Canon on the departure of the soul from the body
Song 1
Irmos: Having passed through the water like dry land, and having escaped the Egyptian evil, the Israelite cried out to the Deliverer and to our God.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
Open my mouth, O Savior, grant me the word to pray, O Merciful One, for Thy departed servant (name), and rest his soul, O Master.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
Having been dead in the flesh, O Savior, and laid in the tomb with the dead, the soul of Your servant rests in a green place, like the Merciful.
Glory: Hear my prayerful voice, O God of the Trinitarians, and bring about the soul of Abraham, the Deliverer, who was reposed in the depths.
And now: You, Most Pure Mother of God, Whom you conceived without the temptation of a man, pray to Your Son to grant peace to Your departed servant (name).
Song 3
Irmos: The Supreme Creator of the heavenly circle, Lord, and the Creator of the Church, You confirm me in Your love, the desires of the land, the true affirmation, the One Lover of Mankind.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
In a green place, in a place of peace, where the faces of the saints rejoice, the soul of Your departed servant rests, O Christ, the Only Merciful.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
Where the faces of the saints are, place there, O Master, who served You with all his heart and lifted Your yoke upon his frame, as the One Lord of life and death.
Glory: Heavenly Father Almighty, and Only Begotten Son, and Holy Soul from the Source, despise the sins of the deceased, and place his firstborn in the Church, glorify Thee with all those who have pleased Thee.
And now: For the Holy Mother of the Most Holy God, the Lady of all, Mary the Mother of God, with all the saints, pray for the soul of Your servant to rest in the Heavenly villages.
Song 4
Irmos: I have heard, O Lord, the sight of Your sacrament, I have understood Your works and glorified Your Divinity.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
Having descended into the underworld, O Christ, you raised up all that had died, and the rest that departed from us, O Savior, as you are generous.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
There is no one without sin, only You are One, Master: for this reason, leave the sins of the departed, and place him in paradise.
Glory: Hear, Holy Trinity, the voices of the prayer offered to You in the church for the deceased, and illuminate with Your God-begotten light the soul darkened by vain devotions.
And now: Thou hast given birth, O Most Pure One, without a man to seed, a perfect God and a perfect Man, who takes away our sins, O Virgin. Pray this, O Lady, to grant peace to your departed servant.
Song 5
Irmos: Enlighten us with Your commandments, O Lord, and with Your lofty arm grant us Your peace, O Lover of Mankind.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
You have the power of life and death, the rest left from us, Christ God, for you are all, Savior, Peace and Life.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
Place your hope in Thee, Savior, who died from us; But You, Lord, show mercy to him, for God is Most Merciful.
Glory: Enlighten us, O Trisvyate, glorified Master, who pray to You, receive heavenly peace, and in peaceful villages restore the soul that has departed from the temporary in the hope of endless life.
And now: Shuyago stands, O Most Pure One, to deliver Your departed Son, O Virgin Lady, who is the Savior and our God, the Existing Mother.
Song 6
Irmos: I will pour out a prayer to the Lord, and to Him I will proclaim my sorrows, for my soul is filled with evil and my life is drawing near to hell, and I pray like Jonah: from aphids, O God, lift me up.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
You have checked hell, O Master, and you have raised up those who have died from time immemorial: and now He who is departed from us, You, O God, have placed him in the bosom of Abraham, having forgiven all sins, as you are the Merciful.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
The commandment that You gave to me, O God, I transgressed and died, but You, O God, Who descended into the grave and raised the souls from all eternity, do not raise me up, O Master, to torment, but to rest, the cry ceased You are with us, O Most Merciful.
Glory: We pray to You, the Firstless Father and the Son and the Holy Soul, do not reject the soul that has gone to the depths of hell through the malice of the soul-evil world and towards You, the Creator, do not reject it, my God our Savior.
And now: From heaven, Christ our God, like rain on the fleece, the Most Pure One, descended on Thee, watering the whole world and drying up all the godless streams, flooding the whole earth with His mind, Ever-Virgin; Pray to him to give peace to your departed servant.
