Life after Death, The Death of Man, the Intermediate State of Souls
Prayer for the departed is essential, because there is some improvement and progress in the intermediate state of souls for those who have already at least entered the stage of repentance.
Prayer and the Departed Saints
Not an easy question to answer–especially when it has been brought on by the loss of a family member or close friend. To many, there is no answer. Death is the great unknown, the destroyer, the invincible foe whose untimely appearance, for many, signals only the cessation of life. The Bible teaches that the answer to the mystery of death is found in the life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and One of the Holy Trinity. Through His birth, life, death, and resurrection, death itself has been vanquished and the power of the grave overthrown. Death has been “swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54), says Saint Paul. The joy of eternal life is offered to those who live in Him.
The Mystery and the Process of Death
1. Question: Tell us something about death, something that comes spontaneously to you, something you consider extremely important. Answer: What comes spontaneously to mind is that death is a terrible mystery, as we chant in the Funeral Service, which is a poem by St. John Damascene. This is related to the fact that the soul […]
Life after Death by Saint Nektarios of Aegina
The Teachers of the Eastern Orthodox Church, having Holy Scripture as their foundation, teach that those who die in the Lord go to a place of rest, according to the statement in the Apocalypse: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth. Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their […]