Sorokoust for the repose - how and for whom they pray

The afterlife of people

According to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, only at the Last Judgment will the afterlife fate of all people be finally determined. For this reason, the prayers of the living can have a beneficial effect on the fate of those who have already died. Including magpie for the repose.

Sorokoust for repose at Proskomedia

“The deceased need our prayer, because they themselves cannot do anything for themselves, but we can. The dead need prayer more than the living, because for the living there is still hope of repentance. And God wants there to be people who ask Him for the departed, because the final Judgment has not yet occurred” (St. Paisius the Svyatogorets, 1924-1994).

The emergence of the tradition of praying for the dead

This attitude towards the afterlife existed even in the times of the Old Testament. Before the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, His death on the Cross and Resurrection, all dead people were doomed, albeit to varying degrees, to a sad and joyless afterlife fate. After all, the doors of heaven were closed to human souls after Adam was expelled from heaven. But even then there was prayer for the dead.

An example is the prayer of the Jewish people for those killed during the battle with the Edomites (Second Book of Maccabees, 12:39–45). Amulets of pagan gods (trophies) were found under the clothes of the killed Jewish soldiers. For God’s chosen people, such an act was sinful, and therefore the guilty perished. But the valiant warrior Judas Maccabee collected funds and sent them to the Jerusalem Temple. There, a sin sacrifice was offered to God for the lost. As the Holy Scripture says, Judas Maccabee “acted very well and piously, thinking about the resurrection.” He showed concern for the forgiveness of the sins of his fallen brothers on the Day of Judgment. “Therefore he offered a propitiatory sacrifice for the dead, that they might be freed from sin” (Second Maccabees 12:45).

This indicates a pre-existing tradition of praying and making sacrifices for the dead. Such a prayer was prophetic in nature, testifying to the hope of salvation in the future. Then she could not change the afterlife fate of the souls of dead people. Only in New Testament times did prayer for the dead acquire effective force.

“There is no doubt that only the Lord can determine a person’s fate after death. And there is no doubt that this fate directly depends on the image of faith and life of a person on earth. But there is also no doubt that it is possible and even necessary to pray for our family and friends, asking the Lord to forgive their sins. And there is no doubt that these prayers are not in vain. If we only try to listen to the Lord ourselves and live according to His commandments” (priest Dmitry Shishkin).

Prayer for the dead as a manifestation of love

The Holy Fathers teach that prayer for the dead, coming from the very heart, filled with love, compassion and mercy, is pleasing to the Lord. This is confirmed by the words of the Savior:

“Whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Gospel of Matthew 21:22).

In the Council Epistle (5:16), the Apostle James calls for “praying for one another.” Moreover, it does not stipulate that you can only pray for the living. So in the First Catholic Epistle of the Apostle Peter (1:22) it is said to “constantly love one another from a pure heart.” This love is not limited to relationships during earthly life. Therefore, it is common for Christians to show the fullness of their love in prayer for loved ones, living and dead.

“Let us try, as much as possible, to help the departed, instead of tears, instead of sobs, instead of magnificent tombs - with our prayers, alms and offerings for them, so that in this way both they and we will receive the promised benefits” (St. John Chrysostom, 347-407).

Sorokoust for the repose as a special commemoration

One of the types of Orthodox prayer is Sorokoust. It represents a remembrance of health or death for 40 consecutive days. This prayer is performed at the Liturgy, the main church service.

The name “Sorokoust” itself means “40 days”. But it can be ordered for different lengths of time. This could be 40 days, six months (semi-annual), a year (annual) or eternal remembrance. With the adoption of Christianity in Rus', the division of church parishes in cities into “magpies” was established. That is, 40 parishes each (as church parishes are now divided into dean districts). Among believers, a tradition has arisen of commemorating the living and the dead in all “forty” (all 40 churches). This is how the concept of “magpie” appeared among the common people.

Prayerful commemoration is carried out by the priest in the preparatory part of the Liturgy (Proskomedia). At this time, bread and wine are prepared for the Sacrament of Communion. When reading prayers for living and deceased Christians, particles are taken out from the prosphora. Then these particles are immersed in the Chalice with the Blood of Christ for Communion. At this time the priest reads a prayer:

“Wash away, O Lord, the sins of those who were remembered here by Thy Honest Blood, by the prayers of Thy saints.”

How and when to order magpies for health correctly

Healthy.
To order a magpie about health, you need to go to the candle shop in the church and ask what requirements can be ordered in a particular church. The form of submission is quite simple - you need to take a piece of paper, write “About health” on top and below list the names of those for whom the prayer should be performed. As a rule, it is customary to indicate no more than 10 names in one note. It is customary to write names in the genitive case. For example, the text of the note might look like this:

About health

Maria;
Alexandra;
Barbarians;
Vladimir and relatives.

Also, for each name, it is proposed to make a monetary donation for the maintenance of the temple. The donation can be either a fixed amount or at the discretion of the parishioners - depending on the rules established in a particular temple.

