The holy fathers and mothers say that the entirety of this life is like a long road. A person carries along it all that one collects: the sins and passions, as well as the virtues and commitments to excellence. Irregardless of every striving, each of us ultimately ends up at the grave. One should never forget this, but rather should remain in vigilant and pious meditation, contemplating the transitory nature of life. The wise person does not procrastinate preparing for eternity but is always prepared. Wherefore the elders of the Church established for us the Memorial Saturdays, so we consider them as opportunities to reflect on the spiritual state of our souls as peering into a mirror in which our eternal spiritual nature is reflected, and, being mindful of this, turn away from all sin.
According to custom, special prayers for the departed are offered on the third, ninth and fortieth day after one’s death. Thereafter the commemoration is conducted every year on the anniversary of one’s death and on the departed’s namesday. Traditionally the relatives of the departed request special commemorations during the Liturgy followed by a prayer of requiem (Panikhida) and a memorial dinner.
The church calendar has multiple special days of remembrance “for our ancestors, parents, family members, and all Orthodox Christians”:
Meatfare Saturday before the start of Lent;
The Saturdays on 2nd, 3rd and 4th Saturdays of Lent;
Radonitsa – Tuesday of the second week after Easter;
Saturday on the eve of Pentecost;
Dmitrov Saturday (between 19th and 26th of October by the old calendar).
Commemoration of relatives and loved ones on these days are joined with the remembrance of all those who died in the Orthodox Faith, together with those whose names are even unknown. All departed Orthodox Christians are prayerfully remembered in every weekday service and especially on every Saturday, except on major holidays or on the feastday of a great saint. But on Meatfare Saturday (today) and the Saturday before Pentecost, a memorial service is performed without fail according to the tradition of the Greek Church and adopted by our pious ancestors after the baptism of Rus. These days are called Memorial Saturdays.
from WordPress http://ift.tt/1oX5vQA
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment