Cold does not create God's righteousness

I myself grew up in an environment where there were no believers, literally not a single one! Only my nanny went to church, but no one took this nanny seriously. After the death of my parents, I was baptized and didn’t even ask myself the question: is it possible to pray for the unbaptized dead? My parents were baptized, but I knew that they were just as unbelievers as their unbaptized friends. And the second ones are the same good people, just like my parents! How could a property, the presence of which, so to speak, did not involve the hearts of my parents, make their afterlife brighter than that of friends who did not possess this property? They explained to me that notes cannot be submitted for the unbaptized, and I immediately understood this (I remember how I immediately accepted it), but in my prayer for the dear deceased unbelievers I never made a distinction: baptized or not.

A mystery that doesn't deprive you of hope

The Church teaches that the souls of the dead need our prayers. The Last Judgment differs from the so-called private trial of the soul of a deceased person in that Last Judgment her fate it could get better- it may turn out to be “praised.” An impression from the period of my neophyte was etched in my memory: a story by a priest’s mother about a friend of hers whose son committed suicide. Weighed down by such a terrible grief, the woman tirelessly prayed for her son for twenty years, and one day her relatives heard her exclaim in her room: “I prayed for it!” I thought then: “How does she know that everything is okay now? She just felt that her soul became lighter.” And then I thought: “How else could she have been notified? And why shouldn’t you trust her?” This story and my trust in it were often recalled to me later, and I came to the conclusion that if the soul of a suicide can be prayed for, then even more so this should apply to the souls of the unbaptized, so I thought.

Most famous incident the effectiveness of prayer for the deceased unbaptized is found in different books, is mentioned in various teachings and in the synaxari of the Meat Sabbath. It is also cited by Father Seraphim Rose, who is distinguished by his strict strictness, in the book “The Soul after Death” (Offering of an Orthodox American. Collection of works of Father Seraphim Platinsky. M., 2008. P. 196). It's about about how Saint Gregory the Dialogue was heard in prayer for the soul of Emperor Trajan. The saint was touched good deed Trajan and prayed with tears for the pagan emperor, so that in his life it is said that Trajan was (as if in retrospect) “baptized with the tears” of the prayer book. It is worth remembering, however, that Saint Gregory was told at the same time: “Ask no more for any other pagan!” From what? - this is worth thinking about. But, be that as it may, there is no reason not to trust the mentioned story about St. Gregory and Emperor Trajan. “Although this is a rare case,” comments Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose), “it gives hope to those whose loved ones died outside the faith.”

The bitterness of feeling for loved ones who did not accept Christ has the utmost expression in the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans: “I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience bears witness to me in the Holy Spirit, that there is great sorrow for me and unceasing torment of my heart: I desired I would myself be excommunicated from Christ for my brothers, my relatives according to the flesh” (Rom. 9.1-3) - if only they were saved. It happens that in prayer for a dear unbeliever, non-church person, you want to exclaim: “Lord! You know him! Isn’t this, and this, and this from You, precious before You?” You ask for his conversion, but he dies, an outsider to the Church, and sometimes even unbaptized. So what now?