Kontakion, tone 8
With the saints, rest, O Christ, the soul of Your servant, where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but endless life.
Ikos
Thou art the One Immortal One, who created and created man: the earthly beings are from the earth created, and let us go into the earth, as Thou hast commanded, Who created me and said unto us: Like the earth. Here you go to the earth, and maybe all men will go, creating a funeral lamentation song: Alleluia , Alleluia, Alleluia.
Song 7
Irmos: Children came from Judea, in Babylon sometimes, by the Trinity’s faith they trampled the fire of the furnace, singing: O God of the fathers, blessed art thou.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
Master Christ God, whenever you want to judge the world, have mercy on the soul of your servant, whom you received from us, crying: our father, God, blessed are you.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
In the food of heaven, where the souls of the righteous rejoice, those who have served Thee, count with them, O Christ, the soul of Thy servant, who sang: Our father, God, blessed art thou.
Glory: Saved the three youths of Judah into the fires, glorified in the Three Persons, delivered the eternal fire of the departed, who sang truly: Our father, God, blessed art thou.
And now: Isaiah called Thee the Rod, the Pure One, Daniel called Thee the Uncut Mountain, Ezekiel the Door, from which Christ passed, we magnify Thee, the True Mother of God.
Song 8
Irmos: By the sevenfold furnace, the Chaldean tormentor, he furiously kindled the godly, but by the best power he saw that he was saved, he cried out to the Creator and Deliverer: youths, bless, priests, sing , people, extol to all ages.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
Having finished his course and come running to You, Lord, the departed one now cries out: Forgive my sins, O Christ God, and do not judge me, when you want to judge everyone, for it is true that I cry to You: all works are Lord Yea, sing praises to the Lord and exalt Him forever.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
He bore, O Master, Your yoke on His frame, and Your burden was light, even if not always, but in the place of Your venerables indwelt his soul, who sang to You, Christ the Savior: youngsters, bless, with priests, sing, O people, exalt Him forever.
Let us bless the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Lord.
Beginningless Holy Trinity, God the Father and the Son and the Holy Soul, in the person of the saints, consider the soul of Your departed servant and deliver the eternal fire, so that You may be praised, chanting forever: the youths , bless, priests, sing, people, exalt Him forever.
And now: Thee, Virgin, prophecy of the face prophesied, for the clairvoyant eyes saw Thee: I call Thee the Rod, aka the Eastern Door, the Mountain, the Indestructible people. We confess You, truly the Mother of God, Who gave birth to all Gods, Whom we pray to give rest to Him who has passed away forever.
Song 9
Irmos: The heavens were horrified at this, and the ends of the earth were amazed, for God appeared as a man in the flesh, and Your womb was the most spacious of Heaven. Thus they magnify Thee, the Mother of God, the Angels and the people of the bureaucracy.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
Jesus, my God, Savior, Adamle, you took away crime and you tasted death, so that people could be free from it, O Merciful One. Moreover, we pray to Thee, O Most Merciful One: rest in peace, for He is Good, in the palaces of Thy saints, for He is the One All-Good and Merciful.
Chorus: Rest, Lord, to the soul of Your departed servant.
There is no one, O Merciful One, who has not sinned among men, except You alone, Jesus Christ, take away the sins of the whole world. Moreover, having cleansed Your servant from sins, establish in Your holy works: For You are the Life and Peace, and the Light, and the Joy of all those who please You.
Glory: All human nature marveled at how the Only Begotten Son of the Father Without Beginning took flesh from the Virgin through the action of the Holy Spirit, and you suffered like a man, so that the dead might come to life. Thus, we diligently pray to You, who has now departed from us, to dwell in the land of the living as Good.
And now: We call You the Bride, Most Pure One, the Invisible Father, and the Mother of the Son, of You embodied by the Holy Spirit, and we offer You the Prayer Book for Your departed servant: For You, the Helper of the Imam of the earth and, singing with love, we magnify You.
