Word about those who have fallen asleep in the faith

In the “Sermon on those who have fallen asleep in the faith,” St. John of Damascus speaks about the benefits of prayerfully remembering the departed and performing godly deeds for them. Referring to the example of Judas Maccabee, the apostolic tradition of the Church and the authority of the great holy fathers, the monk proves the saving power of liturgies, funeral services performed for the dead, as well as alms given. He points out that all this contributes to the remission of sins committed due to human weakness and an increase in rewards for the righteous, easing their posthumous state. St. John emphasizes that helping one's neighbor - both during life and after death - is a God-imitating act of love (brotherly love), bringing blessing both to the deceased and to those who pray and do good. He gives examples from the lives of saints confirming the effectiveness of prayers. The saint clarifies that the effectiveness of these prayers dates back to the time before the Last Judgment, when correction is no longer possible, and indicates that God Himself encourages the living to help the deceased who had at least “a small leaven of virtues.” About how the liturgies performed for them and the alms given out bring them benefit 1. The ancient enemy, who is wounded by brotherly love, torn by faith, killed by hope, struck by mercy, inspired some with the strange and ungodly idea that all godly deeds performed after death bring no benefit to the dead. “In Scripture,” they say, “it is said: “Everyone will receive what he has done with his body, either good or evil” (2 Cor. 5:10). “Even as a man sows, he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). “Who in hell will confess to You” (Psalm 6:6).” And we will say to such wise men: try and understand that the threats of the Lord of all are terrible, but God’s love for mankind is ineffable; the condemnation is terrible, but the sea of ​​the Lord’s bounties is also endless. Look: the Holy Scripture says that Judas Maccabee, for the sin of each of those who fell in battle, offered a cleansing sacrifice to the Lord, who was ready for mercy, and thereby showed his great piety and brotherly love (2 Mac. 12:43-45), which is why the Holy Scripture glorifies Judas Maccabee, both for his other deeds, and especially for this. And the mysteries and self-seers of the Word, not without reason, not in vain and not without benefit, established during the terrible, most pure and life-giving Mysteries to commemorate the faithful departed - which from end to end of the earth the ruling apostolic and conciliar Church firmly maintains from that time even until now and until the end of the world. That is why the high contemplator of divine things, Saint Dionysius, in his esoteric contemplation of the departed, says that “even in this life, and not only after death, prayers are effective for those who are worthy of holy prayers, that is, for believers (and the expression “not only,” without a doubt, here should be taken in the same meaning as “even more so”). The prayer asks from Divine goodness the forgiveness of sins committed by the deceased due to human weakness, for the resettlement of the dead in the land of the living - in a place from which all sorrow, sadness and sighing are removed - so that the divine power, in His goodness, will despise the impurity found in the deceased due to human weakness: for “clean... from filth? no one else” (Job 14:4). Glorious John also teaches: “If the pagans, together with the dying, burn their property, then how much more should you, the believer, together with the believer, send his property, not so that it turns into ashes, like that, but in order through it to bring greater glory to the deceased; and if the deceased was a sinner, then so that God would forgive him his sins, and if he was a righteous man, in order to increase his rewards... Let us try to provide possible help to those who have departed through alms and offerings, and this is very saving for them, brings great benefit, for otherwise it would have been in vain and foolishly that the Church of God would have been established and betrayed by the wise apostles, so that the priest, during terrible mysteries, would offer prayer for who fell asleep in the faith, if the holy apostles did not know that great benefit, great good, would come from this.” In agreement with this, the wise Gregory of Nyssa also says: “nothing without reasoning, nothing useless was delivered from the disciples of Christ and was not accepted by the universal Church; but it is a very godly and useful thing to do during the divine and glorious sacrament - to commemorate those who have died in the right faith.” As for the sayings: “for You have rewarded everyone according to his deeds” (Psalm 61:13); “If a man sows, he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7) and the like, then, without a doubt, they refer to the coming Last Judgment and the end of the world, because then there will be no place for any help, and all prayer will remain invalid (then where will the poor be? where are the priests? where is the alms? where is the charity)? So, before the terrible hour comes, let us help each other and offer sacrifices of brotherly love to God, who has mercy on souls. The man-loving Lord is pleased to fulfill the requests of his creatures related to salvation, and