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ON
PRAYER
WHAT IS PRAYER?
Many people
today do not understand the power of prayer and the need for prayer as a
whole. Most people only remember that there is a God when they are in need
of something, and usually resort to prayer when they suffer from some sort
of ailment, when someone close to them is ill, when they are in trouble,
when they need financial help, when they apply for a new position, in
general when they have need of something worldly. At all other times they
rarely think of God and live their lives without God and prayer. Others
again have got into the habit of praying in the morning or before going to
bed but don’t feel the need to pray throughout the day. On those rare
occasions when they resort to prayer they expect God to respond by
answering their prayers. If he doesn’t then that affects their belief in
him and often people lose faith and say God didn’t help me when I needed
him. Prayer from this point of view is not prayer at all. The meaning of
prayer has been grossly distorted from its main purpose which is communion
with God. So how should we pray and for what things should we pray for?
Christ Himself, in his Sermon on the Mount, taught us how to pray and told
us the things we should pray for. He said:
“when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when
thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy
Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” (Matt. 6:6)
This does not mean that we should enter into our room to be alone. The
closet has always been interpreted as meaning our heart. We should look
into our heart which no man can see but only God who sees the secret parts
of man. He told us that:
“Our Father in heaven knows what things we have need of even before we ask
him.” (Matt. 6:8) “Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or
what you shall drink; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not
the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of
the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns;
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?
And why take you thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field,
how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto
you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and
tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O you
of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or,
What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all
these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that
you have need of all these things. But seek you first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take
therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for
the things of itself.” (Matt: 6: 25-34)
So we should not worry about everything that has to do with our worldly
existence, but only seek the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. That
is all that we should strive and pray for, everything else will be
provided for if we believe in Christ’s words. True prayer then is to seek
for God’s love, because the kingdom of God is love. Prayer is the means by
which we ask God to help us love him and this is what we mean when we ask
for God’s mercy. It goes without saying that God is love and his love is
there for us to experience thus we don’t ask God to love us, we take it
for granted that his love for us is total and unconditional. It is we who
need to heal ourselves so that we may be able to experience God’s love. It
is we who have a problem in our relationship with God. When we ask for
God’s mercy we are in fact asking him to heal our existence in such a way
as to allow him to find rest within our own hearts and bring about a union
with his love. This is what we must first and foremost ask of God. When
this happens then God offers us whatever else we might have need of. If
fact, when this primary need has been satisfied then all other needs seem
to fade away, they are not important to us anymore. We see things in a
different light and even our infirmities are not seen as a burden but as a
blessing. We can see an example of this from St. Paul’s life: After
describing how he was caught up to the third heaven and heard unspeakable
words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter, he was in danger of
glorifying himself for his holiness if he didn’t remember that he had a
bodily ailment of the flesh which constantly reminded him that he was only
human. In his own words he says:
“I will not boast, except in my infirmities. For
though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the
truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me
to be, or hears from me. And lest I should be exalted above measure by the
abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh,
the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times, that it might
depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for you: for
my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will
rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities,
in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then
I am strong.” (2 Cor 12: 5-10)
Thus we should look upon our infirmities and difficulties as a blessing
from God for they are often a source for us to grow stronger in faith. We
should remember that nothing in our lives happens without a reason. This
doesn’t mean that illnesses and troubles come from God. They are the
result and consequences of the fall, but by accepting them as blessings we
use them for spiritual growth. When health problems arise People often say
within their hearts: why me O God, why have you allowed this to happen to
me, me of all people who believes in you, who goes to Church every Sunday,
why have you kept in good health that person who doesn’t believe in you,
but have dealt with me in this way. This attitude reveals that we only
have love of ourselves; our main concern is ourselves and definitely
reveals our lack of faith in God. On the other hand, if we accept
everything as God’s plan, then our troubles, our weaknesses become
instruments that help us come closer to God’s love. That is why holy
people never pray for their own afflictions, but only for God’s mercy.
This doesn’t mean that we should not pray for other’s when they are in
need. Praying for others is an act of love and as God is love and loves
all of mankind, then we should also show love to all mankind. The most
practical way for us to show love for others is by praying for them.
Usually the first stage where someone will seek God’s intervention is as
we have already said when either they themselves or someone close to them
is suffering from a serious illness. It is then that they remember God and
seek for a miracle. If there was no illness then they would not remember
that there is a God, so the illness is in fact a blessing in disguise: it
forces the person to accept that there is a God and for the first time
they reach out to God for his help. A communion with God has begun where
before it was non existent. In these first stages God often responds and
gives the person more opportunity to seek him. If the person responds
positively then God will slowly guide him to what is necessary for his
salvation.
Now there are various forms of prayer. Prayer is doxology, praise,
thanksgiving, confession, supplication and intercession to God. The things
we petition for are also many, we ask God for all sorts of things
especially in the liturgy and other church services. We ask for peace, a
good harvest, protection for those at sea, good rainfall, etc.
The way we pray are also many. Prayer is of course devout words but also
the outward signs of piety as: the sign of the Cross, bowing our head,
kneeling, prostration, etc. But prayer can also be offered without words,
and without other external manifestations. This is the inner or hidden
prayer of a pious soul, which is familiar through experience to many
earnest Christians.
The most widespread form of prayer is petition, offered in acknowledgment
of our weaknesses, infirmities, and lack of experience. Because of sins
and passions, our souls become weak and sick. Therefore, it is essential
in prayer to ask God to forgive us and help us to overcome our faults.
Sometimes requests are made because of an impending danger hanging over
us, a need, etc. Petition in prayer is inevitable in view of our weakness
and is readily accepted by the all-merciful Lord. But if our prayer has
only a predominant character of request, that is, if all we do is
continually demand things without also giving praise and thanksgiving;
this indicates poor development of our spiritual life. It shows that we
are not progressing spiritually: that we have not understood that prayer
is to commune with God, that our aim in life is to be with God.
So we have seen that we should not continually seek things from God only
for our worldly benefit, yet Christ said:
“Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my
name, I will do it.” (John 14:13-14)
And again he said:
“Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask
anything of the Father, He will give it to you in my name. Until now you
have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy
may be full.” (John 16:23-24)
Whatever one asks in the name of Jesus will be given. This does not mean
that man can ask God for all and everything. He cannot ask for what is not
needed, or for what is evil. He can ask, however, and must ask for “good
gifts,” for whatever can be asked in the name of Christ, for whatever is
holy and sinless and good. If one asks for good things in faith, he will
certainly receive them if God thinks that he should have them for his life
and salvation. This is the promise of the Lord Himself.
“If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask
whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7)
“And whatever you ask in prayer, if you have faith, you will receive.”
(Matthew 21:22)
Every prayer directed to God in faith is answered. This does not mean that
what is asked is always given, for God knows better than the person who
prays what is good for him. For this reason the spiritual teachers warn us
against being too long and insistent in our demands of the Lord other than
for his mercy. God knows best what is needed thus it is always best to be
brief in prayer, and not too specifically demanding. It is always best to
pray: “Give what is needed, O Lord. Thy will be done.”
Regarding how to pray, St. Isaac the Syrian writes: “Don't be thoughtless
in your petitions, in order not to offend God by your foolishness. But
rather be wise, to become worthy of the greatest gifts. Ask for a treasure
from Him Who is a stranger to stinginess and you will receive a treasure
from Him in accordance with the reasonableness of your request. Solomon
asked for wisdom and together with it he received an earthly kingdom
because he made a wise request before the Great King. Elisseus (Elisha)
asked for a twofold portion of grace of the Holy Spirit and his request
was not refused. To ask for trifles from the King insults his dignity.”
Westerners not used to the Orthodox way of praying often accuse us that
our Liturgical prayers are repetitive and. Yes, they are - by design:
“Again and again, in peace, let us pray unto the Lord.” In this way the
Orthodox Church is simply following the command or Our Lord that we should
be persistent in prayer and not half-hearted. Twice in St. Luke’s Gospel,
Our Lord commends people who are persistant in asking: The first is the
friend we go to at midnight to ask for three loaves of bread because
another friend of ours has visited us and we have nothing at home to offer
him. And although the friend doesn’t want to get out of bed he gets up not
because you are his friend, but because of your persistence and gives you
as many loaves as you need. (Luke.11: 5-8) The second is the parable of
the unjust judge. The Lord spoke this parable to show that men should
always pray and not lose heart, He said:
“There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying: Avenge
me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said
within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this
widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she
weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall
not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he
bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.”
(Luke18:1-8).
Another repetitive prayer is the “Jesus prayer”: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of
God, have mercy on me a sinner. People are quick to remind us that the
Lord warned against vain repetition by which he meant hypocritical
babblings. There is nothing vainly repetitious in the use of this prayer.
Any believer who prays it must do so consciously, focusing on each word
and the whole meaning. If it is used mechanically then yes it can become
vain repetition. The Jesus prayer is a simple prayer used throughout the
day to keep our minds on God thus fulfilling what St. Paul said that we
should “Pray without ceasing”. (1 Thess.
5:17). It is repeated over and over, literally hundreds of times
throughout the day and night, until it becomes unceasingly implanted in
the heart as a “gushing spring,” a continual presence in the soul calling
out to the Lord. It is often, but not necessarily, connected with one’s
breathing, so much so that it is uttered “with every breath.” (St. Gregory
the Theologian; St. John Chrysostom) There are various stages to the Jesus
Prayer. It begins by being said vocally, then silently with the lips, then
with the mind and then by joining the mind to the heart, the last stage is
the gift of grace which takes its abode in the heart. One can continue
this “unceasing prayer” even while engaged in the normal activities of
life, while reading or writing, and even while sleeping, thus the “body
sleeps,” but the “heart is awake.” Then, when one awakes from one’s bed,
one finds that the prayer is continuing itself. This is of course in the
advance stage of the prayer.
The choice of this particular verse Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have
mercy on me a sinner has a theological and spiritual meaning. First of
all, it is centred on the name of Jesus because this is the name of Him
whom “God has highly exalted,”(Acts 5:31) the
name given to the Lord by God Himself (Luke 1:31), the
“name which is above every name.”
(Philippians 2:9) “For there is no other name given
among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) All prayer for
Christians must be performed in the name of Jesus:
“if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:14)
The fact that the prayer is addressed to Jesus as Lord and Christ and Son
of God is because this is the centre of the entire faith revealed by God
in the Spirit.
That Jesus is the Christ, and that the Christ is Lord is the essence of
the Christian faith and the foundation of the Christian church. To believe
and proclaim this is granted by the Holy Spirit. “no
one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” (I
Corinthians 12:3) and “every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”
(Philippians 2:11)
The second part of the prayer “Have mercy on me a sinner” is the
publican’s prayer. When uttered with humble conviction it brings divine
justification. (Luke 18:9-14) Generally speaking, divine mercy is what man
needs most of all. It is for this reason that the numberless repetitions
of the request for the Lord’s mercy is found everywhere in the prayers of
the Church.
But to pray without ceasing is easier said than done. How does someone
begin to train oneself to have remembrance of God all the day long and
eventually all night long. The beginner should take things very slowly in
the beginning establishing in his daily timetable a set time that he will
use for his daily prayers. Each person desiring to live the spiritual life
should have his own rule of prayer. It should be brief and regular, such
that it could be kept in all conditions and circumstances. In this set
rule of prayer, the prayers of the Church should be used, the Lord’s
Prayer and those from the prayer book.
The set times of prayer are very important, and should not be put aside
for any reason, even when one prays continuously in his heart. This is the
teaching and practice of the saints. This gives discipline in prayer and
provides instruction and inspiration in prayer which is perfectly
trustworthy and sound, having demonstrated its power in the lives of the
saints. In this set time for prayer one can introduce the Jesus Prayer
saying it aloud with the lips. In the beginning the novice should keep to
a minimum and perhaps limit himself to only one hundred prayers to begin
with. To keep count of the prayer a “komposkini” should be used. The
normal komposkini is a prayer rope made of 100 knots. The komposkini is
also an aid to help concentrate on the prayer.
When praying, it is important to turn away from our usual cares and
preoccupations, collect our scattered thoughts, as if closing the door of
the soul against all that is worldly, and direct all our attention towards
God. Then without rushing the prayer try to keep focused on the prayer
trying to observe each word as it comes out of the mouth. You will notice
that even after only four or five times of saying the prayer, the mind has
already lost its focus on the prayer and has started to wander and think
of other things that seem important. This is natural and to be expected at
this stage. This is the beginner’s stage. It takes time, practice and
growth to master the skill of praying, we would not expect a child to act
as if he is a university graduate. When we are beginners we are bound to
face difficulties and make mistakes. We will pray in an imperfect way. So
having that in mind one mustn’t lose hope or courage that he cannot focus
and then lose interest in getting into the habit of prayer, but just
redirect the mind back to the prayer. It takes a lot of hard work and
persistence to master any skill. Do not attempt to do more than one
“komposkini” (100 Jesus prayers) until you have accustomed yourself to the
prayer. For the rest of the day use short prayers asking God to bless
everything that you do. For example on waking praise God for the new day,
thank him for raising you from sleep and ask him to bless your day. If you
have a set rule for the morning, say your prayers and then ask him to
bless your breakfast or your morning drink. As you leave your home to go
to work, ask him to bless your exit and safeguard your return. As you get
into your car ask him to bless your journey, as you begin work ask him to
bless your work and workplace. Ask him to bless and enlighten your work
colleagues that working side by side with them you do not encounter
problems of jealousy and stress related tempers. In fact in everything we
do we should first ask God to bless our actions and in this way we get
into the habit of remembering God throughout the day. This is a form of
unceasing prayer and can easily be adapted into one’s life. When we have
mastered this stage we can then go to the next stage of saying the Jesus
prayer not only at our set time for prayer but at every opportunity that
we don’t have to concentrate on our work. For example during our coffee
and lunch breaks and if our work is not of the mental kind but manual and
doesn’t demand concentration then these are excellent opportunities to
practice saying the prayer. At these times the prayer should be said
silently otherwise people will think that there is something wrong with
you. Gradually you will notice a difference in yourselves. You will be
saying the prayer without even being conscious of praying. The prayer is
becoming part of your life and soon you will wonder how you ever lived
without it.
The Jesus Prayer basically is used in three different ways. First as the
verse used for the “prayer of the heart” in silence in the hesychast
method of prayer. Second as the continual mental and unceasing prayer of
the faithful outside the hesychast tradition like the way we have
described above, and thirdly as the brief prayer used to ward off
temptations. Of course, in the actual life of a person these three uses of
the prayer are often interrelated and combined.
The second use of the Jesus Prayer (outside the hesychast method for
unceasing prayer) is to repeat the prayer constantly and continually,
whatever one is doing, without the employment of any particular bodily
postures or breathing techniques. This is the way taught by St. Gregory
Palamas in his short discourse about how unceasing mental prayer is the
duty of all Christians. Anyone can do this, whatever his occupation or
position in life. This also is shown in the book “The Way of the Pilgrim”,
which everyone who is serious of the practice of the Jesus Prayer should
read. The purpose and results of this method of prayer are those generally
of all prayer: that men might be continually united with God by unceasing
remembrance of His presence and continual invocation of His name.
The third method of using the Jesus Prayer is to have it always ready for
moments of temptation. In this way, as St. John Climacus has said, you can
“flog your enemies, i.e. the temptations, with the name of Jesus for there
is no stronger weapon in heaven or on earth.” (The Ladder of Divine
Ascent, Step 21) When one practices the continual “prayer of the heart,”
and when the temptations to sin enter the heart, they are met by the
prayer and are defeated by grace.
But coming back to the first method, the use of the Jesus prayer in the
hesychast method of prayer called “Prayer of the heart” this requires
always and without exception the guidance of a spiritual guide, one must
not use this method unless one is a person of genuine humility and sanity,
filled with all wisdom and peace. To use this method without guidance or
humble wisdom, is to court spiritual disaster, for the temptations that
come with it are many. It is usually used with aids which help
concentration of the prayer. The person sits on a stall in total darkness
or with only the light of a candle or vigil light, with his head bowed and
his eyes directed toward his chest. He continually repeats the prayer with
each breath, placing his “mind in his heart” by concentrated attention.
Thus as he inhales he says the first part of the prayer “Lord Jesus
Christ, Son of God” and as he exhales the second part “have mercy upon me
a sinner.” Breathing in this way helps to concentrate on the words of the
prayer and by keeping one’s mind near the heart area one soon becomes
aware of the rhythm of the heartbeats which again help to rhythm the
prayer with the beating of the heart. Quite soon the person feels his
heart warming as though it is on fire. In this state he may find an
ineffable sweetness welling up in his soul. We should not seek this
sweetness as such consolations are not always of divine origin. We should,
rather, praise God that the prayer is proving to a blessing in our
Christian lives. This is actually a very natural stage of the prayer which
many people misinterpret as the grace of the Holy Spirit. They become
puffed up with pride thinking that they have succeeded in such a short
while what many monks do not achieve in a lifetime of prayer. The grace of
God does not come by using mechanical methods of concentration. That is
why the fathers continually warn us of the dangers of these techniques and
should only be attempted with the guidance of a spiritual father
experienced in prayer of the heart. Bishop Theophan (1815-1894) tells that
the bodily postures and breathing techniques were virtually forbidden in
his time since, instead of gaining the Spirit of God, people succeeded
only “in ruining their lungs.” (The Art of Prayer, lgumen Chariton) So
mechanical aids or mental techniques are not at all necessary. What is
important is to pray with humility, without expecting reward. In time God
will intensify and strengthen your prayer and at a time that God will
allow the prayer will become automatic. Without effort the prayer will
repeat in your heart whatever you might otherwise be doing and not only
while you are awake but also while you are sleeping For as it says in Holy
Scripture: “I sleep but by heart waketh” (Song of Songs 5:2)
This stage is accompanied with tears, not the sentimental tears which we
associate with females, but uncontrollable tears of repentance. And tears
are necessary and an integral part of real prayer. It cleanses the heart
of all the defilements that Christ mentions are hidden in the heart and
replaces them with love for God and all creation. With the heart cleansed,
God can now take his abode there. This is the last stage of the prayer.
The grace of Christ lives in the heart. We become the dwelling place of
God, when He lives within us and we become the temple of God where
remembrance of Him is not disturbed by earthly cares, and the mind is not
distracted by unexpected thoughts. This then is the kingdom of God that
Christ said is within us. This stage is connected with the vision of the
uncreated Light that we saw in the chapter dealing with the Hesychast
Controversy and it is not reserved only for the saints. We are all called
to be saints and unceasing prayer – the prayer of the heart of the
Orthodox Church has for two thousand years proven that with proper use it
can open the doors of the kingdom to all who seek it.
PRAYER FOR THE
DEPARTED
Why do we pray
for the departed? Why does the Orthodox Church encourage its members to
pray for the dead? Death does not cause a spiritual separation between the
dead and the living, for Jesus is still the Lord of both groups. Together,
these two groups, the Church in heaven often called the Church Triumphant
and the Church on earth called the Church militant, comprise the one,
whole, undivided Church, which Saint Paul calls The body of Christ
(Eph.1:22, 23). The love which knits together in perfect unity these two
aspects of Christ's Body prevails forever, for “love never fails” (1 Corin.
13:8). As Saint Paul also says:
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things
to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
(Rom. 8:38, 39).
The Church is not only the visible congregation worshipping here on earth,
but also the invisible congregation of the saints and the angels
worshipping in heaven. The Church visible on earth lives in complete
communion and unity with the whole body of the Church of which Christ is
the Head. Our departed family members and friends are also members of this
one body and just because they have crossed over to the other side doesn’t
mean that they cease to exist or are no longer members of the Church of
Christ. If we were to believe such a thing, then all our hopes of the
future life and the Resurrection would be lost.