It is worthy to eat as truly the blessedness of Thee, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and the Mother of our God. We magnify Thee, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison, the Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Three times, with the sign of the cross and bow from the waist)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Troparion, tone 6
One by nature is the Life-Giver, O Christ, and the truly unsearchable abyss of goodness now departed from Thy servant of Thy Kingdom of Thy kindness: for Thou art alone to have abundantly and generously and immortality.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Theotokos: The source of the life that gave birth to the Lady, the Savior of the world, Jesus the Lord, diligently pray to the endless life of Your servant, who has now passed away: You are one Christian She is the most famous Helper.
Lord, have mercy (12 times). And this prayer:
Remember, O Lord our God, in faith and hope the life of your eternal departed servant, our brother (name), and as you are Good and Lover of mankind, forgive sin and consume unrighteousness, weaken, forsake and forgive all his voluntary and involuntary sins, deliver him eternal torment and fire of hell, 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 Glorified by the Spirit, God, Thee in the Trinity, faith, and Unity in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, Orthodox even until his last breath of confession.
Moreover, be merciful to him, and to place faith in You instead of works, and with Your saints for Your generous rest: for there is no man who will live and not sin. But You are the One besides all sin, and Your righteousness is righteousness forever, and You are the One God of mercies and generosity and love for mankind, and we send glory to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, we forever and ever. Amen.
How to properly conduct a deceased person according to the Orthodox tradition
“The dead hope,” says St. Augustine, “to receive help through us: for the time of work has passed from them; souls cast into prison cry out every minute, and there is no comforter for them.”
On the eve of death
In the Orthodox tradition, every sincere believer prays every day throughout his life for a dignified death, asks God not to give him an unexpected death, not to take away an unprepared soul, and to give him the opportunity to repent of his sins before moving on to Eternity.
At all services, prayers are offered for the worthy end of Christians: “The Christian death of our life, painless, shameless, peaceful, and a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ, we ask. Give it, Lord." But an easy death is not always granted by God.
Often a person gets sick before death - and this is always a chance for him to change a little more, to cleanse himself, to seriously realize something in the face of the transition to Eternity.
If a person is sick before death
Venetsianov A.G. Communion to the dying. 1839
Some “merciful” relatives hide his imminent death from the patient. On the contrary, it would be humane for a person to know about the imminent transition to another world and be able to adequately prepare - to confess and receive communion. It is also useful to offer unction to the sick. For these purposes, a priest is invited to your home or hospital.
For a seriously ill person, it is necessary to submit health notes for the liturgy (the more often, the better), order prayers for health, and give him prosphora and holy water daily. At the patient’s bedside, you can read the Psalter (with a reminder of health in Glory).
If a person is not baptized, but is conscious, he must be baptized and then given communion. In an unconscious state, a person is not baptized, since baptism should be the free choice of every person; one cannot be forced to join the Church.
If it is not possible to call a priest, or it is likely that he will not have time to get there, then any Orthodox layman has the right to baptize a dying person, and not only the right - it is his sacred duty and obligation.
How to baptize a person yourself: you need to pronounce the baptismal formula without distortion:
“The servant of God (Name) is baptized in the name of the Father, amen. And the Son, amen. And the Holy Spirit, amen,” and when pronouncing each “amen,” you need to wash the head of the person being baptized with holy water (if it is not available, then with plain water).
After this, the person is considered a full-fledged Christian, and notes can be submitted for him in the temple.
If, after baptism, a person, by God’s unknown intention, does not die, then it is necessary to complete the baptismal ceremony by turning to a priest. He will finish reading the necessary prayers and perform the sacrament of Confirmation.
At the moment of death
At the very moment of death and immediately before it, the human soul experiences languor. Often a person begins to see unclean spirits with scary faces and hears terrible voices. And the more intense these nightmares are, the more sinful the person’s soul.