especially bows down not when someone strives for the sake of only the salvation of his own soul, but when he does this for the sake of his neighbor: for through this the earth-born ascends to the imitation of God (asking for gifts for others, as mercy for himself), fulfills the measure of perfect love, and from here receives bliss and, together with the soul of his neighbor, does great good for his own soul. The great ascetic and wonderworker Macarius, posing the question to a dry skull, learned everything regarding the condition of the deceased. By the way, he asked: “do you never feel any consolation” (since the saint usually prayed for the dead, he wanted to know whether the prayers were beneficial). The Lord, who has mercy on souls, wished to reveal this and assure his servant, breathed the word of truth into the withered skull: “When, the skull answered, you offer prayers for the dead, then we feel some kind of consolation.” Another of the God-bearing fathers had a disciple living in carelessness, and when this one was overtaken by death, the Lord, after the prayers offered by the elder, showed him the boy, like the rich man (mentioned in the parable of Lazarus), burning in fire up to his neck. When the elder grieved a lot about this and tearfully prayed to God, the Lord showed him the boy standing waist-deep in the fire; then, when the saint added new labors to his labors, God, in a vision to the elder, showed the youth free and completely removed from the fire. But who can count all the evidence found in the lives of holy men, which clearly shows that even after death, prayers performed for them, liturgies and alms given for them bring the greatest benefit to the deceased - that what is given to God in return does not perish, but is rewarded from Him with the greatest interest?.. And as for the prophetic words: “Who in hell will confess to You” (Ps. 6:6), we have already said that the threats of the All-Seeing One are terrible, but they are overcome by the ineffable love of the Lord. And after the prophet spoke these words, there was a confession in hell - the confession of those who, during the saving descent of the Lord, believed there (since the Giver of Life did not save everyone in general, but those who believed there too). We say this, however, not to refute the prophecy, but precisely to show that the good Lord is conquered by His love for mankind. Thus, although it was predicted: “Nineveh will be transformed” (Jon. 3:4), Nineveh was not destroyed, and judgment was defeated by goodness. The Lord also says to Hezekiah: “Organize your house, for you will die and not live” (Is. 38:1), but Hezekiah did not die. And about Ahab it was said: “I will bring evil upon you”; Meanwhile, the Lord did not bring evil, but said: “Have you seen how Ahab was touched..., for this reason I will not bring evil in his days” (1 Kings 21, 21, 29). So, goodness will always overcome condemnation even until the final reward, when there is no time for help, and a person is left with only his burden. But now is the time of purchase, the time of labor, and blessed is he who does not weaken, does not faint in hope; Most blessed is the one who strives both for himself and for his neighbor. It is especially pleasing to the Lord that everyone tries to help their neighbor; The Merciful One wants each of us to do good to the other both in life and in death. Otherwise, the Lord would not have given us the opportunity to commemorate the dead with a bloodless sacrifice, also to perform thirds, and nines, and forty-day and annual commemorations and services - which, without any controversy, the Catholic and Apostolic Church and her pious children support unshakably and undoubtedly. If this were a useless and futile task, then from among the many God-bearing fathers and teachers it would have occurred to someone to dispel the deception; Meanwhile, not only did not one of them even think about destroying this custom, but, on the contrary, they all affirmed it. Let us add the following narrative to what has been said. Saint Gregory the Double (who, according to legend, was concelebrated by a heavenly angel during the liturgy) once brought a fervent prayer to the Lord, who has mercy on souls, for the remission of the sins of King Trajan; immediately the following voice came to him from God: “I have heeded your prayer and will grant forgiveness of sins to Trajan; but in the future do not bring me prayers for the wicked” (Trajan was the cause of the cruel death of many martyrs)... Truly, You are wondrous, O Lord, and Your deeds are wonderful. We glorify Your ineffable mercy: for You always provide opportunities for Your servants to testify to their brotherly love and firm trust in You. You, through Your servants, taught us to give alms for each other, to make sacrifices and prayers, and not in vain and not without benefit. You, the bountiful One, reward everyone for what they offer to Your glory, and nothing done in Your name is useless... Let no one doubt, brothers and fathers, that everything offered to God with faith receives a multiple reward both for the one by whom it is offered and for those for whom it is offered. In fact, if someone wants to anoint a sick person with myrrh or sacred oil, then he first becomes a participant in the anointing himself (i.e., the anointing one), and then anoints the sick person: just so, everyone who strives for the