Why and When to Pray for the Departed (On All Souls Saturday)

As Christians believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we should realize that those who are deceased are with us and are part of our church in the same way as those who live on this earth. Therefore, not only do we pray for them but they also pray for us. As someone asks their friends for prayer and at the same time prays for them, so we pray for one another without any concern that we are separated by death.

When we pray for the living and the dead we say, “Lord, have mercy.” In reality, we do not know what specifically to pray for in regards to those with whom we live. Only God knows what is best for our salvation, so we pray, “Lord, have mercy.” Likewise, we do not know the needs and concerns of the departed, only God knows, and believing in His knowledge we pray, “Lord, have mercy.”

St. Ambrose (+397), when he preached on the fortieth day after the death of Emperor Theodosius (+395), was consoling the survivors with these words: “... I love him (the Emperor), and will not leave him until, through my tears and prayers, I bring him to the holy mountain of God (Psalm 2:6), where is eternal life” (Sermon at the grave of Theodosius, 37). We Christians therefore, have a very important role in praying for the departed especially since we are their advocates who defend their souls which are already standing before God’s face and awaiting the second coming of Jesus Christ at the Last Judgment.

As Eastern Christians we have many opportunities during the liturgical year to pray for the souls of the departed. St. John Damascene writes, “Saturday (Shabbat in Hebrew) means rest, when God rested on this day from his work of creation (Genesis 2: 2-3). On this day of rest we remember the departed loved ones, as they are resting from their worldly worries.” For us Eastern Christians it is the symbol of Great and Holy Saturday, when Jesus ‘rested’ in the tomb and descended into Hades. According to ancient Christian tradition, every Saturday is dedicated to prayer and the commemoration of the departed.

Throughout the liturgical calendar there are five special All Souls Saturdays where we remember the departed and pray ‘panachida’ (from Greek all-night vigil, or vigil) with ‘hramoty’ (from the Greek grammata, which literally translates to list, document). The first All Souls Saturday is on Meatfare Saturday, which is the day before Meatfare Sunday when the Gospel about the Last Judgment is proclaimed (Matthew 25:31-46). In our charity, we Christians pray and intercede to the merciful Lord that He place the souls of the departed on His right side when He comes to judge the living and the dead. The second, third, and fourth All Souls Saturdays are during the Great Fast (Lent). Furthermore, since the commemoration is for all the reposed together, it reminds each of us of our own death and arouses us to repentance. The fifth All Souls Saturday is before the feast of Pentecost. On this Saturday, we commemorate the souls of the departed starting with our forefather Adam. The plan of salvation is completed with the sending of the Holy Spirit, and since God’s will is for everyone to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), we pray for the departed on the day before Pentecost so that they can be a part of God’s plan of salvation.

It is an old custom to pray and serve the Divine Liturgy for the departed on the third, ninth, and fortieth day after death, and this includes the day of death in the count. According to Holy Tradition, the soul of the departed is present on earth until the third day (the raising of Lazarus is on the fourth day, since the Jews believed that the body could be raised from the dead in the first three days, see John:11-17), then the angels carry the soul and show it paradise and heaven from the third to ninth day, and then Hades is shown to the soul from the ninth to fortieth day.

We can pray the Jesus Prayer “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” for the departed in private, or we can pray the Psalms which are a very old form of praying for the departed, especially Psalms 51, 91, and 119 (50, 90, 118 in LXX).

The noblest form of praying for the departed is commemoration during the Divine Liturgy. In this way the souls of the departed, who have been saved by the Lord, are participating in the eternal heavenly banquet when we receive the Body and Blood of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. When we experience Heaven on Earth through Jesus Christ, we experience the communication and presence of the angelic choirs, all the saints, and the souls saved by the Lord. At the same time we pray for the departed souls waiting for the Second Coming of Christ and the Last Judgment by saying the words: “O God of spirits and all flesh, you trampled death and broke the power of the devil and granted life to your world. Now grant rest, O Lord, to the souls of your departed servants, in a place of light, joy, and peace where there is no pain, sorrow, nor mourning. As a good and loving God, forgive every sin committed by them in word, deed, or thought, since there is no one who lives and does not sin. You alone are without sin; your justice is eternal justice; and your word is truth. For you, O Christ our God, are the resurrection, the life, and the repose of your departed servants, and we give glory to you, with your eternal Father, and your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.”