Sooner or later, a person asks the questions: “what happens to the soul after death?”, “Does another world and reincarnation exist?” The answers are given by world religions, philosophers, and scientists.
Some people are convinced that there is nothing besides the physical body, and after death the very existence of the individual ceases. But testimonies from survivors of clinical death claim the opposite. The fact that in nature there is a law of conservation of energy also makes us think about the immortality of the soul.
Death is a continuation of life
In man, two natures are combined: material (body) and spiritual (soul and spirit). As long as these two principles are in unity and interconnection, a person lives. But everyone’s earthly life sooner or later ends in death (separation of the soul from the body). So the anniversary of death and the prayers associated with it are relevant for everyone.
Death befalls anyone, regardless of nationality, place of residence, social status in society, or material well-being. This is a consequence of the fall of the first people (Genesis 2:17). Man was originally created for immortal life. But the violation of God’s commandment about the forbidden fruit was a consequence of a proud desire for independence from the Creator. This was a manifestation of the inner desire to be like a god.
“In the day that you eat of them, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).
Prayer for the departed
Man's alienation from God has deprived him of God's grace. To prevent man from remaining in this state forever, death entered the world.
“The man suffered death, but even in this case God showed him a great benefit, precisely by not leaving him to remain in sin forever. God expelled man from paradise, as if into exile, so that man, within a certain time, would cleanse his sin and, admonished by punishment, be returned to paradise again. If a defect is discovered in a vessel just made, it is refilled or remade so that it becomes new and whole; the same thing happens to a person in death. For this reason, he is crushed by its power, so that during the resurrection he may appear healthy, that is, pure, righteous and immortal” (St. Theophilus of Antioch, 2nd century).
Scientific views
It must be said right away that this is the most difficult moment to date. Science is very conservative. And what should it be called? A set of generally accepted ideas about the world. This is roughly how dictionaries interpret science. There is subtlety in general recognition. The right to approve or reject theories and ideas is acquired only by a person who has received an education and has written some works. That is, in order to draw universally accepted conclusions on any scientific topic, you yourself must be recognized in this circle. And who will talk to a marginalized person who preaches revolutionary ideas? Try, break through the barriers of conservatism of scientific views.
Death as a transition to eternity
After death, the human body undergoes decay and destruction. The soul, as Orthodoxy teaches, is immortal.
“If a person dies, this does not mean that his soul ceases to exist. The body is destroyed, but the soul is immortal. She is alive, although she does not live with us, she lives a different life, just as the saints live a different life” (St. Luke of Crimea, 1877-1961).
Depending on the spiritual quality of life lived on earth, the fate of the soul in the world is determined. She either finds heaven by being with the Creator and all the saints. Or he ends up in hell, where he is tortured. Moreover, the suffering of the soul does not consist of physical pain like “frying in a frying pan.” This is a state of distance from God.
“Just as the blind, who do not see the shining sun, although completely illuminated from all sides by it, are nevertheless outside the light, being removed from it by sense and sight. So the Divine light of the Trinity is in “everything.” But sinners, imprisoned in darkness, and among him will not see him and have absolutely no divine knowledge and feeling, but scorched and condemned by their own conscience, they will have unspeakable torment and inexpressible sorrow forever” (Rev. Simeon the New Theologian).
Death represents the transition to eternity. This is a great secret. Man's earthly path is only a preparation for eternal life. Therefore, death is not the end, but a continuation of this life.
“Death is terrible and terrible for those who do not know the highest wisdom, for those who do not know the afterlife, for those who consider death the destruction of being, of course, for such, death is terrible, its very name is murderous. But we, who by the grace of God have seen His unknown and secret wisdom, and who consider death to be a migration, should not tremble, but rejoice and be complacent, because we leave this corruptible life and move on to another life, endless and incomparably better” (St. John Chrysostom, 347-407 ).
Witness testimony
This is where the fun begins. In reality, there are people who managed to return to life after death. Medicine is developing quite well. Now clinical death is not a reason to prepare a funeral. A lot of people are being taken out of it. And sometimes they say things that make the religious leaders’ hair stand on end. Many people describe a corridor or tunnel along which an unknown force carries them towards the light. Others claim that they saw everything that was happening to their body as if from the outside. Can this be explained from a conservative point of view? Moreover, it is difficult to call this evidence fiction. People told subtleties that they could not learn from others. It turns out that stopping the functioning of the body does not destroy another part of the personality. She exists! Maybe not for long? Let's understand further.
The fate of the human soul after death
After the death of a person, the immortal soul lives separately from the body. The final decision about her afterlife, according to the teachings of the Church, will be made at the Last Judgment. But on the 40th day after death, a private trial (preliminary) takes place.
“On the 40th day after death, the location of the soul in eternity is determined until the Last Judgment. This is called "private judgment" when God determines the place where the soul will be. The prayers of the living for a departed person are especially needed if unrepentant sins are such that there is no room in the soul for a bright eternity. Then we can actively help the newly deceased. That is, prayer, alms in memory of him, good deeds, participation in the sacraments.
A private trial involves a person meeting with himself. With himself as he was called to be in God’s plan for him. When these horizons of holiness and grace are opened to a person, he becomes ashamed of the way he came to this judgment. For all your falls and passions, baseness and self-justification. For the time lost and the people erased from his heart, whom he was called upon not to reject, but to warm with his love and attention. Demons lay claim to his soul. Angels protect her” (hieromonk Dmitry Pershin).
Innovative approach
But there were people who decided to take this desperate step. Thus, the experiment of American specialists is widely known. They weighed a person at the time of death. It has been empirically proven that the mass decreases by a small amount. From this the conclusion was drawn about the existence of the soul. Then, unfortunately, there are continuous theories that have no evidence. Science today cannot answer what happens to a person after death. Photos distributed online are unlikely to be real evidence. For a fact to become recognized, it must be confirmed by scientific men with unquestionable authority. So far none have been found.
The dead await the Last Judgment
In anticipation of the general resurrection and God's final judgment, the human soul finds the bliss and pleasure of heaven or is subjected to torment in hell. Moreover, the Church recognizes the existence of heaven and hell as real. However, they are not material, but spiritual in nature.
“Since passions are not natural to the soul, but enter into it through our love of sin, then, because of this very unnaturalness, they will torment and burn the soul. Passions: these are the internal thirsts, kindlings, lusts of the sin-loving soul; If you satisfy them, they will remain silent for a while, and then again, with even greater force, they demand satisfaction for themselves and do not give rest until they receive it. In the same world there will be nothing to satisfy them, because all objects of passion are earthly objects. They themselves will remain in the soul and will demand satisfaction for themselves, and since there is nothing to satisfy them, the thirst will become stronger and more tormenting. And the longer the soul lives, the more it will languish and be tormented by unsatisfied passions; this incessant torment will continue to grow and grow, and there will be no end to this growth and intensification. This is hell! Envy is a worm, anger and rage are fire, hatred is gnashing of teeth, lust is pitch darkness” (St. Theophan the Recluse).
Esoteric theory
The idea of multidimensional space arose a long time ago. Esotericists claim that a person lives in several worlds at once. But we are clearly aware only of ours, the physical. They introduced the concept of subtle bodies. In their opinion, emotions, thoughts, feelings create their own realities. Each person has his own space, which is multidimensional. It doesn't collapse. Vice versa. The more people are born, the more expansive the energetic universe becomes. This can be imagined as a set of transparent spheres located in infinite space.
They intersect, overlap, push, create separate clusters and constantly interact with others at incredible speed. Let's return to physical death. While a person lives, he fills his worlds with what he does on the planet. Thoughts, actions, intentions, words, emotions, decisions, and so on go there. And when the body stops working, the soul enters the space created during life. What you earn is what you get. Agree, it intersects ideologically with the religious concept of sin. A person prays, cleanses his worlds, fills them with light. And when he gets angry, offended, hates, he prepares himself for torment.
Death anniversary: why pray for the deceased
Alleviation of the afterlife fate of the soul before the Last Judgment is possible through the prayers of living people. Prayer is the connection between the living and the dead. “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for with Him all are alive” (Gospel of Luke 20:38).
“Just like when we visit prisoners, we bring them soft drinks and the like and thereby alleviate their suffering. We also 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. After the final Judgment, they will no longer have the opportunity to receive help” (St. Paisius the Svyatogorets).
For deceased people, help and support for those currently living on earth is very important. And these are not expensive tombstones or death anniversaries with lavish wakes. They need heartfelt prayer for the repose of their souls, for the forgiveness of sins.
“They come to their senses and ask for help, but they can no longer help themselves. Those who are in hell would like only one thing from Christ: that He would give them five minutes of earthly life to repent. We who live on earth have a reserve of time for repentance. And the unfortunate deceased can no longer improve their situation themselves, but expect help from us. Therefore, we are obliged to help them with our prayer” (St. Paisius the Svyatogorets).
Only the prayers of believers can change the fate of the deceased for the better. According to the testimony of the Holy Fathers, there are many known cases of sinners begging from hell.
In the Alphabetical Patericon (4th-5th century) there is a story about Saint Macarius of Egypt.
“One day, while walking through the desert, he saw a skull lying on the sand and, touching it with a stick, asked: “Who are you?” The skull answered: “I was the priest of the idolaters who lived in this place. And you are Abba Macarius, who has the Holy Spirit within you. When, having mercy on those who are in eternal torment, you pray for them, they receive some relief."
