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О неуставной службе мученику Уару (2)

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In the “slavnik” the stichera “on the poem” again states about Cleopatra that “this unfaithful relatives find themselves, through the prayers of the glorious martyr they are delivered from the sorrow of eternal torment.” This gives the compiler of the canon the basis for a prayerful appeal: “In the same way, our parents and their neighbors, pityingly, care for the faith and baptism of the saint who are alienated... to ask Christ God, I cry, for their change, and for merciful deliverance from endless darkness” [7, p. 474, 475].

The stichera for Psalm 50 contains the petition: “... deliver our unfaithful relatives and ancestors and all for whom we pray from fierce and bitter languor” [7, p. 477].

In the canon of the service, the theme of prayerful intercession to the martyr Huar for the unbaptized is strengthened by an appeal never found in other known church texts with the same petition to the Mother of God Herself to beseech all, without exception, the unbaptized and heterodox dead.

“Through Your warm prayers, deliver our unfaithful and unbaptized relatives from fierce torment... and grant them deliverance and great mercy” (Theotokos Sedalen, p. 479).

“... Intercede unceasingly for mercy to Your merciful Son and Lady, to have mercy and forgive the sin of heterodoxy among our deceased relatives” (Song 9, p. 484).

Not only the Most Holy Theotokos, but also the angelic ranks are moved to pray for the unfaithful: “Move the face of the holy Powers of Heaven with you to prayer, O martyr, and do a wonderful work... for the unfaithfully deceased ancestor and those remembered with them, grant forgiveness and great mercy from the Lord” (Song 3, p. 478.

The canon offers other saints as allies and assistants to the martyr Uar:

“For Thou didst listen to Thy saints, O Lord, to have mercy on the unfaithful dead, and even today we bring Thee to prayer, so that for the sake of their petitions You may be gracious to those who died heterodoxically” (Song 8, p. 483). This petition is noteworthy, since it obliges not just the martyr of Uar, but a whole council of holy saints of God to ask for the salvation of the unbaptized: “The Lamb of God, who redeemed us with His Most Pure Blood, heard the prayer of Feklino and Blessed Gregory, Hearing the prayer of Methodius with many and Macarius, and giving joy and deliverance to the evil-believers to the dead, and Chrysostom for these pray write erected, accept therefore, Master, with these glorious Uar and their prayers remembered from us, forgive and have mercy” (Song 8, p. 483).

Bishop Athanasius (Sakharov) noted that the prayer of St. Gregory the Dvoeslov for King Trajan and the prayer of St. Methodius of Constantinople with the Council of Fathers for King Theophilus are mentioned here - so these were prayers not “for the pagans” or “for heretics,” but “for the king,” according to the apostolic commandment to make prayers for the king and for everyone in power. (1 Tim. 2:2). The prayers of the other saints of God mentioned in the canon obviously belong to the category of “private” and not “public”.

Practically all the troparions of the canon, as well as the Luminary, contain the same petition “... of faith and Baptism for our alienated relatives who have died and to all... to grant forgiveness and great mercy” (Song 5, p. 481).

The service is crowned by the stichera “on praise”, where the following appeals occur as a refrain:

“...Pray for forgiveness from those who died heterodoxically” [7, p. 485].

“...Pray to Him to send mercy to those who died in unbelief” [7, p. 485].

The last seal of the “praiseworthy” stichera is a half-page “slavnik”, containing, in particular, the following appeals: “...Remember our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, who were remembered with great ease, and those who were revered with them, those who were buried against God, who died unbaptized. For these people, present yourself to Christ God... and strive to ask them for deliverance from eternal darkness" [7, p. 486].

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✒ Orthodox House translation — being checked against the traditional text.
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