The burial service of the deceased in the church: how much time, how it happens, what is needed. The funeral service for the deceased

Death is an integral part of life. All of us, sooner or later, face the loss of loved ones, it is impossible to understand this process by human reason. No one except God knows how mysteriously the soul communicates with the body at conception and how it leaves it. Therefore, after the death of a loved one, we try to scrupulously observe all traditions and rituals known from ancient times. Not all of them are related to Orthodoxy, but the burial service of the deceased is the most necessary and important rite, which the relatives of the deceased should take care of.

What is a burial service?

The funeral of the deceased is a special church rite performed on the body of a deceased person. Only an ordained clergyman who has the right to perform church ordinances can conduct service . It is believed that the funeral of the deceased in the church is the most important rite, expressing the veneration, respect and love of those close to the deceased. It is held only for Orthodox Christians.

The Funeral of the Dead: The Meaning and Purpose of the Rite

Many, even deeply religious people ask themselves the question of why it is necessary to burial the deceased - after all, his soul has already left the body at the time of death, and his family can not help her at all. This has its own meaning.

In fact, the burial service of the deceased is necessary in order to purify the soul of the deceased Orthodox from the sins and burdens of earthly life. The soul is released from her sins, and by her prayer the relatives of the deceased help her to cope with the trials that she must overcome on the way to God. Clergymen claim that while the soul did not face the Lord on the fortieth day, it is necessary to pray for it. After all, every prayer helps the soul to enter the Kingdom of God more easily. The priests themselves consider the burial service to be the most important part of the funeral orthodox rite. Bear in mind that it is possible to release the soul only those sins in which a person repented at confession before his death.

Who should not be burial?

There is a special category of people for whom the ritual of the funeral of the deceased is inaccessible. First of all, this refers to the Gentiles and people who were once baptized in the Orthodox tradition, but rejected God and lived their lives without faith. It is also forbidden to enter into the service of those who left to be buried without this rite. In this case, the will of the deceased is carried out rigorously.

Suicides too should be buried without burial service. Clergymen explain this prohibition in the following way: human life is a gift of God, and only he decides when to stop the earthly path of the soul. Therefore, the act of suicide is equated with the sin of pride, when a person considers himself equal with the Lord and challenges his rights. In addition, suicides are considered spiritual descendants of Judas, who could not bear the heaviness of his sin. The exception is only the madmen who have committed suicide. In this case, the relatives of the deceased need to file a petition with the Diocesan Office and attach all the accompanying documents explaining the situation.

The funeral of the deceased in the church is impossible for unbaptized babies, since they did not pass this sacrament.

The funeral of baptized infants

A special rite is performed on infants who died after baptism. Their souls are considered to be sinless, up to the age of seven children are only singing with prayers for acceptance into the Kingdom of God. Also, the priest prays for the consolation of the child's parents and for the sinless soul to intercede in the face of the Lord for the souls of his relatives and friends. This funeral of the deceased in the church (the time here is not regulated) is the same as the usual rite for an adult. The church does not share souls by age.

The funeral of the deceased in the church: how long does the ritual last?

It's hard to say how long it will take for the funeral service. There are no definite rules in the church that regulate the time interval that the church ritual will take. If it is very important for you to know in advance how long it takes for the deceased to be served in the church, then talk with the priest. He will tell you exactly how the process will take place, and how long it will last. But on average the funeral service lasts no more than forty-five minutes, in some cases it can take half an hour.

The time of the funeral service does not affect the rite itself, because the key moment is the prayers of the priest over the body of the deceased. And nothing is said about the time of these prayers.

Correspondent burial service: is it necessary to conduct this rite?

Correspondence with the funeral service of the dead is still some stumbling block in church dogmatics. In fact, such a concept does not exist, because the rite itself presupposes prayers performed over the body of the deceased. This is the deep meaning - the body of the deceased, which was the Sacred Vessel for his soul, is brought to the church for the last time to honor his earthly life and facilitate the transition to the Kingdom of the Lord. Therefore, the absent burial service of the dead does not make any sense for the soul of the deceased. Until 1941, this formulation was never even met, but the war made its own corrections. The mothers of killed soldiers often came to church, whose bodies were buried far from their native land. Some were considered missing, so the only way to honor their memory was the funeral service. The clergy went to meet grieving relatives, and conducted the ceremony in absentia. Although in fact a part-time funeral service is a funeral service, not a funeral service in the literal sense of the word.

Corresponding burial service of the deceased: how does it happen?

As we have already specified, the commission of the funeral service does not make sense without the body of the deceased. But in some cases, priests go on concessions to grief-stricken relatives. This applies to people who died from infectious diseases that died as a result of a natural disaster (when no bodies were found, or nothing remained of them), or in the absence of a church and clergymen nearby. In these cases, the only way out is to go in in absentia.

How does this rite happen in the absence of the deceased's body and relatives? Everything is extremely simple - the funeral service is ordered from the priest in the church. Then he independently conducts the ritual and gives his relatives the land, a funeral parish and permissive prayers.

How long does the funeral service last for the absentee? Exactly the same as the usual rite. But once again we clarify that if you want to do this and have all the possibilities, then do an ordinary church burial service. So you will do for the soul of the deceased a good deed.

What needs to be done before the funeral?

Clergymen are advised from the moment of death of a loved one to start reading the Psalms. Read it preferably day and night before the funeral service. To do this can absolutely any Orthodox person, in some cases for these purposes the priests are invited home. They have the necessary experience and can help you in such a difficult time. You can buy a Psalter in any church shop, it should be available to any believer.

The funeral is held on the third day after death. This is due to Orthodox beliefs that until the third day the soul is close to relatives and still can not tear themselves away from them. From the third to the ninth day the soul is shown the Kingdom of God, and until the fortieth day it passes through its entire earthly path and re-experiences all sins. Only on the fortieth day the soul gets to the Lord and there it is decided where it will wait for the Last Judgment. The prayers of relatives and clergymen in this case play a purifying role and help to pass into the Kingdom of the Eternal.

Accompany the coffin with the deceased before the temple should all relatives headed by a priest. Previously, it was decided to stop at each intersection to read the prayers. Now quite often stops along the way are made regardless of the presence of intersections. The priest simply stops the procession and asks all present to pray for the soul of the deceased. There can be several such stops, their number is not regulated anywhere.

Preparation for the funeral service: what is needed?

After the death of a person it is necessary to immediately come to church and agree with the priest about the funeral service. It must be done as quickly as possible, because the day may already be occupied with any other rituals.

Before the funeral service it is necessary to have several items with you. In the coffin to the deceased lay a shroud, a funerary whisk, a small icon, a cross and a permissive prayer. All this can be purchased in the church. Also, without fail, you need to have candles, you do not need to put them in a coffin.

Relatives of the deceased often worry about the cost of the funeral service. There is no definite answer - the church does not have a price list for its services. Therefore, usually the family of the deceased leaves donations for the needs of the church for the performed rite. The amount should not be specified in advance.

Unfortunately, many modern clerics are tempted and set fixed prices for all church rituals and rituals. This is fundamentally the wrong approach, but if there is no other temple nearby, then you will have to commemorate the deceased, having paid the specified sum of money.

How is the church funeral conducted?

So, you decided to have a funeral with the deceased in the church. How is this rite? Everyone who will take part in it should know about this.

After the coffin with the body, closed with a shroud, was brought to the church, a funeral wreath was placed on the forehead of the deceased. The coffin should stand facing the altar, around it are placed four lit candles. One candle is put in the hands of the deceased, they must be folded on the chest. Each of the relatives and those present at the funeral service must hold a lit candle in their hands, they symbolize the victory of life over death.

Over the body of the deceased priest reads prayers, extracts from the Holy Scriptures and psalms. Well, if the relatives of the deceased also know these prayers and sincerely pray for the soul of the deceased. Such sincerity can strengthen the prayers offered to God several times. During the funeral of the deceased, the priest asks to release all the sins of the deceased and cleanse it before the Lord. The stronger the prayer, the easier it will be for the soul to find itself in the Kingdom of God after the trials on the landmarks of its life.