salvation of his neighbor first receives benefit himself, then brings it to his neighbor: for God is not unjust to forget deeds, according to the word of the Divine Apostle. The great Athanasius, in his homily about the departed, says the following: “Whoever makes a sacrifice for the deceased should have in his thoughts the same thing as someone who has a weak and infirm young son and with faith brings candles and incense with oil to the church of God for him: all this is burned for the boy by the father, and not the boy himself holds and brings (as happens with denials and vows during the Divine rebirth). You should also imagine that the deceased himself holds and brings candles, oil and all the gifts brought for his salvation; and thus, by the grace of God, efforts to achieve what he strives for with faith will not be in vain, since the benevolent Apostles, sanctified teachers and spiritual fathers in a godly manner established liturgies, prayers and annual remembrances for the dead, which custom spreads from the east of the sun to the west, in the north and south in honor and glory of the Lord of lords and the King of kings.” But, the opponent will object: “if this is true, then everyone will be saved, and no one will be deprived of bliss.” So be it. And - oh, if only this would come true! This is what the Most Good Lord thirsts for and wants, about this the Most Good Lord rejoices and rejoices, so that no one will be deprived of His Divine gifts. Has he really prepared rewards and crowns for the angels? Did He really become a man to save the heavenly spirits? Will He really say to the angels: “Come... inherit the Kingdom prepared for you?” (Matthew 25:34). Didn’t the Lord prepare all this for the man for whom he suffered? And who, having prepared a feast and called his friends, would not want them all to come and be filled with its goodness (otherwise why should he prepare a feast, if not to treat his friends)? And if we only care about this, then what should we say about the generous, all-good and humane God, Who, giving and giving, rejoices and has more fun than the one who accepts and acquires the greatest salvation for himself?.. So, whoever doubts the above, let him notice the following. Every person who had a small leaven of virtues in himself, but did not have time to turn it into bread (since, despite his desire, he could not do this and, beyond his expectations, was overtaken by death), will not be forgotten by the righteous Judge, but the Lord, after his death, will awaken his relatives and friends and incline their souls to help the deceased, to reward the omissions of the deceased. And to the one who led a vicious life, not caring the least about the soul and in such a state was caught by death, no one will extend a helping hand to him - neither relatives, nor friends: since God will not look upon him. That is why the benevolent Chrysostom teaches: “if you have not managed to arrange everything in life regarding the salvation of your soul, then at least at the time of your death, command your relatives so that after death they convey your property to you and help you with good deeds, that is, alms and offerings. Thus, here too you will be reconciled with the Redeemer." But someone will say about the strange and poor, who do not have relatives who would take care of them afterward, and who cannot leave a portion for the celebration of the liturgy and alms: “What (he will say) should these do? Is it possible that because they are poor, despised and have no one to take care of them, they will be deprived of salvation? Will God really be so unjust that he will give to those who have, but will not give anything to those who have not? Let everyone who makes such an unjust conclusion be silent. The Lord is just, or, better and more correctly said, He is truth itself, wisdom, goodness, strength. Therefore, as the righteous, He will recompense the poor with abundance; like the wise One, He will provide ways to reward omissions; as omnipotent, He will crush the strong and strengthen the powerless: as good, He will save the creation of His hands, excluding only those who clearly belong to the number of the outcasts who have trampled on the right faith. Let us strive with all our might, so that on the terrible and terrible day of the second coming of the Lord our relatives do not reproach us for neglecting them - especially those of us to whom they entrusted the care of their property and left it. And let no one think that at that terrible meeting we will not recognize each other: just as the deeds of everyone will then be revealed, so the faces will be familiar to everyone, until the final separation of everyone is completed. Woe will then be upon everyone standing. But blessed and blessed are those whom the Lord places at the right hand, and who hear the blessed voice. May all of us who have observed the Orthodox faith be worthy to hear this voice and be satisfied with all the blessings, the beauty of which the eye of mortals has not seen, the ear has not heard, the heart has not conceived. May this, Lord, Life-Giver, be the prayers of Thy All-Holy Mother and Thy immaterial and glorious spirits and all Thy saints who have pleased You from all eternity. Amen. Abridged and translated into Russian. Curs. Compl. Patrologiae, edit. Migne, Paris, vol. XCVI; compare “Sobornik”, published. 1830, 14–20 pp. You might be interested in: