ON THE STATE OF SOULS AFTER DEATH By Saint Mark of Ephesus Evgenikos

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

ON THE STATE OF SOULS AFTER DEATH
By Saint Mark of Ephesus Evgenikos

The ORTHODOX TEACHING on the state of souls after death is one that is often not fully understood, even by Orthodox Christians themselves; and the comparatively late Latin (Roman Catholic) teaching of "purgatory" has caused further confusion in people’s minds. The Orthodox Doctrine itself, however, is not at all ambiguous or imprecise. Perhaps the most concise Orthodox exposition of it is to be found in the writings of Saint Mark of Ephesus at the Council of Florence in 1439 A.D., composed precisely in order to answer the Latin (Roman Catholic) teaching on "purgatory."

In the Orthodox Doctrine which Saint Mark teaches, the faithful who have died with small sins unconfessed, or who have not brought forth fruits of repentance for sins they have confessed, are cleansed of these sins either in the trial of death itself with its fear, or after death, when they are confined (but NOT permanently) in hell, by the prayers and Liturgies of the Church and good deeds performed for them by the faithful. Even sinners destined for eternal torment can be given a certain relief from their torment in hell by these means also. There is no fire tormenting sinners now, however, either in hell (for the eternal fire will begin to torment them only after the Last Judgment), or much less in any third place like "purgatory"; all visions of fire which ar seen by men are as it were images of prophecies of what will be in the future age. All forgiveness of sins after death comes solely FROM THE GOODNESS OF GOD, WHICH EXTENDS EVEN TO THOSE IN HELL, WITH THE COOPERATION OF THE PRAYERS OF MEN, AND NO "PAYMENT" OR "SATISFACTION" IS DUE FOR SINS WHICH HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN.

THE STATE OF SOULS UNTIL THE LAST JUDGMENT

Some souls find themselves (after the forty days) in a condition of foretasting eternal joy and blessedness, and others in fear of the eternal torment which will come in full after the Last Judgment. Until then changes are still possible in the condition of souls, especially through offering for them the Bloodless Sacrifice (commemoration at the Divine Liturgy), and likewise by other prayers.

The Church’s teaching on the state of souls in heaven and hell before the Last Judgment is given by Saint Mark Ephesus. The benefits of prayer, both public and private, for the souls in hell have been described in many Lives of Saints and ascetics and in Patristic writings. In the Life of the third-century Martyr Perpetua, for example, the fate of her brother Dimocrates was revealed to her in the image of a cistern filled with water which was too high for him to reach in the filthy, intensely hot place where he was confined. Through her intense prayer for a whole day and night the cistern was made accessible to him and she saw him in a bright place. By this she understood that he had been released from punishment.

In the life of an ascetic who died in the 20th century there is a similar account. The Life of the Nun Athanasia (Anastasia Logacheva), a spiritual daughter of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, relates:

"Now she undertook a labor of prayer for her own brothers by blood, Paul, who had hanged himself while drunk. She went at first to Pelagia Ivanovna, the blessed one who lived in the Diveyevo Convent, to take counsel from her as to what she could do to make easier the lot beyond the grave of her brother, who had unfortunately and dishonorably ended his earthly life. After counsel, the following was decided: Anastasia would lock herself up in her cell to fast and pray for him, every day reading 150 times the prayer: "Virgin Mother of God, rejoice…" At the end of forty days she saw a great abyss; at the bottom of it was a bloody stone, and upon it there lay two men with iron chains on their necks; one of them was her brother. When she informed the blessed Pelagia about this vision the latter advised her to repeat this labor. At the end of the second forty days she sas the same abyss, the same stone on which were the same two people with chains around their necks, but her brother was now standing and was going around the stone, but then fell again on the stone; the chain was still around his neck. After she informed Pelagia Ivanovna about this dream, the latter advised her to perform the same labor for a third time. After forty more days Anastasia saw the same abyss and the same stone, but now there was only one man, unknown to her, and her brother had gone away from the stone and was hidden from sight. The one who remained on this rock said, ‘it is good for you; for you have powerful intercessors on the earth.’ After this, blessed Pelagia said, ‘Your brother has been delivered from tortures, but he has not received blessedness.’

PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD

How important commemorations at the Divine Liturgy is may be seen in the following occurren: Before the uncovering of the holy relics of Saint Theodosius of Chernigov (1896), the priest-monk (the renowned Starets Alexis of Goloseyevsky Hermitage, of the Kiev-Caves Lavra, who died in 1916) who was conducting the re-vesting of the holy relics, becoming weary while sitting by the holy relics, dozed off and saw before him the Saint, who told him, "I thank you for laboring for me. I beg you also, when you will serve the Liturgy, to commemorate my parents” –and gave their names.

Saint Gregory the Great, in answering in his Dialogues the question, "Is there anything at all that can possibly benefit souls after death?" teaches: "The Holy Sacrifice of Christ, our saving Victim, brings great benefits to souls even after death, provided their sins (are such as) can be pardoned in the life to come. For this reason the souls of the dead sometimes beg to have Liturgies offered for them…The safer course, naturally, is to do for ourselves during life what we hope others will do for us after death. It is better to make one’s exit a free man than to seek liberty after one is in chains. We should, therefore, despise this world with all our hearts as though its glory were already spent, and offer our sacrifice of tears to God each day as we immolate His Sacred Flesh and Blood. This Sacrifice alone has the power OF SAVING THE SOUL FROM ETERNAL DEATH, FO RIT PRESENTS TO US MYSTICALLY THE DEATH OF THE Only-begotten Son" (Dialogues IV: 57, 60, pp. 266, 272-3). [Source: The Soul After Death by Fr. Seraphim Rose)

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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George