Chapter 4. Ordeal (private trial after death), The secret life of the soul after physical death

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Today there are quite a large number of variations in what happens to the intangible essence of a person after his death. In the Orthodox religion, it is generally accepted that she is destined to undergo certain tests, namely the posthumous ordeals of the soul, which represent a kind of purification procedure that is quite significant before meeting the Almighty. The duration of this period is 40 days. But you can find out in more detail what ordeals are, what they are like and how the soul goes through them from the source described below .

Tests after death

It is worth noting that there are only 20 trials, but they should not be confused with sinful acts, because this is not the number of offenses, but the passions themselves, which may include various vices. Below is a description of the ordeals of the soul that it goes through for forty days:

Pride.
Fornication is the sin of a man and woman who entered into a sexual relationship before marriage, including various dreams and thoughts of a depraved nature.
Murder (this also includes abortion and suicide);
Rage and anger – that is, a manifestation of short temper, irritability, a thirst for revenge and aggression towards both people, animals and inanimate objects.
Bribery and extortion - these include investing money in dishonest affairs, appropriating someone else’s property, taking part in any games or sweepstakes on the stock exchange, as well as engaging in speculation and bribery.
Envy. During life, a fairly large number of people show concern for the success of others, craving for their fall from the pedestal. In most cases, a person even feels joy from the fact that others have a lot of troubles and problems, which is precisely what is called the sin of envy.
Theft - this includes not only the sin when a person intentionally steals, but also takes into account if he borrowed money and subsequently did not return it.
Laziness - people who did nothing all the time, received payment for unfulfilled work and were lazy will feel the ordeal of the soul after death.
Summoning demonic forces and sorcery.
Stinginess and the passion of love of money - such punishment will be experienced by those who pretended, turned away from the Almighty, rejected love and were deliberately stingy in relation to people who really needed help.
In the 40 days after death, the ordeal of the soul also includes slander with condemnation, that is, if a person throughout his entire life has spread gossip about others and condemned them, then his immaterial essence will experience trials as an enemy of the Lord.
Idle talk - this includes gratuitous songs and laughter, as well as empty conversations.
Gluttony - this passion includes alcoholism, gluttony, failure to fast and eating without saying prayers.
Lie - a person is subjected to such a test if he misled people, lied in confession and uttered the name of the Almighty in vain.
Resentment.
Not true.
The sin of Sodom is sexual relations between relatives, as well as unnatural relationships such as bestiality and lesbianism.
Unmerciful.
Heresy is an incorrect interpretation of faith, mockery of sacred things.
Adultery.

The best article for you, go to: What is the tabernacle?

The Lord is always with you!

Where does the human spirit go after life?

Where exactly does the spirit of the deceased reside? No one has an exact answer to this question, since this is a secret hidden from man by God. Everyone will know the answer to this question after their repose. The only thing that is known for sure is the transition of the human spirit from one state to another - from the worldly body to the eternal spirit.

Only the Lord can determine the eternal place of the soul

Here it is much more important to find out not “where”, but “to whom”, because it doesn’t matter where a person will be after, what’s most important is with the Lord?

Christians believe that after the transition to eternity, the Lord calls a person to judgment, where he determines his place of eternal residence - heaven with angels and other believers, or hell, with sinners and demons.

The teaching of the Orthodox Church says that only the Lord can determine the eternal place of the soul and no one can influence His sovereign will. This decision is a response to the life of the soul in the body and its actions. What did she choose during her life: good or evil, repentance or proud exaltation, mercy or cruelty? Only a person’s actions determine eternal existence and the Lord judges by them.

From the book of the Revelation of John Chrysostom, we can conclude that the human race faces two judgments - individual for each soul, and general, when all the dead are resurrected after the end of the world. Orthodox theologians are convinced that in the period between an individual trial and a general one, the soul has the opportunity to change its verdict, through the prayers of its loved ones, good deeds that are done in its memory, memories in the Divine Liturgy and commemoration with alms.

Notes

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On the question of the status and theology of “The Ordeal of Theodora”
Deacon Andrey Kuraev “The Ordeal of Theodora”
Tikhon (Shevkunov), archimandrite.
Lenten ordeals / Pravoslavie.ru, online magazine of the Sretensky Monastery, 03/25/2009.
Oleg Stenyaev. The mystery of death. Ordeal. Resurrection.
St. Theophan the Recluse. Interpretation of Psalm 118
Dogmatic theology. Archpriest Oleg Davydenkov. M., Orthodox St. Tikhon's Humanitarian University, 2013
Lives of saints in Russian, set out according to the guide of the Chetyih-Menya of St. Demetrius of Rostov. - M.: Kovcheg, 2010. - Book. 7. March. - pp. 512-523.
Elder Paisiy Svyatogorets.
Words. Volume V. Passions and virtues. - Holy Mountain, 2010. - 336 p.
Elder Paisiy Svyatogorets.
Letters. Guide to prayer. Spiritual testament / Editor: Sokolova T.A., Translator: Samoilenko T.I. - Sretensky Monastery, 2013. - 5000 copies. — ISBN 978-5-7533-0810-8.
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Elder Ephraim of Philotheia. My life with Elder Joseph. M: 2012. P. 80
Seraphim Rose
. Is the “ordeal” a fiction?
Answers on questions. Ordeal. . Purgatory / A. I. Osipov / Russian Week Archival copy dated June 19, 2008 on the Wayback Machine
Sreznevsky, Izmail Ivanovich. Materials for a dictionary of the ancient Russian language based on written monuments: work by I. I. Sreznevsky. - St. Petersburg: publication of the Russian Department. language and literature of the Imperial Academician. Sciences, 1890-1906. - 32 cm. T. 2: L - P. - 1895. - 15, (4) p., 1802 stb. // column 127 “monastery”
Canon to Angel the Terrible, governor
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov. Otechnik. M: Kovcheg, 2010.
Video for the story of Hieromonk Roman (Kropotov) “Ordeal” (unspecified)
.
Nativity of the Virgin Mary St. Paphnutiev Borovsky Monastery
. Date accessed: October 9, 2021.

Death and the Christian

Death always remains a kind of constant companion of a person: loved ones, celebrities, relatives die, and all these losses make me think about what will happen when this guest comes to me? The attitude towards the end largely determines the course of human life - the wait for it is painful or a person has lived such a life that at any moment he is ready to appear before the Creator.

Read about the afterlife in Orthodoxy:

Soul 40 days after deathOrthodox burial rite9 days after death

Trying not to think about it, erasing it from your thoughts, is the wrong approach, because then life ceases to have value.

Christians believe that God gave man an eternal soul, as opposed to a corruptible body. And this determines the course of the entire Christian life - after all, the soul does not disappear, which means it will definitely see the Creator and give an answer for every deed. This constantly keeps the believer on his toes, preventing him from living his days thoughtlessly. Death in Christianity is a certain point of transition from worldly to heavenly life , and where the spirit goes after this crossroads directly depends on the quality of life on earth.

Orthodox asceticism has in its writings the expression “mortal memory” - constantly holding in thoughts the concept of the end of worldly existence and the expectation of the transition to eternity. That is why Christians lead meaningful lives, not allowing themselves to waste minutes.

The approach of death from this point of view is not something terrible, but a completely logical and expected action, joyful. As Elder Joseph of Vatopedi said: “I’ve been waiting for the train, but it still doesn’t come.”

The first days after leaving

Orthodoxy has a special concept about the first days in the afterlife. This is not a strict article of faith, but the position held by the Synod.

Death in Christianity is a certain point of transition from worldly to heavenly life

Special days after death are:

The third is traditionally the day of commemoration. This time is spiritually connected with the Resurrection of Christ, which occurred on the third day. St. Isidore Pelusiot writes that the process of Christ’s Resurrection took 3 days, hence the idea that the human spirit also passes into eternal life on the third day. Other authors write that the number 3 has a special meaning, it is called God’s number and it symbolizes faith in the Holy Trinity, therefore a person should be remembered on this day. It is in the requiem service of the third day that the Triune God is asked to forgive the deceased’s sins and forgive him; the ninth is another day of remembrance of the dead. St. Simeon of Thessalonica wrote about this day as a time to remember the 9 angelic ranks, to which the spirit of the deceased can be ranked. This is exactly how many days are given to the soul of the deceased to fully understand its transition. This is mentioned by St. Paisius in his writings, comparing a sinner with a drunkard who becomes sober during this period. During this period, the soul comes to terms with its transition and says goodbye to worldly life; Fortieth day is a special day of remembrance, because according to the legends of St. Thessalonica, this number is of particular importance, because Christ was ascended on the 40th day, which means that the deceased on this day appears before the Lord. Also, the people of Israel mourned their leader Moses at such a time. On this day, not only should there be a prayer asking for mercy from God for the deceased, but also the magpie. Important! The first month, which includes these three days, is extremely important for loved ones - they come to terms with the loss and begin to learn to live without a loved one.