Martyr Uar

Saint Huar was an officer in the Roman army, the commander of one of the cohorts stationed in Alexandria. He suffered for Christ in 307 AD. The torturers threw Uar's body into the place where the corpses of animals were dumped. A pious widow named Cleopatra found his body and, with the help of slaves, carried it to her home, where she buried it. A few years later, when the persecution subsided, Cleopatra decided to return to her homeland, Palestine. Under the pretext that she was carrying out the body of her husband, a military leader, she carried out the body of the holy martyr Uara. She didn’t want the Alexandrian Christians to oppose her, so she did just that. At home, in the village of Edra, not far from Tabor, Cleopatra re-buried the holy remains in the same tomb where her ancestors were buried. Every day she came to the tomb, lit candles and performed incense. Following Cleopatra, her fellow countrymen began to venerate the tomb of the martyr Huar and, through prayers to him, receive healing for themselves and their loved ones. Cleopatra's only son John reached the age of 17 and, under the protection arranged by his mother, was supposed to receive a good place in the imperial army. At the same time, the widow was busy building a temple over the tomb of St. Huar and decided not to send her son to the army until the construction was completed. After the consecration of the built temple and the celebration of the first liturgy in it, Cleopatra fell to the tomb with an ardent prayer to the saint about the upcoming career of her son. Then she arranged a rich feast and served the guests herself. During the feast, John suddenly fell ill and died at night. The inconsolable widow rushed to the tomb of the holy martyr Huar with bitter reproaches, and right at the tomb, from fatigue and great sorrow, fell asleep on a short time. “In a dream, Saint Uar appeared before her, holding her son’s hand; both of them were as bright as the sun and their clothes were whiter than snow; they had golden belts and crowns on their heads, of indescribable beauty,” says Demetrius of Rostov. In response to the reproaches, the martyr Uar told the widow that he had prayed for forgiveness of sins for her relatives, with whom she had laid him in the tomb; her son was taken into the heavenly army...

After spending another seven years serving at the tomb of the holy martyr, in which she also buried her son, Cleopatra reposed in the Lord.

This is, in fact, summary, the life of the holy martyr Huar and the pious Cleopatra. Based on the fact that Saint Huar begged for forgiveness of sins to Cleopatra’s relatives, many of whom, obviously, could not be Christians, according to established church tradition, it is believed that this saint was endowed with special grace to pray for those who died unbaptized. The canon to the holy martyr Huar in the “green menaions” is permeated mainly with this very thought.

Experience of consolation

For many years now, from sad occasion to sad occasion, I have been attending a prayer service for the holy martyr Huar in church Life-Giving Trinity on Pyatnitskaya street. This temple is visible in the distance on the left, as soon as you exit onto Pyatnitskaya from the Novokuznetskaya metro station. This is the only place in Moscow where a prayer service to the martyr Uar, with a fervent request for the repose of unbaptized relatives and “known ones,” is served religiously every Saturday after the liturgy; it begins, therefore, between half past eight and nine in the morning.

There are priests who have a categorically negative attitude towards such a prayer service, and it cannot be said that they have no grounds for this - see below. There are, on the contrary, inspired admirers of the martyr Huar and fervent prayer books for those who died outside the body of Christ. There are also those who treat this issue favorably and judiciously: recognizing the tradition and urgent need of Orthodox believers to turn to the martyr Huar, they eschew any inspired excess in this prayerful matter.

According to the first, what is gained in prayer to St. Uaru consolation does not mean anything! You never know, they say, where we can get consolation for our imperfect feelings; it quite often happens “from the left.” Judging in the abstract, this remark is fair. But there is a certain “quality” of spiritual consolation, familiar to every church believer, in which, it seems to me, it is hardly possible to make a mistake: purity, confirmed by experience, you can't fake it! For those who are negatively inclined, this, of course, is not an argument, but, thank God, in Orthodoxy you can look differently and remain faithful to what is verified by your heart.

A lot of people gather for the prayer service, however, it happens in different ways: sometimes not so many, and sometimes the crowd is crowded. There are always people at the same time, from just one glance at whom the heart bleeds, there is no other way to say it. Dejected, pale, burdened with inescapable bitterness. I remember one time in particular. There were probably thirty people gathered. And there was a noticeable general feeling before the prayer service, as if each of those gathered had a dear deceased person who either committed suicide, or blasphemed the Church as much as he could. It seemed that what hung in the air was something that one could simply “go crazy about.” A prayer service began, familiar petitions, exclamations - and little by little things began to feel different... nothing special, no sudden “airing”, but simply different, easier. And then even easier and more. And suddenly, in the end, it became completely easy, joyful! I looked at the faces around me: other faces! This only happens in the Church. Only with living communication between the militant Church and the triumphant Church is such an inconspicuous and such a sure victory over the “prince of the power of the air” possible.

Living Testimony

N.A., a parishioner of one of the Moscow churches, a middle-aged woman who came to faith in the early 1980s, tells about the victory of Saint Uar “in the air” youngest son Andryusha was four years old, a little older. He kept getting sick, coughing all the time, nothing helped, and one good friend, who became a priest, told his mother: “You’re trying everything.” folk remedies. Try this: give communion to Andryusha. And try to give him communion more often, once a week.” The “remedy” helped, the child recovered, and the mother came to faith. And then she went to work in the Church. It upset her that her husband remained an unbeliever. And there’s nothing you can do: respect his free choice. What about children? And what about him? ON THE. she didn’t want to calm down, but no one could help her.

About a year has passed since N.A. turned to faith, and one priest blessed her to pray for the conversion of her husband to the martyr Uar: to read the canons to him, both the hagiographic canons, and the one about the deceased, unbaptized (there was, of course, someone to pray for). WITH church literature It was so bad back then that it’s hard to even imagine now. ON THE. I rewrote the canons from the pre-revolutionary menyas, and began to read them every day.

Started soon Lent. ON THE. already knew about possible temptations, and, indeed, strangers on the streets of Moscow they began to deliver them to her this way and that. Drunks, for example, came at me, sometimes rudely, sometimes with hugs. And suddenly - calm. Canons N.A. reads, but nothing “like that” happens, although I’ve already read it twenty times in a “lull.” She says to herself: “Why am I jabbering? Maybe I’m reading in vain, since nothing is happening?” That same evening she regretted her careless question. Andryusha suddenly woke up, jumped up in his bed and shouted: “Open, open the window quickly - it’s such a stench! such a stink!” The daughter came running from the next room and opened the window, although neither she nor N.A. Didn't feel any bad smell. Only five-year-old Andryusha felt it. He sat down on the bed and said: “Here,” he pointed to his left, “a little “he” appeared, disgusting and as if wearing a crown, only it’s not a crown at all. And then - he pointed opposite - the martyr Uar appeared (although Andryusha had not heard from his mother about Uar), and rays emanated from him, which began to hit “that one”. “That one” wriggled and wriggled, but the beam suddenly hit, and “it” then burst, and there was a bad, very bad smell!” It didn’t take long for his mother to calm him down, but finally the boy fell asleep soundly, and when he woke up the next morning, he immediately said: “What a nasty dream I had last night!” We wouldn’t call it that, but it was difficult for the child!

Husband N.A. that same year he was baptized, and after some time, in an incurable illness, received his martyr's crown.

Why so strict?

At the prayer service for the martyr Uar in the church on Pyatnitskaya Street N.A. doesn’t happen, but he won’t say a bad word about that prayer service. She was blessed to read the canons to the martyr Uar only privately, and she reads it privately. It must be said that the venerable confessor Saint Athanasius (Sakharov), in his famous book “On the Remembrance of the Deceased according to the Charter of the Orthodox Church,” writes about prayer for the unbaptized only in Chapter 4, “Remembrance of the Deceased on home prayer”, in the section “Commemoration at home prayer of non-Orthodox”, as well as in the next section “Canon to the Martyr Uar on deliverance from the torment of the dead in other faiths”, where, by the way, it is also told that the tradition of turning to the martyr Uar with prayer for the deceased unbaptized there is a very ancient tradition. Like Saint Athanasius, many pastors consider only cell prayer for those who were outside the Church acceptable. Why so strict?

Think about it and ask yourself: “What does strictly mean? What would you like? Are you forbidden to go to Uaru’s prayer service on Pyatnitskaya? Not prohibited. Priests simply say what they think, they think as they think. Would you like there to be a prayer service for the martyr Uar in every church? So it’s you who “builds” everyone internally. And the Church adheres to freedom, goodwill and sobriety. This is not about indifference to the fate of those who died unbaptized. The point is only that for those who make up the body of Christ, the most precious thing is Christ. Imagine with what “just feeling of indignation” those whom Christ called “dead men” learned that the son did not come to his father’s funeral! And if he came, he would sincerely forget Christ. So it is here. Excessive sincere bitterness about those who are indifferent to Christ contributes to the development of feelings behind which faith will begin to double... If you scratch, it’s no longer faith, but humanism... Even in compassion for the unfortunate, you can lose Christ Himself. Do you remember? “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me” (Matthew 26.11). And even more so, you can lose Him in thoughts about transcendental spheres, in desires related to the unknown, if in these thoughts and these desires you forget about faith and indulge in compassion alone.