Therefore, it is customary to soften the moment of transition for the soul as much as possible. To do this, they surround the person with pious objects, icons and a cross are placed so that the dying person can see them.
It is customary to light a “passionate” candle next to the dying person, near the icons (this is the candle with which the 12 Gospels stood at Matins).
How to read the “Canon of Prayer for the Exodus of the Soul”
If the signs of dying become obvious, the transition to Eternity should be facilitated by reading the so-called “departure prayer” - this is the “Canon of Prayer for the Exodus of the Soul.” Ideally, it is read by a priest.
But if it is not possible to call a priest, a layman also has the right to read the “exit prayer,” except for the prayer at the end of the canon “from the priest’s verb for the outcome of the soul.”
The canon is read on behalf of the dying person, “on behalf of a person separated from his soul and unable to speak.”
If the canon is read by a layman, one should begin with the exclamation “Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.” Then the opening prayers (from the Trisagion to the Our Father), then the canon. When reading the canon, you should light a lamp or candle in front of the icon. The canon is not read for dying children under 7 years of age due to the absence of sins.
“The Canon of Prayer for the Exodus of the Soul” does not have to be read at the bedside of a dying person. It can also be read at home when the dying person is in the hospital.
If a person dies while reading the canon, then he should finish reading the canon, and then add “Rest, O Lord, the soul of your departed servant...”.
After leaving the soul of the body, the deceased should close his eyes, straighten his torso, tie his jaw and cover his head.
Immediately after death, “Sequence on the departure of the soul from the body” is immediately read.
If a person is sick for a long time and suffers seriously
When a person suffers for a long time before death, suffers himself and torments those around him, then there is a practice of reading special prayers, which contain requests to God to quickly take the soul. This is “a rite performed for the separation of the soul from the body, sometimes a person suffers for a long time.” It can only be read with the blessing of the priest.
How to prepare the deceased for burial
Washing the body. You need to wash the body of a deceased person with prayers - “Trisagion” or “Lord, have mercy.” A lamp or candle should be lit, and it should burn continuously while the body is in the house. After ablution, you should dress your body in clean (and, if possible, new) clothes and put on a cross. Women during their period should not participate in ablution.
Having laid the body on a specially designated place, you need to cover it with a special blanket. This is the so-called “funeral veil”, it can be bought in churches, it depicts a cross, the faces of saints, and prayers are written on it.
The deceased's eyes should be closed, hands closed, right hand on top. To prevent the hands from spreading, they are tied.
A funeral cross is placed in the hands of the deceased, and an icon is placed on the chest (for men - Jesus Christ, for women - the Most Holy Theotokos). A crown is placed on the forehead - an image of the Heavenly crown that the soul may receive.
The corolla is a strip of paper with the image of the Savior, the Mother of God, John the Baptist, and the inscriptions of the Trisagion prayer.
Before placing the body in the coffin, both the body and the coffin (inside and out) should be sprinkled with holy water. A special pillow filled with sawdust or straw is placed under the head in the coffin. Some believers prepare themselves a “funeral pillow” in advance - they collect willow branches (from Palm Sunday) and birch leaves (from the Trinity Day).
It is customary to place the coffin in the center of the room in front of the home iconostasis, with the face of the deceased facing the exit. 4 candles should be lit around the coffin: at the head, at the feet and at the sides at the level of crossed arms. This is a symbol of the cross.
Then, at the tomb, one should begin reading the Psalter with prayers for repose (“Remember, O Lord our God, in faith and hope the life of Thy servant who has eternally departed…”). If possible, funeral services should be ordered.
There is a misconception that Memorial Services are not ordered before the funeral service. On the contrary, they should be ordered both before and after the funeral service, and even in several churches at once.
After all, the soul of the deceased needs urgent help; it has a very difficult time after being separated from the body.
Sorokoust about the deceased
You should order a magpie for the deceased as early as possible. You can also order the reading of the Indestructible Psalter for six months or a year.