Anniversary of death
The Holy Church performs funeral services (Liturgies, memorial services) several times a year. But relatives can privately pray especially on memorial days for the deceased. These include the 3rd, 9th, 40th day, death anniversary.
“Perform the thirds of those who have fallen asleep in psalms, readings and prayers for the sake of the Risen One on the third day, and the tithes in remembrance of those who have fallen asleep here, and the fortieths according to the ancient model, for this is how the people of Israel mourned Moses, and the anniversary in memory of the deceased. And let them distribute from his property to the poor in remembrance of him” (Book of Apostolic Constitutions, 8:42).
It is common for a person to experience a dulling of grief over the years. But this is not a reason not to remember the dead even after many years have passed from the date of death. For Christians there should always be a “day of remembrance”. Therefore, within the family circle, they pray for deceased relatives every day.
“Orthodox Christians do not part with their loved ones even after their death. Every day, remembering the departed in our morning and evening prayers, we fit them into the circle of our lives. It’s as if they suddenly left for a distant land, and we just haven’t seen them for a long time. But at the same time, we hope, we really believe that someday we will definitely meet them. With those whom we love so much, and who love us so much... Because God loves us all” (Priest Andrei Tkachenko).
What happens to a person when he dies
Having completed his life's journey, a person dies. From the physiological side, this is the process of stopping all systems and processes of the body: brain activity, breathing, digestion. Proteins and other substrates of life decompose. Approaching death also affects a person's emotional state. There is a change in the emotional background: loss of interest in everything, isolation, isolation from contacts with the outside world, conversations about imminent death, hallucinations (past and present are mixed).
Death anniversary: how to properly remember the deceased
How to remember a deceased person on the anniversary of his death? This question naturally arises before close relatives. Death anniversaries and memorials should not be reduced to the performance of established rituals. Visiting a cemetery or setting a table is, of course, important. But the most important thing is prayer, asking the Lord for mercy for the Kingdom of Heaven. Prayer can be private, at home. But it is better to order a memorial in a church or monastery (consult with the priest).
What do they order in the temple on the anniversary of death? On this day, you should order a commemoration in the church at the Divine Liturgy. This is the most important and important thing for the souls of already dead Christians. During the preparatory part (Proskomedia), the priest removes particles from the prosphora. At the same time, living and deceased Christians for whom notes were submitted are remembered in prayers. The removed particles are dropped into the Chalice with the Blood of Christ for Communion. The priest pronounces the prayer: “Wash away, O Lord, the sins of those remembered here by Thy Honest Blood, by the prayers of Thy saints.”
“The commemoration of the living and the dead at the proskomedia and after the consecration of the Gifts, although unspoken, in its meaning, strength and effectiveness cannot be compared with any other prayerful commemorations: health prayers, memorial services for the dead or any other pious deeds in memory of the living and dead" (St. Afanasy Kovrovsky, 1887-1962).
The anniversary of death is a good reason to honor the memory of the deceased and prayerfully help him. A memorial service (special memorial service) can be ordered on this day. It can be performed not only in the temple, but also in the cemetery near the grave. To do this, you should contact the church in advance and submit a special note with the name of the deceased.
You can also give alms for the repose of the soul of the deceased. This is a kind of request to other people to pray for the deceased. Moreover, the anniversary of death is not the only reason for almsgiving - it must be done constantly.
Edgar Cayce and his theory
The predictions of this seer are now familiar to everyone. The world is shaking, I want to find support. So people study the activities of individuals who had greater abilities than themselves. The words of Edgar Cayce about death and life, however, are not so widely known. And the seer claimed back in 1932 that the time would come when this secret would be revealed. Cayce spoke of true immortality. However, not in the physical body. Death is just a transition of the individual to another state. This is not a tragedy, as they now believe. This is a stage in the development of every person. But because there is an impenetrable barrier between the periods of life and “death,” people do not realize this. Maybe only subconsciously. Cayce also argued that you can communicate with the soul after death. The great Vanga also had such a gift.
Prayer for the departed
Remember, O Lord our God, in faith and hope the life of your eternally departed (before the 40th day from the day of death - newly reposed) Thy servant (Thy deceased servant, Thy departed servant) (name), and as You are Good and Lover of Mankind, forgiving sins and consuming untruths , weaken, forsake, and forgive all his (her) voluntary and involuntary sins, raising him (up) at Your holy second coming to the communion of Your eternal blessings, for the sake of which there is only faith in You, the true God and Lover of mankind; for Thou art the resurrection and the life and the rest of Thy servant (name), Christ our God, and to Thee we ascribe glory, with Thy beginningless Father, and with the Most Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages, Amen.
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