Our Christian parents, grandparents, children, brothers, sisters, and
friends live on with Christ after they die, and remembering the great
unity that we still have with them as fellow-members of Christ's Body, the
Church finds nothing in the Scriptures that would prohibit Christians from
expressing love for and maintaining a sense of fellowship with those who
have died. What better way do we have to express our love than to pray for
them? Now some Protestants might object and say, “If they are already in
heaven, how can they possibly need our prayers? Their eternal destiny is
already settled!” This is very true! One’s eternal destiny-whether one
spends eternity in heaven or in hell-is determined by how one believes and
lives in this life. The Orthodox Church does not claim that prayers for
someone who died in opposition to God can save that soul from hell, since
the Scriptures clearly teach that there is no chance for repentance after
death (Luke 16:19-31). The passage from Hades to Paradise is impossible
for those who sinned very severely and did not confess their sin before
departing. But for those who sins were minor this pathway is not
definitely closed, given that in the future judgment each one’s place,
either in heaven or in hell, will be decided permanently. The prayers of
the Church are able to help some souls to be saved after their death, but
before the resurrection of the body, for the torments sinners suffer after
death are temporary and will only become permanent after the Last
Judgment. Thus, the opportunity is given to the faithful of the Church, in
love to strengthen the reposed by their prayers. Alone the dead cannot be
helped, however, with the love of others “all things are possible.”
The Church, firmly believes that prayer for the dead in Christ is helpful
to them because in the Orthodox view, sanctification is seen not as a
point-in-time occurrence, but as a process which never ends. As Saint Paul
says, “And we all, with unveiled face beholding as
in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into His likeness from one
degree of glory to another, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2
Corin. 3:18). And in another place St. Paul says:
“For preaching of the cross is foolishness to them that perish; but unto
us who are being saved it is the power of God”, the phrase “who are
being saved” suggests that we are continually being saved. For this
reason, Orthodox Christians look upon salvation itself as a continual
growth in holiness, purity, and closeness with God, which continues even
in heaven. Holiness is rarely achieved or completed in anyone's life while
on earth - no one becomes sinless. It is the Orthodox understanding that
sanctification continues on, in some way, into the world beyond-especially
in the beginning stages of the next life. The Church believes that our
prayers for the departed can help them in this process of healing and
purification. There is yet another dimension to these prayers. Not only do
our prayers help the departed, but praying for them helps us as well. It
keeps their remembrance alive in us, helping our hearts to stay warm and
full of love towards them. It gives us a way to experience a sense of
their presence, since prayer is far more than simply the making of
requests. It keeps them before our eyes as living examples of Christian
faith for us to emulate. And a vivid remembrance of those living with
Christ in heaven can more thoroughly and deeply assure us that there truly
is life after death, which can help diminish any fear of death, which we
may have. We can see, then, that our prayers for the departed help
preserve and increase the unity between the Church on earth and the Church
in heaven-which helps both aspects of the Church. As a contemporary
British Orthodox theologian, Bishop Kallistos Ware, says, “just as
Orthodox Christians here on earth pray for one another and ask for one
another's prayers, so they pray also for the faithful departed and ask the
faithful departed to pray for them. Death cannot sever the bond of mutual
love which links the members of the Church together”.
HOW AND WHEN DO WE PRAY FOR THE DEPARTED?
As soon as
someone has reposed, the priest should be informed so be can read the
Prayers on the Departure of the Soul, which are appointed to be read over
all Orthodox Christians after death and to arrange for when the funeral
should take place. Almost immediately, we should arrange for the serving
of the forty-day memorial, that is, daily commemoration at the Liturgy for
the course of forty days. Town churches rarely have daily services, but
male monasteries or female monasteries, if they have a regular priest,
serve the Liturgy everyday. When asking the monastery to pray for our
departed it is good to send a contribution with the name. The forty-day
memorial must be begun immediately after death, when the soul is
especially in need of help in prayer, and therefore one should begin
commemoration in the nearest place where there are daily services.
How important commemoration at the Liturgy is may be seen in the following
occurrence: Before the uncovering of the relics of St. Theodosius of
Chernigov (1896), the priest-monk Alexis of the Kiev-Caves Lavra, (who
died in 1916) who was conducting the re-vesting of the relics, becoming
weary while sitting by the relics, dozed off and saw before him the Saint,
who told him: thank you for labouring for me. I beg you also, when you
will serve the Liturgy, to commemorate my parents” and be gave their names
(Priest Nikita and Maria). Father Alexis was astonished at the saints
request and said “How can you, O Saint, ask my prayers, when you yourself
stand at the heavenly Throne and grant to people God’s mercy?’ “Yes, that
is true,” replied St. Theodosius “but the offering at the Liturgy is more
powerful than my prayer.”
Besides the 40 day Liturgies the Church instructs us to offer Trisagia or
Mnymosyna for the departed on the 3rd 9th and 40th days, on the 6 month
anniversary and then yearly. The 3rd, 9th, and 40th day memorials have
symbolic meanings but are also times when the soul needs fervent prayer to
help her.
