About charity to the dead

Letter to St. Gregory the Great (Dvoeslovo) “On doing good to the dead” is a reflection on the meaning of good deeds both in the life of a believer and after his death. The saint emphasizes that it is best to do good deeds during life rather than rely on others after death. He calls believers to sincere repentance and supplication to God through daily sacrifices - prayer and the Eucharist. Sacrifice to God must come from a contrite heart. It is necessary to maintain mental alertness and avoid vain thoughts so as not to lose the fruits of prayer and repentance. St. Gregory reminds us of the importance of forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with neighbors. He quotes the words of Christ (Matt. 5:23,24), emphasizing that the gift will not be accepted if anger and hostility remain in the heart. The saint claims that sincere repentance and good deeds performed before death can free a person from the need to make sacrifices for him after his death. Those who think of doing good after their death through others will do better if they do it themselves; for it is better to leave here free than to seek freedom from bonds there. We must hate this world with all our thoughts, beg God with the daily sacrifice of tears and the daily sacrifice of the body of Christ and blood. This sacrifice especially saves the soul from eternal death, mysteriously renewing before us the death of the only begotten Son of God, who is raised from the dead, to whomever dies no more, death does not possess Him (Rom. 6:9). Being in Himself immortal and incorruptible, He again sacrifices for us, in the sacrament of St. Eucharist. Here His body is received and His flesh is divided for the salvation of people; His blood is poured not into the hands of the infidels, but into the mouths of the faithful. Let us understand the price of this sacrifice for us! She, for our deliverance, always represents the suffering of the only begotten Son of God! And who among the faithful can doubt that at the very hour of sacrifice, at the voice of the priest, the heavens are opened, that at this sacrament of the Lord the faces of angels are present, which further brings into communion with the heavenly, the earthly is united with the heavenly, and, as it were, the visible comes into unity with the invisible? But, performing this (sacrament), we must necessarily sacrifice ourselves to God, in contrition of heart; for, while performing the mystery of divine suffering, we ourselves must imitate what we do. Then only the sacrifice for us will be worthily offered to God when we make ourselves the sacrifice. We must try so that even after prayer time, as long as God helps, we can keep our soul awake, so that later the flow of thoughts does not distract the soul and the vain joy of the mind does not delight (it), and the soul, from being overwhelmed by thoughts, is not deprived of the fruit of contrition. So Anna was honored to receive what she asked for; because even after crying she retained her spiritual strength, as it is written about her: her face never faded. She did not forget what she prayed for; and therefore she did not lose the gift she asked for. However, at the same time, you need to know that he correctly asks for remission of his sins, who first relieves himself of his sins. For the gift is not accepted unless resentment is driven away from the soul, as the Truth says: if you bring your gift to the altar, you will remember her, as if your brother had something against you: leave your gift, and first be reconciled with your brother, and then come and bring your gift (Matthew 5:23,24). And so, if every sin is resolved by the power of a gift, then how great is the sin of resentment, for the sake of which even a gift is not accepted! We must reach out to our neighbor, even if he is far from us, in our thoughts, humbly present our soul to him, appease him with humility and benevolence, so that our Creator, seeing such a disposition of our hearts, will free us from sin. We heard the voice of Truth: the slave who owed ten thousand talents, when he repented, received forgiveness of his debt from his master; and when he did not forgive his minion the hundred fines that he owed him, then it was ordered to demand from him what had been forgiven him. I will boldly say: we will not even have the need for offerings for us if, before death, we ourselves become a sacrifice to God. 1 See talk about the exodus of souls.