Remember, O Lord, the souls of Thy departed servants
A young man living on the island of Cyprus was taken captive, carried off to Persia and there cast into prison. The young man's parents did not know where their son was, and afterward learned from a certain man that he had died; and being filled with sorrow they began to commemorate his soul at the Nativity, at Pascha and on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. Four years passed. Meanwhile the young man managed to escape from the prison and returned to his native island. Beyond measure gladdened and filled with joy, his father and mother embraced their son. Beyond measure were their tears of joy. When their agitation had a little subsided, the parents said to their son: “We learned, beloved child, that thou hadst died, and we prayed God for the repose of thy soul.”
— In what month and on what day did you commemorate me? — asked the young man; and, having learned from his father and mother the time of the commemoration of his soul, he cried out in amazement: “O beloved parents! How much good you have done me by this... On all those days there came to me a man who took off my fetters and let me out of the prison, and this happened in such a way that no one but I could see him; and on the next day I would find myself again in the prison and in fetters.”
Christians! Pray to God for your departed kinsfolk, pray for all departed Christians, for from this the soul receives the greatest comfort.
A certain priest commemorated the departed at the liturgy with especial diligence. If anyone but once handed him a list of names, he would quietly write the names of the departed into his own book of commemoration and would remember them at every service. Therefore the liturgy always lasted long, and the parishioners often complained of it. But the priest could not do otherwise...
And one day he fell into such a fault that he was even threatened with deposition. The matter was handed over to Metropolitan Philaret. When the hierarch was to sign the ruling, he felt a dreadful heaviness in his fingers, could not write, and put the matter off until the next day.
And in the night he saw a wondrous dream: before his window a multitude of people of every age and rank had gathered. They entreated the metropolitan:
— We, the souls of the departed, have come to thee with a petition: give us not over to torment, depose not the priest, leave him for the commemoration of our souls!..
Shaken by the vision, the metropolitan hastily summoned the priest. When in conversation he learned of his custom of commemorating the departed, he contented himself with transferring him to another church, and before that he told him of the strange intercession.
A certain believing woman brought various dishes to the church, asked Father Gabriel (Urgebadze) to serve a memorial service for a departed one, and handed him a list on which were written the names of the parents of the saints. Father Gabriel served the memorial service and commemorated the departed, though he did not know whom he was commemorating. The next day Father Gabriel said to this woman: what hast thou done to me, whose names hast thou made me commemorate? Last night the saints appeared to me and thanked me for the commemoration of their parents.
Father Euthymius the Greek (of Athos, †1866) said: if thou learnest of anyone's death, wherever thou art, whatever thou art doing, leave everything and pray for the departed one, even if thou thyself hast need of the prayers of others, even if thou hast a monastic rule to fulfil; for that time forget every work and pray for those who have passed away.
Saint Athanasia the abbess (her memory is on the 12th of April), before her repose, left this behest to the sisters of her monastery: when I die, until the fortieth day set out a table for the poor. It so happened that the sisters fulfilled their superior's behest only ten days. Such disobedience and negligence compelled the holy mother to come to them — she appeared to several of the nuns together with two angels and asked them sternly: — Why do you not fulfil my behest? Know this: if anyone gives alms for a departed one for forty days and feeds the hungry, by this he renders the Lord merciful. If the departed were sinful, God through this will forgive them their sins; and if they had no sins, then the good done for their sake will help him who did it to the salvation of his soul.
A great grace before the Lord is the burial of a poor and kinless dead man. A certain Magistrian was sent by the emperor on some errand. On the road he saw a naked dead man cast aside. He pitied him greatly, sent his servant on ahead, took off his own cloak and covered the dead man with it. A good while passed after this. Now the emperor sent him on another errand. On the road a misfortune befell him: he fell from his horse and broke his leg. Physicians were called. Since nothing helped, the physicians resolved to take off the leg the next day. Left alone, Magistrian wept bitterly. It was midnight, and a lamp was burning. At that moment a stranger came into the room and asked him why he was weeping. Tomorrow they must take off my leg, said Magistrian. The stranger asked: show me thy leg. And then, despite the sick man's refusal, he set him on his feet: lean upon me and walk, thou art already whole. Magistrian walked boldly. Astonished, he asked the stranger: for the sake of the God Who sent thee to me, tell me who thou art. The stranger said to him: — Look upon me; dost thou not know my cloak? Yes, it is mine, answered Magistrian. Then the stranger said: — I am that dead man whom thou sawest, and, pitying me naked, thou didst cover me with thy cloak. For this good deed God has sent me to heal thee, and for this give thanks to the Lord. The stranger vanished, and Magistrian, made wholly whole, glorified God.
Archpriest Gregory Utrobin related in 1870: a devout woman, Paraskeva, told me this story: “My father, unhappily, died suddenly, without confession and Communion. I knew that he was a sinful man, that he sinned many times, especially in drunkenness, which was followed by this sudden death of his. For forty days I prayed especially for his soul, gave alms in his name so far as I was able, and asked the priests to commemorate him at the liturgy, at the proskomedia. On the fortieth day I see my father standing in a dark place, and he is very small in stature. Suddenly he says to me: Paraskeva, I am alive! But why art thou of such small stature? I asked. I am small because of my sins, he answered, but do thou continue to pray for my soul, to feed the poor, and above all do not forget to commemorate me at the liturgy, at the proskomedia, and I shall grow. And at the last he said to me aloud: — Pray for me, my child, for I am alive! — and with that my vision came to an end.”
A greatly honoured elder of Athos, Father M., related: I greatly love to pray for the departed. Once from my homeland, from far-off Russia, word was sent to me of the death of a close friend of mine from cholera. I pitied him and prayed for him especially, both in my cell and in the church, and at the proskomedia I took out a particle from the prosphora in his name. Soon I saw a dream: I found myself in a beautiful garden, and all around was adorned with lovely flowers. There too I caught sight of handsome houses. I drew near. Out of them came my friend who had died of cholera. Brother, how didst thou come to be here? I asked him. This place God has granted to me and to other Christians carried off by the cholera, and now we live as neighbours, he answered. Knowest thou, I pray for thee and commemorate thee, I said. He smiled at me: I know, I know; to us all is known that happens on earth; I thank thee for everything. It is very good and joyful to us when alms are given in our name, or when we are commemorated at the proskomedia, when the psalter is read for us. The reading of the psalter helps us greatly, for in it heaven and earth are joined together. Tell me, dear friend, I asked the departed one, of these three — alms, commemoration at the proskomedia, and the reading of the psalter — which helps you most and gladdens you most? Of course, the highest, the most precious and the most desired for us is the proskomedia, which here we call “the sacrifice of Golgotha”. At my friend's last words it was as if a fire entered my heart and melted me like wax.