What happens to the soul on these days? The soul for the first two days
enjoys relative freedom and can visit places on earth which were dear to
it, but on the third day, Christ, Who Himself rose from the dead on the
third day commands the Christian soul, in imitation of His resurrection,
to ascend to the Heavens to worship the God of all. On this third day, it
passes through legions of evil spirits which obstruct its path and accuse
it of various sins. When St. Macarius of Alexandria besought the angel who
accompanied him in the desert to explain to him the meaning of the
Church's commemoration on the third day, the angel replied to him: “When
an offering is made in church on the third day, the soul of the departed
receives from its guardian angel relief from the sorrow it feels as a
result of the separation from the body.”
The ninth day is symbolic of the nine ranks of the holy angels. The Church
offers prayers for the departed, that his soul be accounted worthy to be
numbered among the choirs of the saints through the prayers and
intercession of the nine ranks of angels. But here again, St. Macarius of
Alexandria informs us that in accordance with the angel’s revelation, the
soul after worshipping God on the third day, is commanded to be shown the
various pleasant habitations of the saints and the beauty of Paradise. The
soul considers all of this for six days, lost in wonder and glorifying the
Creator of all. After considering all the joys of the righteous in the
course of six days, it again is borne aloft by the angels to worship God.
And only after this for the remainder of the forty days, is it shown the
torments and horrors of hell, the various parts of hell, and the diverse
tortures of the wicked, in which the souls of sinners ceaselessly wail and
gnash their teeth, before being assigned on the fortieth day to the place
where it will await the resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment.
This is a great day for the deceased, for it determines his portion until
the Dread judgment of God, and therefore, the Holy Church correctly
commands that fervent prayer be made for the dead on this day.
We can do nothing better or greater for the dead than to pray for them,
offering commemoration for them at the Liturgy. Of this they are always in
need, and especially during those forty days when the soul of the deceased
is proceeding on its path to the eternal habitations. The body feels
nothing then: it does not see its close ones who have assembled, does not
smell the fragrance of the flowers, does not hear the funeral orations.
But the soul senses the prayers offered for it and is grateful to those
who make them and is spiritually close to them.
Besides the personal days set aside for commemorating our departed friends
and relatives, the Orthodox Church, has set aside certain days on which
all Orthodox Christians that have departed in hope of resurrection and
eternal life must be commemorated in general. There are two such days
which we can term as “universal,” days for the departed. The first is on
Meatfare Saturday. It is the last Saturday on which we may eat meat before
the Great Fast begins. On the following day, Sunday, the Church
commemorates the Dread judgment of Christ, thus the Church prays for all
that have departed in faith and in the hope of the resurrection,
beseeching God, the righteous judge to show forth His mercy upon them
before the universal judgment. The other day is the Saturday before
Pentecost. The day of Pentecost is the day the Holy Spirit descended upon
the earth to teach, sanctify and lead all people to eternal salvation.
Therefore, the holy Church calls upon us to make a commemoration on the
Saturday before the feast, that the saving grace of the Holy Spirit wash
away the sins from the souls of all our forefathers, fathers and brethren,
that have reposed throughout the ages and, asking that they all be united
in the Kingdom of Christ.
PRAYING TO THE
SAINTS
The word
“Saint” literally means “Holy One”. All Christians are in a sense saints.
From the day of our Baptism and Christmation when we received the gifts of
the Holy Spirit, we became the temple of the Holy Spirit and God dwells
within us. But the gifts we received at baptism remain hidden because we
haven’t as yet purified ourselves to discovered their existence. Thus we
reserve the term saint only for those people who have through struggles
attained holy lives, above and beyond the average Christian: those men and
women who “fought the good fight and finished the
course and kept the faith”. (1 Tim 4:7)
The Orthodox Church honours all known saints with Icons and special
services and on the Sunday of All Saints honours all those other saints
whose names have been lost with time and all those that died without being
recognized for their sainthood. The Church continually beseeches the
saints in prayer and encourages her members to seek their assistance. This
has been misunderstood by non-Orthodox people especially Protestants who
would even go as far as to call it blasphemous. So why do we pray to the
saints?
When we are in need it is natural to ask our friends and family to pray
for us. We do not see this as something offensive or blasphemous. We hope
that through the prayer of many God will speedily hear our request and
come to our aid. Praying for one another is an act of love and it is our
duty as Christians to pray for each other. The Church is a family of
brothers and sister all with the same Father in heaven. When someone
passes over to the other side he does not stop being a member of this
great family. All our faith and hope is that there is life beyond the
grave. As Orthodox Christians we believe that with his death on the Cross
Christ overcame death. There is only the temporary death of the body but
the person still lives on in the world of spirits. “God is the God of the
living, and not the dead”. How then more natural can it be for us to seek
the prayers of our fellow brothers and sisters who not only have passed
over to the spirit world but have through their way of life found favour
with God and find themselves bathed in his glory. Is it not more natural
and logical to put our trust in their prayers than our fellow Christians
who are still living in this world?
