Praying for the Dead.
A Short Primer.
A short prayer for every departed person
Note: This document is also available as a “card”. Download the Word or PDF Document, and print on both sides, and section into quarters. This information will be useful to you only if you USE it. It is good to pray for the reposed every day. See the end of this document for links.
Of your charity, please add to your commemoration list for the Divine Liturgy and pray the prayer (below) daily, for my son +Daniel, who, at the age of 20, drowned in a river, the Sunday of All Saints, May 29/June 11, 2017.
Praying for the Dead. - A Short Primer.
Why pray for the dead?
Because: we love them, and do not stop loving them after they die. Because: to God, all live, and life after death is a mystery, of which many things have not been revealed to us. Because: we will not forget those we love, whether living or dead. Because: From Apostolic times, Christians have prayed for their reposed loved ones.
When should we pray for the dead? If we love someone we think of them often. We pray every day for our loved ones, dead in the flesh, or alive in the flesh, and the church has many appointed days when we serve services for our reposed loved ones.
How can we pray for the dead? With love, and hope in the resurrection. We may pray the “Prayer for every departed person”, which is in any Orthodox Psalter (book of Psalms), or pray more simply, simply saying:
“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on thy servant N.”
It is common, and very helpful to pray this prayer with prostrations. I do this for a certain number of repetitions every day, and if you do it to, you will understand what I mean. There are many beautiful prayers for the dead which we may sing in our homes.
See also, remarks at the funeral of Daniel Holland (+Sunday of All Saints, 2017), from his father. His deep heart, and how and why we pray for the dead, and how we should remember him. It is with actions, not words.
https://www.orthodox.net//sermons/funeral_2017+daniel-holland.mp3
or
http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/redeemingtime/at_daniels_funeral
Prayer for every departed person
Remember, O Lord our God, Thy servant, our brother/sister, N., who has reposed in the Faith and hope of life eternal, and in that Thou art good and the Lover of mankind, Who remittest sins and blottest out iniquities, do Thou loose, remit and pardon all his/her sins, voluntary and involuntary.
Deliver him/her from eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna, and grant unto him/her the communion and delight of Thine eternal good things prepared for them that love Thee.
For though he/she hath sinned, yet hath he/she not forsaken Thee, and he/she undoubtedly believed in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; and even until his/her last breath did he/she confess Thee in Orthodox fashion: God glorified in Trinity, Unity in Trinity and Trinity in Unity.
Wherefore, be Thou merciful unto him/her and reckon his/her faith in Thee, rather than his/her deeds, and in that Thou art compassionate, grant him/her rest with Thy saints; for there is no man that liveth and doth not sin.
But Thou alone art wholly without sin, and Thy truth is forever; and Thou alone art the God of mercies, and compassion, and love for mankind, and unto Thee do we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
This prayer is in the back of the "Boston" Psalter. http://www.synaxis.info/psalter/5_english/b_reading/kath_prayers.html
If you want to print this prayer and short primer as a “card”. Download the Word or PDF Document, and print on both sides, and section into quarters:
https://www.orthodox.net//trebnic/prayer-for-every-departed-person-in-the-psalter-card.doc
https://www.orthodox.net//trebnic/prayer-for-every-departed-person-in-the-psalter-card.pdf
If you want this prayer and primer in larger print:
https://www.orthodox.net//trebnic/prayer-for-every-departed-person-in-the-psalter.doc
https://www.orthodox.net//trebnic/prayer-for-every-departed-person-in-the-psalter.pdf
https://www.orthodox.net//trebnic/prayer-for-every-departed-person-in-the-psalter.html
See also, remarks at the funeral of Daniel Holland (+Sunday of All Saints, May 29/June 11, 2017), from his father. His deep heart, and how and why we pray for the dead, and how we should remember him. It is with actions, not words.
https://www.orthodox.net//sermons/funeral_2017+daniel-holland.mp3
or
http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/redeemingtime/at_daniels_funeral
For more information, contact Priest Seraphim Holland seraphim@orthodox.net
See also https://www.orthodox.net/ There are plenty of articles about prayers, and many other things.