The above three dates are necessary for special remembrance and prayer for the departed. During this period, their fervent prayers for the deceased reach the Lord and, in accordance with the teachings of the Church, can influence the final decision of the Creator regarding the soul.

The meaning of ordeals

Translated, the word means “customs post,” and in many ways this translation reflects the essence of this phenomenon. The meaning of “test” should only be added here for better understanding.

As you know, the devil and his servants want to gain power over people, and for this they use various temptations and vices.

This intention always remains, for this they act in the world, and also arrange it so that the Orthodox soul needs to go through a series of tests in the process of ascension to heaven.

Interesting! Funeral prayer for the Newly Deceased One to read at home

The main goal of the devil and demons is always to drag the greatest number of people into hell.

In fact, all these trials, as well as the certain power of the devil in the world, were arranged according to the permission of the Lord. This is the only way to truly separate true believers from hypocrites and those who do not truly strive for heaven. When we talked about the Kingdom of God, which is taken by force, we were talking specifically about the efforts that the believer continuously makes.

Let's look at the situation schematically for a more comprehensive understanding:

Satan has been given a certain power over the world, he tempts people in all sorts of ways; the souls of non-Christians, immediately after leaving the body, are picked up by demons and sent to hell; the soul of an Orthodox Christian is picked up by two angels and led to heaven, but along the way it goes through 20 ordeals of the soul after death (more about each below), where demons act as unique judges, who during their lifetime were engaged in temptations in various areas.

This option assumes that such a structure of the universe allows only the purest Orthodox souls to heaven.

Only a person who always remains devoted to the Lord can attain Heaven.

Of course, for the Orthodox, in the end, this is no particular difficulty, because the earthly path of the Orthodox is dedicated to an active struggle with one’s own dreams and vices, that is, in essence, with demonic temptations.

Accordingly, further, when each “specialized” demon begins to “judge,” the Orthodox can easily give an answer about how he resisted him and did not succumb to temptation. Thus, souls who have a kind of “immunity” from demons and simply by their nature cannot succumb to sins, passions and vices become ascended.

Note! The image of lifetime preparation for ordeals and further counteracting demons is used in many books created by holy Orthodox ascetics. The most famous “instruction” on how to help yourself in such a matter is the Ladder of John.

There are other so-called ladders, which were compiled by other ascetics and described the process of gradual elevation of the soul. Such “work” done during the earthly path allows the soul of an Orthodox Christian after death not to experience significant difficulties with demons trying to drag him to hell.

Differences from Catholic purgatory

In Catholicism, sinners go to purgatory after death. To get there, you need to commit more atrocities than virtues during your lifetime. After serving their sentence in a Christian “prison,” sinners gain access to heaven on an equal basis with the righteous.

This concept differs seriously from the Orthodox idea of “private court”:

Purgatory was created to ensure that the criminal suffered properly for the evil he committed. Eastern Christians claim that at judgment the soul does not experience pain: the only question is whether it will go to heaven;
Prayers for the deceased are given much greater importance in Orthodoxy. It is believed that this way one can save a sinner and ease his lot. Catholics recognize the need for prayer, but they cannot reduce the torment of a sinner;
Catholicism has a unique concept of special merits before the Almighty, which neutralize even the most terrible crimes;
There are differences in time frames: the “air court” lasts 37 days, purgatory - as long as it takes for complete cleansing.

Anyone who experiences everyday hardships, suffering and torment in everyday life knows firsthand what ordeal is. The Bible blames post-mortem trials on sins committed. But the reason for suffering in everyday life cannot be found in ancient texts.

Let's sum it up

Daily services in Orthodox churches are created in order to strengthen the soul at this trial and help overcome trials. They are also a kind of intercession by the living for the deceased.

When loved ones gather at a wake, they pray for the deceased person and, as it were, testify to his righteousness and well-deserved position in heaven.

Sources:

https://ikona-i-molitva.info/mytarstva-dushi-posle-smerti-kak-dusha-proxodit-mytarstva/
https://molitva-info.ru/duhovnaya-zhizn/mytarstva-dushi-posle-smerti.html
https://religiya.guru/osnovy-religii/spisok-20-mytarstv-dushi-po-dnyam-posle-smerti.html