Asking for their intercessions does not mean that we worship them. Yes, we
give them honour and respect because of their oneness with God and because
they have made themselves God’s friends. When we pray to a saint, we do
not ask him to save us directly as though he was God, but we beseech him
as our fellow man and as our brother and fellow member of Christ’s Church
to intercede to God on our behalf. Of course our prayer to the saints is
always accompanied by a great reverence because they have been shown by
God as great men who have overcome the passions of this world and for this
he has rewarded them with glorification. We are struck with awe and
admiration of their exploits and clearly recognize the grace of God in
their struggles and martyrdom. But this is nothing unusual for we do
something similar to honour great men in other fields. Men have always
honoured others who have performed great deeds, such as a brave General, a
soldier who is singled out for his heroic deeds, or a wise statesman. If
we honour such people who are still in this life with medals and
ceremonies, how much more should we honour the saints who have battled
with demons and whose deeds far surpass the deeds of ordinary men. By
honouring the saints we are recognizing that we see in them the light of
Christ and rejoice because we are reassured of the resurrection.
We know that prayer to the Saints is pleasing to God, because of the
witness of the Scriptures and the abundant experience of the Church. God
has revealed to the world that he himself has honoured them through the
many miracles they perform when they are beseeched to act as mediators.
Through these miracles we are assured that such prayers to the saints are
pleasing to God, and because we recognize the great grace that God has
bestowed upon His Saints, we have great confidence when we ask their
intercessions.
St. Nectarius of Aegina, the renowned saint of the 20th century wrote: “In
invoking the intercession of the saints, the Church believes that the
saints, who interceded with the Lord for the peace of the world and for
the stability of the holy churches of Christ while living, do not cease
doing this in Christ's heavenly, triumphant Church, and listen to our
entreaties in which we invoke them, and pray to the Lord, and become
bearers of the grace and mercy of the Lord.” (Modern Orthodox Saints, Vol.
7. Constantine Cavarnos)
The word Prayer means to ask, but it is also a form of communication. When
we pray to God we are at the same time communicating with him. As a form
of communication we are obliged to have a active spiritual union with the
heavenly inhabitants, with all the saints, apostles, prophets, martyrs,
prelates, venerable and righteous men, as they are all members of one
single body, the Church of Christ, to which we sinners also belong, and
the living Head of which is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This is why we
call upon them in prayer, converse with them, thank and praise them. It is
urgently necessary for all Christians to be in union with them, if they
desire to make Christian progress; for the saints are our friends, our
guides to salvation, who pray and intercede for us. (St. John of Kronstadt,
My Life in Christ)
There are many (like the Protestants churches) who call themselves
Christians but have almost no knowledge of the intercession of the Saints,
and even consider this heavenly intercourse as blasphemy. There are
several reasons for this, including prejudice, a lack of grounding in
Christian Tradition, misunderstanding of Scripture, and the abuses of Rome
which I will shortly mention, but the primary reason is that they do not
fully understand the relationship between God and man, neither what the
Resurrection means for mankind or the Ascension and the Sitting on the
right hand of God.
Scripture is full of quotations that honour the saints. Sadly because they
read from the Old Testament translation made from the Masoretic text like
the KJV they are deprived of many truths. The Prophet King David in the
Psalms of the Septuagint version says “How honoured also are Thy friends
unto me, O Lord! their rule is greatly strengthened. I will number them,
and they shall be multiplied in number more than the sand.” (Psalm 138:
17-18)
St. Paul recounts the achievements of the Saints, how they stopped the
mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the
sword, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
how they raised the dead to life again: but also how they suffered: they
were tortured, they were mocked and scourged, they were in bonds and
imprisonment, they were stoned, they were sawn asunder and were slain by
the sword, how being destitute, afflicted, tormented they wandered in
deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. (Heb 11
33-38) Having set forth their memorial as an example that we might turn
away from earthly things and from sin, and emulate their patience and
courage in the struggles for virtue, he says:
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed
about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every burden,
and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1).
There are some that believe that when we die we are inactive and in a deep
sleep awaiting the General Resurrection of the dead. Our Lord Himself told
us clearly that “God is not the God of the dead, but
of the living” (Mat 22:32) and there is an event in the New
Testament that clearly teaches that the saints are not asleep or dead. The
event is the Transfiguration of our Lord on Mount Tabor. Moses and Elias
appeared very much alive next to Him and talked with him. This clearly
shows that the “dead” are even more filled with knowledge and activity
than the living, for in comparison the apostles Peter, James and John
could not withstand the uncreated light which came forth from Christ, but
Moses and Elisa basked in it. Therefore the departed Saints have greater
vision and knowledge and their intercessory boldness is greater for them
without their bodies, than when they were in the flesh. This important
understanding is elementary knowledge for the Church, but has passed from
many of those outside of her.
