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- Radonitsa is the day when souls hear the living: how to remember the dead at home and in the cemetery
Radonitsa is the day when souls hear the living: how to remember the dead at home and in the cemetery
On April 21, Orthodox Christians celebrate a special parent's day — Radonitsa. Its name comes from the word "joy" and literally means sharing joy with the departed from the Resurrection of Christ. What is necessary and what should not be done on this day in churches and cemeteries, how to properly remember the dead and what prayers to read — in the material of Izvestia.
How to commemorate the dead on Radonitsa
Radonitsa is celebrated on Tuesday, the ninth day after Easter. On this day, churches serve a full memorial service, which includes Easter hymns. Believers place candles, present memorial notes with the names of deceased loved ones and pray for them. Prayer is given priority on this day, because from the point of view of the Orthodox faith, this is the only way to communicate with the deceased.
Vladislav Beregovoy, head of the missionary department of the Pesochenskaya Diocese, told Izvestia about how to spend this day correctly.
"On Radonitsa, it is important to prepare for communion: to confess, come to the liturgy, receive Communion, submit notes on the health and repose of all your living and deceased relatives, and then pray at a memorial service — a special funeral service," the priest explains.
He also advised giving alms on this day: bringing groceries to the funeral table or putting an equivalent amount in the donation box. After that, according to the priest, you can go home, because the main thing for a believer on Radonitsa is to visit the temple.
Priest Vladislav noted that not all believers are churchly enough to put worship at the forefront, so many go to cemeteries on this day. At the same time, he stressed that the tradition of "feeding" the deceased is a manifestation of paganism and has nothing to do with Christianity, moreover, contradicts it.
According to the priest, it is worth leaving food on the grave — eggs, cakes, sweets — only if homeless or needy people walk around the cemetery and collect them.
"Leaving food on graves is a form of charity for those who can take away some delicious, not expired, not spoiled food and pray for the repose of the person on whose grave he found these wonderful products," emphasized Priest Vladislav.
If a person knows that no one but dogs will take the food, it is "simply blasphemous" to leave the food, he stressed.
Also, on Radonitsa, you can invite the priest to the cemetery to perform the liturgy. If this is not possible, it is allowed to read the Easter Hours, the Pascha canon, or the same Litiya in the lay edition on your own.
What is forbidden to do on Radonitsa
Believers are encouraged on this day not to do anything wrong, to try to bring happiness to people, as the righteous life of a person has a positive effect on the afterlife of those who are dear to him. Also, do not grieve and despair. From the very name of the holiday, it follows that this is a day of joy about the Resurrection of Christ, that death has been defeated.
It is not recommended to bring artificial flowers to the graves. If food is brought to the cemetery for commemoration, it should be distributed to those in need, since such places are not intended for meals.
Alcohol should not be drunk at the cemetery or at home during a meal for the deceased. Alcohol is incompatible with a meal for the dead, which is preceded and ends with prayer. If it is not possible to visit the cemetery, the church approves the option when relatives are commemorated in the temple or pray at home, because from the point of view of Orthodoxy, the cemetery is the resting place of the body, not the soul.
According to Priest Vladislav, our righteous life in one way or another has a positive effect on the afterlife of those who are dear to us.
— Remember that no amount of cakes, eggs, or money can buy you off hell. And through prayer, alms, and one's own virtuous life, one can perform great miracles in relation to those of our deceased relatives, whose prosperous afterlife we doubt. If our deceased relatives are righteous, then they will also pray for us. In this unity of love, we may one day reach the Kingdom of God," he concluded.
Prayers for the repose on Radonitsa
Prayer for the deceased Christian
"Remember, O Lord our God, Thy servant, our brother (name), who died in faith and hope of eternal life, and who is Kind and loving to mankind, who forgave sins and consumed unrighteousness, weaken, forsake and forgive all his voluntary and involuntary transgressions, deliver him from eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna, and grant him communion. and the enjoyment of Your eternal blessings, prepared for those who love You: if you sin, but do not depart from You, and immeasurably in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, You glorify God in the Trinity, believe, and Unity in the Trinity and Trinity in Unity, Orthodox even to his last breath professing. Be merciful to him, and impute faith in You instead of works, and give rest to Your saints, for there is no man who lives and does not sin. But You are One apart from all sin, and Your righteousness is righteousness forever, and You are One God of mercies and generosity and love for mankind, and to You we ascribe glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen to that."
Psalm 90
"He who lives in the help of the Most High will be established in the shelter of the God of Heaven. He saith unto the Lord, Thou art my intercessor and my refuge. My God, and I trust in Him. For He will deliver you from the snare of deceit, and from the rebellious word, His plash will overshadow you, and you will hope under His cry: His truth will surround you with weapons. Do not be afraid of the fear of the night, of the arrow that flies in the days, of the thing that passes in the darkness, of the cartilage, and of the half-day demon. A thousand will fall from your land, and darkness will be at your right hand, but it will not come near you, for you will look with your eyes, and you will see the retribution of sinners. For You, O Lord, are my hope, and You have set up your refuge in the Most High. Evil will not come to you, and a wound will not approach your body, for His Angel will proclaim you, preserve you in all your ways. I'll raise you up in my arms, so that when you don't trip your foot on a stone, you step on an asp and a basilisk, and cross a lion and a serpent. For you have trusted in me, and I will deliver you, and I will cover you, for you will know my name. He will call to me, and I will hear him; I am with him in tribulation; I will take him away, and glorify him; I will fulfill him for a long time, and show him my salvation.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, glory to You, God (three times).
O Saviour, grant rest to the souls of the righteous who have passed away, preserving them in the blissful life that You have, O Lover of mankind.
In Thy rest, O Lord, where thy saints rest, give rest also to the soul of Thy servant, for thou alone lovest mankind.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: You are God, who have descended into hell and loosed the bonds of those who were bound. Rest Thy servant's soul, too.
And now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen: One pure and Immaculate Virgin, who gave birth to God without seed, pray for his soul to be saved."
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