From a humanistic point of view, there is nothing higher than compassion, and it should be for everyone... But if it is “higher” than Christ (for example, like Ivan Karamazov’s in the chapter “Revolt”), then it becomes untrue and is fraught with destruction. Radishchev’s compassion (his look “around”) served as the seed of the revolution. Through compassion, Prince Myshkin died and the deaths of other heroes of the novel significantly, albeit involuntarily, contributed. Compassion is one of the best feelings, and it would be insulting to say that you shouldn’t “give in” to it. But too often strong sincere feelings are the very rivers and the very winds that “blow” over the house of our faith.

Another thing is heartache for a dear person, living or deceased, pain that you can present to God in prayer. The faith of this person or his unbelief, his detachment from the Church is the secret of his heart, known only to the One who knows the extent of our guile and our truth. But if you yourself do not value your belonging to the Church, if you do not feel like a member of it, if you do not notice the qualitative difference in being baptized or not, this does not mean that there is no such difference, and that you can fall into the general lad (“the main thing is to be a good man") and almost demand from God that He arrange everything to satisfy your “good feelings.” He won't do that. Bewilderment and bitterness (sometimes to the point of resentment) are all from unbelief, from the inability to give to God what is only in His knowledge. And you “shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret.” And He will reward you with silence.

Inexplicable joy

We meet different people in life. Among them there are those whom we remember with special gratitude and special warmth. I had a friend from work, a little older than me, who suddenly died of cancer in two months, “out of the blue,” and she was already twenty years old. She is buried at the Donskoye Cemetery, and when I am there, I always go to see her. And as soon as I find myself at her grave, I feel (almost always like this) - joyful! I, so to speak, “can’t help it.” This Elena had... an irresistible friendliness. She will say to the student cheerfully: “What did you write to me here?” and show him his wild stupidity. And he’ll send you away and give you a bad mark, without giving in to anything. And he will retain his friendliness in full. Everyone loved her. And suddenly the Lord took it away. She just (at the end of “perestroika”) began to take an interest in religion and read books, but she died unbaptized. And, although I never doubted for a second and do not doubt her bright afterlife, and who (besides my parents) I would like to meet “there” is her, I still remember her one of the first times when I turn to Saint War. And I feel that this is so necessary, it is so right, and it is truer than my (even how reliable for me) impressions.

Trust in the Holy

The point is not only that everything is correct and that everything is done - in relation to the people dear to us - that can be done by us. In Christ Jesus, “only faith working through love has power,” according to the words of the Apostle Paul (Gal. 5.6). Love for the deceased who is dear to us does not allow us to calm down and, so to speak, to leave his fate “mechanically” to God; we do everything that can be done from our hearts. And how good it is that there is a saint to whom our petition can be “entrusted”! how good it is that there is church tradition, allowing us to resolve such a difficult and so touching issue!

For the sake of truth, one cannot help but say that among the zealots of cleanliness Orthodox faith, there are those who deny not only the legitimacy of the prayer service on Pyatnitskaya Street, but also the very appeal to the martyr Uar with a prayer for the unbaptized, even to the point of doubting the interpretation of his life. Thus, priest Konstantin Bufeev in the article “On non-statutory service to the martyr Uar” (“ Holy Fire"N12) states that “there is no reason to suspect Cleopatra’s relatives of unbelief and paganism.” Further, Priest Constantine proposes to bring episodes from the lives of other saints to the point of absurdity and, for example, to compose a service to the prophet Elisha, “ to him was given the grace to raise the dead to their feet.” Witty, to say the least, and even poisonous. But, like cold, toxicity does not create God’s righteousness. There is also no reason to consider Cleopatra’s ancestors to be believers in Christ, but there is a tradition of prayer to Uar, and the tradition, as already mentioned, is ancient.

