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News/Readings More on Our Faith... Prayer and the Departed Saints
News/Readings More on Our Faith... Prayer and the Departed Saints News/Readings More on Our Faith... Prayer and the Departed Saints 
| Prayer and the Departed Saints |
| Written by David C. Ford, Ph.D | ||||
Page 1 of 2 Originally published by Conciliar Press. Used by permission. All rights reserved. "Daddy, what happens when someone dies?" 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. All Christians agree on this central facet of the Faith. Yet there are many differing opinions concerning the nature of life beyond the veil. Though Christians do not look upon death with the same sense of hopelessness and dread as do "those who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13), there are still many questions which arise. We know that in Christ, death is not invincible. But it can still appear as a powerful and fearful enemy whose presence is surrounded by mystery and the unknown. Christians may ask: What happens when a believer dies? Does his or her spirit go immediately to heaven? Are the souls of the dead conscious? Are they actively involved in what is going on around them, or do they remain asleep until the day of resurrection? Do our departed friends and loved ones in Christ remember us? Are they aware of what is taking place here on earth? Are they still involved somehow in our day-to-day lives? Do the saints of old-those who lived especially holy lives dedicated to the service of God-still play an active role in the Church today? Is it possible to ask them to pray for us and to intercede on our behalf? For the Orthodox Church, such questions as those above are not peripheral aspects of the Faith. The Church's answers to these questions form the basis for important elements of her worship and spirituality. The concern which the Church has for those who have departed in Christ flows from the all-encompassing, never-ending love which she has for all her members those still alive on this earth, and those who have preceded us into the world beyond. I would like to address two aspects of this important matter of life after death from an Orthodox vantage point. In Part One, I wish to deal with questions concerning the state of the soul after death, and the life of those who have died in Christ. In Part Two, I will focus on issues concerning our relationship with the saints in heaven, and in particular, the intercession of the saints. All of these issues are important aspects of the doctrine often referred to as "the communion of saints". Orthodox practices in this area are often misunderstood. Protestants often fear their resemblance to the Roman Catholic practices which the Reformers reacted so strongly against. And Roman Catholics are often perplexed by the similarities and the differences which Orthodox practices seem to have in comparison with their own. Let's take a look at some of these critical issues from an Orthodox perspective. Part I THE STATE OF THE SOUL AFTER DEATH Does the soul, once it has left the body at the moment of physical death, remain conscious and aware of what is going on around it? When we turn to the Scriptures, the fact of continued awareness of the soul after death is repeatedly borne out. Take, for instance, Hebrews 12:22-24: "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel". The words I have italicized in this passage refer to those God-loving souls who have passed from this life to be with Christ in the next. They are part of the Church in heaven (what some would call the "Church Triumphant"), living consciously with Christ, though still awaiting His Second Coming, when they will be clothed with their glorified bodies at the resurrection of the dead. Surely this passage would not say that in the Church's worship we are in the presence of angels, God the Father, Jesus, and "the spirits of just men made perfect" if these spirits were somehow inactive and unaware! The Hebrews passage is not in isolation. We find many other indications in Scripture that the spirits of those who have died are very much alert and aware of what is taking place both in heaven and on earth. Consider, for example, the following: The Seventh Day Adventists and a few other Protestant groups hold a doctrine called "soulsleep"-which asserts that after death the soul is asleep, or in some other way unconscious, not to be awakened until the trumpet announces the Second Coming of Christ. What about this? This teaching is foreign to historic Christian Orthodoxy, and did not appear until the time of the Protestant Reformation. The key Scriptural passage used to support this view is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, where Saint Paul says that those who "sleep in Jesus" will precede those who are still alive on earth in the resurrection of the dead when Christ returns. In its proper context, however, this passage must be seen as describing death from the point of view of those left behind, not from the point of view of the departed. As Saint Paul says at the beginning of these verses, "I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope" (verse 13, italics mine). For those of us who remain, death is a mystery. To us, the dead "sleep"; they are silent, motionless, lifeless. But as we have clearly seen already from the Scriptures, they are far from "asleep" in terms of their own awareness and activity. The essence of the matter is this: Jesus Christ has conquered death. All who live in Him share in this victory. As He said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die" (John 11:25, 26). Thus, for those in Christ, physical death causes only a temporary, physical separation between those with Him in the next life (the Church in heaven) and those left on earth. Death does not, however, 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 and the Church on earth (sometimes called "the Church militant'), comprise the one, whole, undivided Church, which Saint Paul calls "His [Christ's] body" (Ephesians 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 Corinthians 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 created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38, 