But relatives should also regularly pray for the deceased, and not “shift” all the work to others. Independent prayer for the deceased is very useful both for his soul and for the soul of the person praying.
You should continue to read the Psalter at home, and you can also read the Gospel in memory of the deceased.
Removal of the body and funeral service
In the Orthodox tradition, funerals take place on the 3rd day after death, while the day of death itself is considered the first day, even if the person died a few minutes before midnight.
A short time before taking the coffin out of the house, you should read “The Sequence of the Exodus of the Soul from the Body” again. Just before taking it out, read the litany. The coffin is carried to the temple, constantly praying the Trisagion prayer.
Those participating in the funeral procession must carry lighted candles. At the front of the procession is a cross or icon. Ordering an orchestra is not welcome during an Orthodox funeral.
When a body is brought into the temple, according to the Charter, a bell must ring - with a special funeral ringing.
During the funeral service, the priest reads a special prayer of permission: with its help, prohibitions and sins that he repented of or could not remember during his lifetime are removed from the deceased (that is, known and unknown). Specially hidden sins are not removed. The text of this prayer is placed in the hands of the deceased.
Then the relatives say goodbye to the deceased with a final kiss, and the priest sprinkles earth on him in a cross shape. "Eternal Memory" is sung.
At the cemetery, the coffin is lowered into the grave with its head to the east, and a short funeral litia is performed.
Funeral meal
There should be no alcohol at the funeral meal. The main dish at a wake is kutia (kolivo). – boiled grains of wheat or rice with honey (as well as raisins and dried apricots). Then pancakes and jelly are traditionally served. And then, if possible, all other dishes.
Kutya should be blessed before consumption. There is a special rite for the consecration of kutya by a priest. In the absence of a priest, the kutya should be sprinkled with holy water.
At the funeral table one should have pious conversations, remembering the deceased with a kind word, and talking about his good qualities.
What does not apply to the Orthodox tradition:
- curtaining mirrors;
- refusal of forks during funerals;
- put a glass of water (or, even worse, vodka) for the deceased;
- wish “may he rest in peace”
All this should not be done; instead of wishing for “rest in peace,” one should cry out, “Rest, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant...”
After the funeral, you should continue to regularly help the soul of the deceased. But more on that in another article.
death
Source: //sbogom.kiev.ua/provodit-usopshego/
Funeral meal
There should be no alcohol at the funeral meal. The main dish at a wake is kutia (kolivo). – boiled grains of wheat or rice with honey (as well as raisins and dried apricots). Then pancakes and jelly are traditionally served. And then, if possible, all other dishes. Kutya should be blessed before consumption. There is a special rite for the consecration of kutya by a priest. In the absence of a priest, the kutya should be sprinkled with holy water. At the funeral table one should have pious conversations, remembering the deceased with a kind word, and talking about his good qualities.
Who is the author of the canon of prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos?
The canon of prayer for the Most Holy Theotokos was written by Theostirikt of Pelicitos. He lived in the 8th century in Bithynia, a state that once voluntarily became a Roman province. Then, when the empire was divided, it became the region of Byzantium. In those years, the future monk Theostirikt was born.
He became a monk at the Pelikite Monastery of St. John the Theologian, almost the same age as Theostirictus. Subsequently, the monk became abbot there. It was a turbulent time. The iconoclastic movement was gaining strength. For venerating icons, Theostiriktus was burned with boiling resin.
Theostirictus, like other monks, was tortured for venerating icons. He was burned with boiling resin. But the monk survived and died much later, in old age. Such people in the Orthodox tradition are called venerable confessors. Feostirikt's Memorial Day is February 29.
This abbot Theostirikt is best known for his spiritual writings. Most often he is mentioned as the author of the canon of prayer for the Most Holy Theotokos.
- The canon of prayer for the Most Holy Theotokos is read during sorrows, or before communion.
- It is recommended to read the prayer canon in deep sorrow. The Mother of God helps bring joy back into life and gives consolation.