After this, the priest reads the permissive prayer, the leaf with its text is then put into the deceased's hand. Now each of the relatives can go to the grave and say goodbye to the deceased. First of all, you need to kiss the icon, and then a halo on the brow of the deceased. At this point, you can ask for forgiveness and say the last words.

At the final stage of the funeral, the priest with prayer closes the face of the deceased with a shroud and cross-sprinkles his body with consecrated ground. Earlier at that moment, the coffin was closed with a lid and pinned. Now it can be done in the cemetery just before the burial.

The icon that was near the deceased, you can immediately take with you. Some relatives leave her in church and take her home a few days later. In this regard, the church does not make any prescriptions.

The funeral home: the essence of the rite

The funeral of a deceased home may be possible in the following cases:

• Death from an infectious disease;
• The absence of the possibility of transporting the body to the temple;
• Extremely difficult physical and emotional state of the next of kin.

How does the funeral of the dead go on in this case? The rite is no different from the church, but it's worth taking care of the special decoration of the room. You will need to put a funeral table and candlesticks. Also in the room there should be icons, the priest will tell you which of them should be at the funeral service.

In addition to the house and church, the funeral service can be performed in a crematorium or a ritual hall. In some cases, the ceremony takes place in the cemetery chapels if they stand on its territory. Priests believe that this option is one of the most acceptable and convenient for the relatives of the deceased.

Burial rites not related to Orthodoxy

Unfortunately, modern man is filled with a lot of superstitions and fears. Clergymen extremely negatively assess the mixture of pagan funeral rituals with the Orthodox. And it's worth noting that even very religious people sin on this. Therefore, it is necessary to know those things that Orthodox Christians should not do while burying their loved ones.

First of all, the church condemns the abundance of wreaths and music during burial. Wreaths of artificial flowers are related to pagan rituals, you do not need to completely lay the grave. It speaks only of the material wealth of the deceased's relatives. If you want to show respect to the deceased's soul, then just plant flowers on the grave-perennials-they will symbolize the victory of life over death. Music is also not a godly accompaniment of the deceased into another world. In the churches at the burial service the musical accompaniment is not used, it is believed that the soul should not distract anything from the transition to the Kingdom of God.

Such a popular tradition to put on a wake a glass of vodka and bread for the deceased, too, has nothing to do with Orthodoxy. At wake-up, it is unacceptable to drink alcohol. After all, the funeral is held in order to remember all the good things about the deceased and conduct it in a kind word into the afterlife.

Priests also condemn such pagan traditions as hanging mirrors, rubbing the floors after the coffin was taken out of the house, and coins thrown into the grave. Do not need to put in the coffin to the deceased any of his personal belongings. All these superstitions will not ease the soul of being in the afterlife, they only show the degree of limitation and fear of death, which burdens the life of an ordinary person who does not have enough faith.

Many Christians are worried when the deceased begin to dream of it. They begin to go to the cemetery and summon the priest for the consecration of the house. In fact, the soul that comes in a dream, shows concern for you, it asks for prayers. Therefore, you need to pray more diligently for the deceased, you can order a special liturgy in the church or put candles for the soul's repose on certain days. All this in due course will make the appearance of the soul of the deceased in a dream a rare event. In Orthodoxy, the deceased deceased souls are not a bad omen, they need not be feared.

The burial service of the deceased is the ritual without which the Orthodox Christian's earthly path can not end. Bear in mind that the responsibility for carrying it out entirely lies on the shoulders of the relatives of the deceased. They must ensure that everything is done in accordance with church laws. And do not be afraid of death, trying to perform all the funeral rites as possible "right." After all, most of them came to us from dark times, when the light of true faith had not yet penetrated the souls of people.

Of course, surviving the departure from the life of a loved one is very difficult. But, most importantly, what Orthodox Christians should remember is that death is not the end, it is only the transition of the soul to another world. And it is necessary to live with dignity that which is measured to you by the Lord, that abroad of earthly life again meet with all those whom we so loved in this life.