By following it, trusting the Church, trusting the holy martyr, we gain experience that increases faith, for we are not left without certificates. We do not receive any confirmation that now the afterlife of those for whom we care has become bright, but we gain confidence that the Lord has taken our care completely upon Himself, and that means everything will be right.

One day, a classmate called me, who had come from the funeral of her work friend (unbaptized), in a complete breakdown, almost in despair - this is how she experienced the unexpected death of her friend (in a car accident). I tell her: “Well, the Church of Cyril and Athanasius is not far from you. There is an icon of the martyr Huar, go and pray to him.” She called me two hours later: the minus of her exclamations changed to a plus. For her, this was the testimony of faith about which the Apostle John speaks: “He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself” (1 John 5.10). For me, on the one hand, there was nothing surprising in this, but on the other, of course, there was also evidence here, confirmation of what I already knew well. We cannot live without the Church and we cannot live without communication with each other, which confirms our innermost experience. By the way, in the Church of Saints Cyril and Athanasius (in Afanasvesky Lane not far from Kropotkinskaya) a prayer service to the martyr Uar is held on Wednesday evening, if there is no pre-holiday evening service.

God has everyone alive

And everything is alive. I really loved taking exams together with the Lena I talked about above. Every time she told me that she would start the exam herself and added (I remember the gesture with her palm): “It’s okay if you’re late.” And now, at the wall of the Donskoy Monastery, in the deep peace that is so clearly present in this cemetery, I look at her photograph, and, although so many years have passed, I don’t feel at all that I’m “very late”... It’s somehow here everything is different. The sorrow was yesterday, but the good is forever.

With God, everyone is alive—every Christian knows this. This means that we need to pray not only for the living, but also for the dead. But why then don’t the Church commemorate the unbaptized? Who is the martyr Uar and why do they pray to him for Gentiles?

As evidenced life experience, for many, the path to the temple begins after encountering illness, sorrow and even the loss of relatives. When a loved one is no longer around, the question arises: “What can I do for him?” How to survive the pain of loss?

Answers and comfort can truly be found in church. After all, every Christian believes that life does not end with earthly boundaries. After physical death the human soul does not cease to exist. And after the second coming of Christ, it will be determined exactly what each person deserves. The Kingdom of Heaven awaits some, while pitch darkness awaits others.

But no one knows when Christ will come to earth in glory to judge everyone. Until this time, you can still influence the final decision. How? Prayers for the departed.

But what these prayers will look like depends on what kind of life the deceased spent on earth.

Prayer for the Orthodox dead

If the deceased believed in God, was not formally baptized, and began the Sacraments, then such a person can safely be called a member of the Church and commemorated not only in home prayer, but also in church.

You can light candles and submit notes for the proskomedia - a special part of the Liturgy, during which for each person commemorated, a particle is taken out from the prosphora, which will be immersed in the Communion cup under the words of prayer:

Wash away, Lord, the sins here remembered by Thy Honest Blood and the prayers of Thy Saints.

It is also customary to perform special memorial services for the deceased Orthodox Christians - memorial services. At such services, they usually write lists of names for commemoration and bring all kinds of products - each according to their capabilities.

That is, in addition to prayer, you also perform alms, which is considered one of the types of “help” for the dead.

And of course, no one canceled home, "cell" prayer for the departed:

1. Reading the Psalter of Repose.
2. Akathist for the one who died (40 days after death and the same number before the anniversary).
3. All kinds of prayers - for every deceased person, widows and widowers, children for parents and vice versa, etc.

IN Orthodox prayer book you will see many different prayer texts. It is better to consult a priest about what is more suitable in your case. The main thing is not volume and quantity, but sincerity and burning of the heart. God will hear a few words faster, but from the bottom of my heart, with deep hope for God’s response, than long prayers that we have not experienced either in our hearts or in our minds.