39). What other evidence is there to support the claim that those who have departed are conscious and involved with the affairs of heaven and earth? Through the centuries, one way the Church has experienced this great Christian truth is that, at times, especially Christlike persons after their deaths have appeared to people living on earth. We have already referred to the occasion when Peter, James, and John saw and heard Moses and Elijah, when they appeared and talked with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8). Perhaps the earliest testimony about such an event after the apostolic era is recorded in "The Martyrdom of Ignatius". This is an eyewitness account concerning Saint Ignatius, the third bishop of Antioch, who was thrown to the lions by the Romans in about A.D. 110.1 The writers of this account relate: "Having ourselves been eyewitnesses of these things [his martyrdom] . . . we spent the whole night in tears within the house, and having entreated the Lord, with bended knees and much prayer . . . it came to pass, on our falling into a brief slumber, that some of us saw the blessed Ignatius suddenly standing by us and embracing us, while others beheld him again praying for us, and others still saw him dropping with sweat, as if he had just come from his great labor, and standing by the Lord. When, therefore, we had with great joy witnessed these things, and had compared our several visions together, we sang praise to God".2 A much more contemporary example of this kind of event comes from the twentieth century. Saint Nektarios, beloved bishop of Pentapolis, Egypt, and founder of the Holy Trinity Convent on the Greek island of Aegina, died on November 9, 1920, in a hospital in Athens. Since then he has appeared many times, either in dreams or visions, as he continues his ministry to his earthly flock, giving spiritual counsel, and being an instrument of God's healing power. As Saint Nektarios' biographer relates: "It has become well known that many Greek Orthodox Christians who were incurably ill, suffering, and close to death, have seen a live old monk wearing a cap appear to them. It does not matter who they are, or from where they are, for many times he has been seen in far away countries other than Greece. He always smiles softly and consoles them, assuring them that they will regain health, and not to fear, for God will not abandon them. He simply reminds them to have patience and faith. 'And who are you, old man?' many ask in a moment of astonishment. 'I am the former bishop of Pentapolis, Nektarios of Aegina,' the monk replies, and then vanishes".3 Why does the Orthodox Church encourage its members to pray for the dead? Some would say that such a practice is at best superstitious, and perhaps even heretical. The Scriptures very strictly forbid any attempt to summon the spirits of the dead, or to try to engage them in conversation (see for example Leviticus 19:31 and 20:6, as well as 1 Samuel 28). But knowing that 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. And what better way do we have to express our love than to pray for them?4 Someone might object, "If they are already in heaven, how can they possibly need our prayers? Their eternal destiny is already settled!" 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, Hebrews 9:27, etc.). While firmly believing this, the Church still teaches that prayer for the dead in Christ is helpful to them. Why? 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 the glory of the Lord, are being changed into His likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18, RSV). And in 1 Corinthians 1:18, which the King James Version translates as "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God", the phrase "which are saved" in the original Greek is sozomenois, which means literally, "who are being saved". For this reason, Orthodox Christians look upon salvation itself as a dynamic process, a continual growth in holiness, purity, and closeness with God which continues even in heaven. Since we are created beings, and God alone is Uncreated, how can we imagine that men and women will ever fully comprehend God or be totally filled with His Holiness, His Uncreated Life? He is infinite Love and infinite Holiness: those with Him in heaven are blessed to grow in this Love and Holiness infinitely. There is another aspect to this ongoing process of sanctification. Christians of all ages have realized, in their struggle against the sinful impulses of the flesh and the temptations of the devil, that when we commit sin, we inflict wounds upon ourselves: "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Of course, Orthodoxy also considers sins to be the breaking of God's commands, which requires repentance and asking His forgiveness. But the Church realizes, from long pastoral experience, that serious sin cripples and deadens our souls, and distorts the image of God in us. Sin can leave long-lasting scars even after God's forgiveness is granted and accepted. The effects of sustained sin-our own, and that of others-do not simply vanish when we accept God's forgiveness, though this remission of our guilt is certainly the crucial first step towards total healing. Only through an ongoing life of faith in Christ do we gradually become cleansed and healed, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, from these wounds of sin. This happens as we gradually become more and more suffused with God's light and love-as we ever more completely partake of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Just as this process is never 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 this question. 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. Prayer for the departed also gives us another way to continue in the awesome privilege of participating in God's ongoing work of the salvation, sanctification, and glorification of every soul whom He draws to Himself (Ephesians 6:19; Colossians 1:3-12; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; 2 Thessalonians 1:11,12). 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, "lust 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".5 |
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