For a deeper understanding of the essence of the magpie, it is worth knowing about whom you can submit notes. Following strict church canons, this prayer work is performed only for members of the Church of Christ. And they are people who lead Christian and church life, participate in divine services and, most importantly, in the Sacraments. Thus, according to church canons, a person who misses three liturgies in a row without a serious reason is considered to have dropped out of church communion and church life.

Prosphora used in Sorokoust

Since, after removing the particles from the prosphora, they are then transformed into the Body of Christ, the sins of a given person are symbolically atoned for by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. But if the person whose name is submitted for commemoration does not want to be saved and does not strive for this, the sacrifice of Christ turns out to be meaningless. The Lord God cannot save a person without his personal desire and willful effort to correct his life.

Attention. In view of the above, church canons require the names of only church-going Christians to be submitted for the 40-day commemoration. But modern life makes its own adjustments, and if you strictly follow all the canons, then only a few will remain in the church. Of course, one should strive for the canons as an ideal, but also make allowances for the weaknesses of modern people. Therefore, now almost everyone is allowed to be commemorated on Sorokoust, the main rule is that a person must be baptized in the Orthodox Church.

More about prayers for health:

How to order a magpie for the repose

You can order a magpie for the repose at any time and in any church or monastery. And you can pray not only for newly departed Christians, but also for those who have died long ago. If the Liturgy is celebrated daily in the church, then commemoration for the repose will be performed daily. You can order the magpie of repose in several churches.

Among weakly churched people, there is a superstition about the importance of the magpie in the “three,” “seven,” or “forty” churches. These magical manipulations with numbers (3, 7, 40) have nothing to do with Orthodoxy. This is a prejudice, a false understanding of the action being performed, to which supernatural significance is attached. For Christians, prayer itself is important, in which believers ask God for forgiveness of the sins of the dead. The point is not in a certain number of churches, but in the common (intense) prayer of Christians.

“Let us remember that where two or three are gathered in the name of the Lord, there He is in the midst of them (Gospel of Matthew 18:20). Moreover, where several Christians are gathered, praying for those who are in danger or asking God for something. But nowhere can so many Christians pray together as in holy churches. Where their prayers are united with the prayers of the priests and, like incense, ascend to God, from Whom come mercy and help to all who need His mercy. There the priest in the holy altar intercedes before God for all Orthodox Christians everywhere” (Archimandrite Cleopas Ilie, 1912-1998).

The main thing is not to forget that

“The church is not a funeral service center. If we think of buying our way out of a problem, it means that our own soul has not learned to love and cannot find communion in Christ with the deceased” (hieromonk Dmitry Pershin).

When a magpie is ordered for the deceased in a church, this does not exclude prayer at home.

“Just as when we visit prisoners, we bring them soft drinks and the like and thereby alleviate their suffering, so we alleviate the suffering of the deceased with prayers and alms that we perform for the repose of their souls” (St. Paisius the Holy Mountain).

Prayer for the repose of the soul of the deceased in Orthodoxy

When a loved one passes away, it is an irreparable grief.
But the loss of a loved one must be overcome, no matter how difficult it may be, and move on. It is believed that the worst thing is when parents have to bury their children. But it can hardly be said that it is less difficult for children to say goodbye to their beloved parents forever. The mental pain from the loss of other relatives can also be unbearable. When they say that time heals, this is a false statement. The pain of losing a loved one remains in a person’s soul for the rest of his life. But it dulls not because time passes, but because the emptiness in the soul gradually begins to be filled with various everyday worries. But at the same time, a loved one will always be missed, and from time to time each of us tries to mentally communicate with our loved ones.

How to pray for the newly deceased, so that the soul goes to heaven

Of course, when a loved one passes away, you don’t want to accept this fact. But we should remember that our emotions, feelings and suffering do not allow the deceased to calmly pass into another world. We do not let go of his soul from us and this greatly harms him. This is due to the fact that the soul of the deceased rushes about and cannot find its place. In the first days after a person’s death, she simply hovers in space. Therefore, the task of the relatives is to release the soul of the deceased from themselves and help it take its place in Heaven.

To do this you need:

Immediately after death, order liturgies and memorial services in the church within 40 days.
Be sure to arrange a wake on the 9th and 40th days. This is due to the fact that on these days the soul of the deceased appears before the Lord. The more living people remember about the deceased these days, the better.
Every day at home for 40 days you need to pray at home for the repose of the soul of the deceased. Whether your loved one goes to heaven depends on this.

Remember that it is very important to pray for the repose of the newly deceased within 40 days after his death. But we must also remember to offer prayers for the repose later. There are special days for this. This will not only help the soul of the deceased find peace, but will also allow you to calm down from an irreparable loss and cope with grief.

An effective prayer sounds like this:
“Lord, accept the soul of the Servant of God (name of the deceased), forgive him all sins, known and unknown, small and large. Accept him into your Kingdom of Heaven. He had time to suffer in his life, he suffered and grieved a lot, so now let him sleep in eternal sleep, and his soul will find peace. Do not send him punishment and do not let him experience the fire of hell, do not let him fall to the devil to be torn to pieces. Amen".