Thus because they do not understand that the Saints are alive, conscious
and active, those who shun prayer to the Saints misinterpret the reverence
the Orthodox Church show to the saints. Another thing Protestants
misunderstand is the word “pray”. They think of it as a word that applies
only to God in the same way that worship applies only to God. They are so
scandalized by the thought of praying to a saint that they consider it
almost blasphemous and if they were in the days of Christ they would rend
their clothes like the high-priest Caiaphas. As already mentioned the word
pray simply means “to ask”. We ask the Saints to intercede for us, and any
examination of the Church’s canons, the writings of the fathers and our
liturgical texts will show clearly that we understand that worship is for
God alone.
Another thing that had a detrimental effect on the Protestant
understanding of prayer to the Saints was an unorthodox teaching by the
Roman Catholic Church. It came up with the doctrine of “Supererogation” or
more simple the superabundance of the good works of the saints as we have
already seen in the chapter dealing with the differences we have with the
Roman Catholic Church. The doctrine teaches that a certain amount of “good
works” are required to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The good works or
merits of the Holy Virgin and the saints are more than they need to save
themselves and therefore, the rest of them can be used for the forgiveness
of the sins of other men. Thus for a price, poor sinners who cannot attain
to all these good works, can pay to be granted "indulgences", which would
increase their chance of entering the Kingdom of Heaven. This sounds so
unbelievable and naďve that we would be forgiven if we laughed out loud,
but this is essentially the doctrine of Rome till this day.
Opposition and the abuse of this teaching was the main point of Martin
Luther when he began opposing the Roman Catholic Church, and it influenced
the thinking of the Protestant Reformation as a whole. The Anglican Church
also denied the doctrine of supererogation in the fourteenth of the
Thirty-Nine Articles, which state that works of supererogation “cannot be
taught without arrogancy and impiety.” Many later Protestant movements
followed suit, as did Methodism in its Articles of Religion. The doctrine
of supererogation was therefore responsible for poisoning the
understanding of Protestants regarding the Saints. This lead to their
unanimous teaching that a Christian “needs no mediator” save Jesus Christ,
believing that the scripture they refer to “For
there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5)) forbids prayer to the Saints.
Overall we see in those that refuse to ask the saints to intercede for
them a great lack of understanding of the Christian faith and a form of
prejudice against the saints. Its seems that they do not recognize that
there is life beyond the grave and it also seems that when someone of
their church dies he automatically stops being a member and is cut off
from the main body. I say this because while they refuse to pray to the
saints they ask of those still among the living, among their family and
friends, to pray for them. This latter action is entirely correct, as
fellow believers and brothers of a church we should pray for those we
love, but if our departed are still considered as members of the same
church then they also should be asked for their prayers. If the departed
members of the church were righteous then their prayers can do much for
the living for as the Scripture tells us: “The
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James
5:16)
There is a general perception that praying to the saints is like “second
best” so why don’t I go for the best and pray directly to God. Of course
God hears our prayers but it is also a little arrogant and self righteous
on our part to assume that he will respond to our request. Why should he,
want have we done to merit such attention, do we live such holy lives that
we are so full of confidence that as soon as we ask for God’s help he will
send his angels to our aid? Scripture clearly says that
“God heareth not sinners” (John 9:31) and
that “God is far from the ungodly: but He hearkens
unto the prayers of the righteous.” (Prov. 15:29)
Is it not then better to use every means at our disposal in the hope that
God will not only hear our prayer but also respond? If he hears the
prayers of the righteous then that is a safe and sure route for our
petitions. Let us not forget that God has glorified his saints and he
wants us to recognize them as people full of his own glory. He has given
them to us as protectors and helpers in times of trouble. By honouring the
saints we do not forget or abandon God, but rather we honour, thank and
glorify God for his great grace that he bestows upon man. We glorify him
who glorified the saints.
The Orthodox veneration of the Saints is nothing less than the
wholehearted belief in Christ, his Incarnation, his Resurrection, his
Sitting on the right hand of God and the Descent of the Holy Spirit. With
his resurrection Christ re-opened the gates of Paradise, but more than
this, he took his deified body to heaven and sat it at the right hand of
God. He raised man to be with him and be a partaker of the divine nature:
he raised man to be a God by grace.
Our veneration of the saints is nothing more than our conviction that all
men can participate in God’s divinity. In recognizing a saint we see the
fulfilment of God’s promise and the expectation of our own destiny. Christ
has commanded us to be perfect even as his Father in heaven is perfect.
This seems like an impossible task to the majority of us sinful men, but
the saints have proved that with the grace of God this is indeed possible
by all Christians who strive for perfection and union with God. The saints
are therefore our examples or if preferred “our heroes” who have fought
the good fight and with their heroic deeds became shining examples of
virtue, and benefactors of mankind. Their lives are for us as beacons of
light which show us the path to perfection; let us therefore set them as
our examples that by following in their footsteps we also, when our
earthly time is over, may find ourselves among the righteous and glorified
by God as a saint.
Until then let us give them their due honour and as friends of God let us
beseech them to remember us lowly sinners in their prayers before the
throne of God. Through the prayers of All the Saints, who have been
well-pleasing to God from our forefather Adam up to the present day, may
God have mercy upon us and save us. Amen.
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Chapter 11
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