The Shepherd, January 2008
Adapted from
“THE HOUSE OF GOD
& THE CHURCH SERVICES”
By the Priest N. R. Antonov
Continuation
§ 146 Cont’d… “With the Saints grant rest, O Christ, to the soul of Thy servant / handmaid, where there is neither pain, nor sorrow, nor sighing, but life unending.”
At the end of the canon, we chant eight hymns composed by Saint John of Damascus, one in each of the eight tones. These speak of the vanity of earthly life, that therein there is no perfect joy, no real glory, that everything therein disappears in an instant when death comes:-
Tone 1: What earthly sweetness remaineth unmixed with grief? What glory standeth immutable on earth? All things are but shadows most feeble, but most deluding dreams: yet one moment only and death shall supplant them all. But in the light of Thy countenance, O Christ, and in the sweetness of Thy beauty, give rest unto him / her whom Thou has chosen, forasmuch as Thou lovest mankind.
Tone 4: Where is earthy predilection? Where is the pomp of the ephemeral creatures of a day? Where are the gold and silver? Where is the multitude of household servants and their clamour? all dust, all ashes, all shadows! But come, let us cry out unto the Immortal King: O Lord, of Thine eternal good things do Thou vouchsafe unto him / her who hath been translated from among us, granting unto him / her rest in Thy blessedness which waxeth not old.
Tone Pl. 4: I weep and I wail when I think upon death, and behold our beauty, fashioned after the image of God, lying in the tomb disfigured, dishonoured, bereft of form. O marvel! What is this mystery which doth befall us? Why have we be given over unto corruption, and why have we been wedded unto death? Of a truth, as it is written, by the command of God, Who giveth the departed rest.
These hymns are followed by the reading from the Apostle (1 Thess. 413-17), and by a Gospel reading (John 5:24-30) in which the teaching of the Saviour concerning the resurrection of the dead is set forth. Having read the Gospel, the priest reads a prayer of absolution, wherein we see the Church’s ministry of intercession before God for the remission of those sins of the dead whereof he / she has repented “with contrition of heart,” and into which he / she fell through human weakness. Also in this prayer the dead person is released from any ban or bond by which they might have been bound on account of their sins, and which was not lifted during their lifetime. In the Russian practice a copy of this prayer is placed by the priest in the hands of the dead person, indicating that the prayer and the freeing of their bonds by the Church (see Matt. 16:19) will be of great worth for the dead person when they stand before the Judgment Seat of the Most High, and showing that the departed one reposed in union with the Church. The follows a series of touching hymns in which, in the person of the departed one, those surrounding him / her are besought never to forget him / her in their prayers before the Lord. The last of these is as follows:-
As ye behold me lie before you all speechless and bereft of breath, weep for me, O friends and brethren, O kinsfolk and acquaintances. For but yesterday I talked with you, and suddenly there came upon me the dread hour of death. But come, all ye who loved me, and kiss me with the last kiss. For nevermore shall I walk with you or talk with you. For I go hence unto the Judge with Whom is no respect of persons. For slave and master stand together before Him, king and warrior, the rich and the poor, in equal honour. For according to his deeds shall every man receive glory or be put to shame. But I beg and implore you all, that ye will pray without ceasing unto Christ God, that I be not doomed according to my sins unto a place of torment, but that He will appoint me to a place where is the Light of life.
As these hymns are being chanted one by one the clergy and people come to kiss the departed for the last time, being reconciled with them, showing their love for them and their intention to always pray for them. Then the coffin is taken to the grave, and a short litany is said there for their repose and for the salvation of their souls. At the end, after the dismissal, “Eternal Memory’ is chanted for them. Then the priest takes a handful of earth and scatters it crosswise upon the coffin in the grave, repeating, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness (i.e. everything that fills it) thereof, the world and they that dwell therein.” The people come up one by one and do the same. Then we chant: “With the spirits of the righteous who have fallen asleep, grant rest, O Saviour, to the soul of Thy servant / handmaid.” The coffin is placed in the grave facing towards the east, as a sign that the departed one looks to the rising of the Sun, not the earthly sun but the Sun of Righteousness, that he / she looks for the resurrection of the dead and the beginning of a new life.
… to be continued in the next issue with
“The Memorial Service”
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