsibilities of those who have suffered a loss. Their most important duty is prayer. It should be offered not only in the temple, but also on the grave of the deceased. You should not devote your time in the cemetery to “talking” with the deceased. The only words his soul can hear are the words of prayer.
The Church tells us that the death of a person is his new birth, but already a birth for Eternal Life. The symbol of this birth is the white robes that the priest wears at the funeral service. These are the clothes that church ministers put on for the baptismal ceremony. Today it seems surprising that in the days of the first Christians it was customary not to mourn, but to rejoice at the death of one of the community members. Many relatives of the deceased, grieving for them, are actually mourning not them, but their own loss. Of course, separation from a loved one caused by death is a great challenge. However, every Orthodox Christian must overcome this pain, understanding that the deceased does not leave us forever and a spiritual connection will remain with him. This connection will manifest itself in prayers and in those good deeds that we will perform in memory of loved ones who have left us. A great consolation for all the departed are the mercies performed in their honor. We are not doing the deceased any favors when we simply go to their graves and engage in meaningless dialogues with them. But by performing prayer and good deeds, we contribute to the comfort of the soul of the deceased.
Icons on a child's grave
Often parents of deceased children bring toys to their graves. Thus, they seem to bring a part of the inner world of the deceased child. In fact, this is not beneficial either for the soul of the deceased or for the soul of the parents themselves. Such external manifestations of grief distract from what is most important - prayer. Placing an icon on the grave would be more consistent with church traditions. And instead of indulging in grief, you can bring the priest to the child’s place of calm so that he can pray for his soul. The Church believes that all the souls of babies have already been delivered from suffering, so parents should not worry about their fate.
The main icon in the cemetery, to which all prayers are addressed, is the icon of the Savior. It was this icon that Christian believers carried in front of the coffin of the deceased in ancient times. The Orthodox icon is the main attribute during the funeral service for the deceased.
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Often in cemeteries you can see huge expensive monuments, sometimes entire sculptures installed on the grave - this is not bad, no, on the contrary, it is very good that relatives remember the deceased, and thus express their love and grief for the deceased. But if you look at it, monuments are more likely for living people; the deceased have no use for monuments - he no longer cares about worldly vanity and vanity. But what the deceased really needs is the best prayer. It is necessary that relatives, while installing all these expensive monuments, do not forget to read Christian prayers for the soul of the deceased.
How can prayer help a dead person?
When a person has crossed the brink of death, from that moment on he can no longer change anything for himself. But this does not mean that it is impossible to help him. We can help; it is the Orthodox understanding of the afterlife that contains the most optimism compared to other faiths. Orthodox prayer can help the deceased, or rather his soul. Through our prayers, the Lord has mercy on sinful souls and leads them out of hell. In addition to our own and church prayer, the deceased can be helped by our good deeds done in his honor. Thus, when giving alms, you need to mentally say, turning to the Lord, “accept this in memory of such and such a person.” If you want to give alms, give so much that the person will have joy and a desire to pray for the deceased with gratitude, and not bitterness from your petty giving.
Is it possible to read a prayer to a dead person who committed suicide?
The Church does not offer prayers for suicide dead, with only two exceptions:
if the sin of suicide was committed by a mentally ill person in an insane state;
- if the suicide, after committing it, did not die immediately, but managed to repent of the sin he had committed.
In all other cases, only his relatives can help the soul of a suicidal sinner. And although church prayers are not read for such people, relatives, with the blessing of the priest, can read a Christian prayer for a deceased person who committed suicide at home.
Text of the Orthodox prayer for the deceased.
Remember, O Lord our God, in the faith and hope of the eternal life, your departed servant, our brother (name), as he is good and a lover of mankind, forgiving sins and consuming iniquities, weaken, forgive and forgive all his sins, voluntary and involuntary, deliver him from eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna and grant him the communion and pleasure 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, God, You are glorified in the Trinity, faith and one in the Trinity and the Trinity in one, Orthodox, even until your last breath confession. In the same way, be merciful to him and awaken faith in You, instead of deeds and with Your Saints, as you are generous, give rest. There is no man who will live and not sin; but You are the only one apart from all sin, and Your righteousness is righteousness forever; and You are the only God of mercies and generosity and love for mankind; and to You we ascribe glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
What to do with the image after the farewell ceremony?
Representatives of the clergy do not give a clear answer to this question. It is better to consult with a clergyman whom the person trusts.
The icon can be left in the coffin and the deceased can be buried along with the image.
Or you can leave the item in the temple for forty days while funeral prayers are read. And then take it home and place it on the iconostasis. On the day of death and birth of the deceased, the image is used for funeral prayer. A consecrated icon taken from the tomb will not harm people. It's just a superstition. If an icon brings sad thoughts to the loved ones of the deceased, there is no need to burn or throw it away. It is better to donate the image to the temple.
Is it necessary to take the icon from the coffin before burial?
Among the things that Russian people place in the coffin of a deceased person before burial, various icons are very often found. An icon is placed in the coffin so that the saint depicted on it can protect the soul of a deceased person during its wanderings in the afterlife. As the Holy Scripture says: “If a man dies, can he live again? All the days of my slavery I will wait until my deliverance comes” (Job 14:14).
At the same time, many people argue about whether it is necessary to put the icon in the coffin at all. Very often, small images of saints are placed on the chest of the deceased, but they are removed before burial. The relatives of the deceased keep such an icon at home after the funeral. But burying a person together with an icon is also not considered a mistake. According to Archpriest Andrei Efanov, it is impossible to put other things in the coffin except an icon, a cross and a white veil.
If a woman dies, then an icon with the image of the Mother of God is most often placed in the coffin. If the deceased is a man, then an icon of the Savior is placed next to him. But this is not a rule, and the relatives of the deceased should decide which icon to put in the coffin.
For example, if relatives know that during his lifetime the deceased especially revered a saint, then they can put an icon depicting the latter in the coffin. Also suitable for this is an icon of the saint on whose day the deceased was born. If a person performed a wedding ceremony, then before burial you can put one of those icons near him that were once used at weddings and are now kept at home.
Also, the icon in front of which prayers were said during the funeral service is often placed in the coffin. It is up to the relatives of the deceased to decide whether to take it from the coffin or not. If you decide to take the icon out of the coffin and keep it at home, then it will become a real shrine for the whole family, its amulet.
In principle, there is no single rule regarding which icons should be placed in the coffin. If difficulties arise with the choice, the relatives of the deceased can consult with people more experienced in religious matters. But in any case, at least a small icon must lie on the chest of the deceased, at least until all the rituals before burial are completed. After this, the relatives of the deceased have the right to decide for themselves whether to leave the icon in the coffin or take it home.
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