How to order a magpie and a memorial service for the deceased in church

Losing a loved one is a very difficult event. But you need to understand that nothing can be changed. In difficult moments of life, you need to remember that with some of your actions you can help the soul of the deceased quickly find peace in Heaven. For this purpose, first of all, on the main dates associated with departure to another world, a church memorial service is ordered. And for the believer it is of great importance, as it allows one to survive grief. A memorial service is a service held on the third, ninth and fortieth days after a person’s death.

To order it, you need:

Visit the temple in advance.
Leave the offering on the funeral table.
Write a note with the name of the person you want to remember and give to the priest.
Tell the priest on what day you would like to order a memorial service.

It is believed that on the ninth day the soul of a deceased person will appear before the Lord and await the arrival of the nine angelic ranks. On this day, the purpose of the memorial service in the church is to ask the Almighty to help the soul of the deceased get closer to the holy angels. During the funeral service, all believers in the temple must hold lit candles in their hands. In this way, sincere love for the deceased is expressed, which is necessarily read out by the Lord at the Fair Judgment. A memorial service for 9 days can be held in different churches.

On the fortieth day, the soul of a deceased person, after walking through hell, ascends to God for the third time. At this moment her fate will be decided. This decision largely depends on the earthly deeds of the deceased person, but prayers for the repose of the soul, which were offered by relatives throughout the entire time after death, also play an important role.

A memorial service can also be ordered for the anniversary of death. But this memorial event is not obligatory.

Very often, to calm their own souls, people order magpie for the deceased. This ritual is a special type of remembrance. For repose, the magpie is ordered for 40 days, six months and a year. For 40 days, a prayer is read in church for the repose of the deceased, and it is during this period that the deceased’s sins are absolved.

Who should I light a candle for the repose of my father and mother?

Candles for the repose are placed on a special eve table. This design is usually installed to the left of the entrance. The table is covered with a metal or marble board. It is easy to recognize, since there is a rectangular candlestick on it, on which the Crucifixion of the Lord is installed. If for some reason there is no such table in the church, then you can put a candle for the repose of your father or mother near any icon. But it is very important not to do it thoughtlessly. It is necessary to remember the deceased and stand in silence for a while near a lit candle.

When you light a candle for repose, you must follow the following rules:

Cross himself twice at the Crucifixion of the Savior.
Light a candle from other burning candles or from a lamp.
Place the lit candle in a free cell and secure it so that it does not tilt or come into contact with other candles.
After installing the candle, you need to whisper the following words: “Rest, O Lord, the soul of your departed Servant (name).”
Cross yourself and bow.

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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Funeral prayer for the repose

A memorial prayer for the repose is special words aimed at calming the soul of the deceased. By praying for repose, we not only invisibly help the deceased, but we ourselves are consoled in our grief. All this is connected with Christian canons, in which death is not endowed with a tragic meaning.

Full text of the prayer

The full text of the prayer for repose is as follows:

“Remember, Lord God, Most High and All-Merciful, in faith and hope of eternal life, Your departed Servant (whom you have to call the deceased) (name of the deceased). You are the All-merciful Lover of Mankind, forgive sins and reconsider untruths, weaken and forgive all his voluntary and involuntary sins, deliver him from eternal torment and hellish fire, grant him communion, forgiveness and enjoyment of Your eternal blessings, prepared by You for those who love You and have not deviated from You. Those who sincerely believe in God in the Holy Trinity glorified. Lord be merciful, for there is no person on earth who has lived his earthly life without sinning. You are the only infallible one and the truth is yours forever and ever. Therefore, I offer a request in prayer to your mercy and generosity, I praise and ask for forgiveness for our sins. Amen".

A deceased person must be commemorated on special days provided for by the church. But besides this, he needs to be remembered on his birthday, the day of his death and on the day of the angel. On these days, if possible, you should visit the church and take donations. It is also recommended to give alms to the poor on memorial days, and you should ask them to remember the name of the deceased relative when they pray.

Short version

A short version of the prayer for the repose is very often used. It is often said in a cemetery near the grave of the deceased on memorial days. But it is more important to pronounce them in the period after forty days after the death of a loved one.

It is believed that for the first 3 days the soul of a deceased person is near the body. She sees everything that is happening and can react to people’s actions by giving certain signs. That is why one should not grieve greatly for the deceased, since it will be difficult for the soul to leave the earth. Short prayers for repose will help you cope with grief. They will also allow the soul of a deceased person to pass into the world of spirits without torment.

After three days, the soul of the deceased departs to the spiritual world, where it will remain for 40 days. And for this period, short prayers for repose are very important; they will help the soul to hold accountable for all the deeds of a person in earthly life. On the 40th day, the Last Judgment occurs and God makes a decision where the soul will move to hell or heaven. Each short prayer said for repose increases the chances of the soul of the deceased to go to heaven.

The short prayer goes like this:

“Rest in peace, Lord, the soul of the newly departed Servant of God (name of relative), as well as all my relatives who have departed from the earthly world earlier. Forgive all their sins, known and unknown, for they were all committed foolishly, and not out of evil. Grant them the Kingdom of Heaven and do not allow them to experience eternal hellish torment. I pray and praise You, the merciful One. Amen".