Prayer for the unbaptized and people of other faiths is not offered by the Church

If everything is more or less clear with the commemoration of the deceased Orthodox, then the answer to the question “How to pray for the unbaptized and people of other faiths?” doesn't look as transparent.

There is no funeral service for such people Orthodox priests, even if relatives really insist. It is just as impossible to submit notes for those who died unbaptized as for those of other faiths. Why? Because these people during their lifetime did not want to become Orthodox - members of the Orthodox Church. They were not baptized and, accordingly, did not participate in the Sacraments.

But God never acts by force, does not force anyone to do anything. So can the Church perform a funeral service according to Orthodox customs one who did not belong to Her during life? After all, it will be violence! Therefore, in Orthodoxy, it is not customary for the unbaptized to have a funeral service in our churches; notes are not given for them for church commemoration and, accordingly, a conciliar prayer for the unbaptized is not heard.

Therefore, no matter how painful it may sound for family, friends and loved ones, they will also not be able to remember names in notes dear people who were baptized in Catholicism or Protestantism, not to mention Muslims, Buddhists and representatives of other movements who do not believe in the Christian God at all.

If the dead did not believe in God, then the Church cannot forcibly ask the Lord to accept these people to Himself, to settle them in heavenly abodes together with the righteous.

Cell prayer of Leo Optina

But relatives or friends can offer personal prayer for the unbaptized and those of other faiths. How? With love and trust in God. It is worth asking the Lord to show mercy to people who have never learned the true meaning of life, who are lost in the darkness of unbelief.

Optinsky Elder Leo offered cell prayer for the dead outside Orthodoxy. The text of this petition is filled with hope for God’s will:

Seek, O Lord, the lost soul of my father: if it is possible, have mercy. Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not make this my prayer a sin, but Thy holy will be done.

They pray to Saint War for the unbaptized: truth or myth?

IN Lately The prayer to the martyr Uar for the unbaptized and even suicides also gained particular popularity.

Its adherents believe that supposedly Saint Uar, to whom the pious Christian Cleopatra zealously prayed for her dead pagan relatives, begged the Lord for the salvation of the departed. But where is the truth and where is fiction? Let's try to figure it out.

- not at all fictional character. He was a warrior from the time of Emperor Maximin - one of the famous persecutors of Christianity - and a secret Christian. Therefore, at night he visited the imprisoned Christians. One day he visited seven teachers and turned to them with a request to pray for him, since he was not yet so firm in faith as to confess Christ before his martyrdom.

Shortly after this, one of the teachers fell ill and died. Then the martyr Uar decided to “replace” him and suffer with the rest. The saint died from severe torture, but never renounced God.

One pious widow, seeing his faith and suffering, decided to hide the relics of the martyr in her home. She and her son repeatedly prayed to the saint.

When the persecution of Christians stopped, she decided to return from Egypt to Palestine. In order to take the relics of the saint with her, she said that these were the remains of her husband, who was a military leader. So she managed to transport the holy relics and place them in the same place where the tomb of her ancestors was.

Together with her son, Cleopatra prayed every day at the tomb. Other Christians followed her. Through the prayers of the martyr Uar, they received healing and relief from illnesses.

It is necessary to build a temple for the saint - the widow conceived and began to implement her plan. Her son John helped her in everything. Together with the bishops and the congregation of Christians, they transferred the remains of the righteous man to new tomb, near which Cleopatra fervently prayed for herself and her son. She dreamed of the boy becoming a warrior. But she asked the martyr Uar to help her son choose a path in life.

After this, John, who was already 17, died suddenly of a fever.

The woman was in complete despair and even began to grumble against the martyr - how could he allow this to happen? But a saint appeared to her and said that John really got the best way. If on earth he had to become a warrior and serve the earthly king, then in the Kingdom of God he serves the Heavenly King. The happy son asked his mother not to suffer, because he, together with the Angels, served the Lord.

After this, Cleopatra buried her son next to the saint, distributed her property and prayed all her time in the built temple, near the relics of the martyr Huar.

As we see, in the life of the saint there is not a single word that the widow prayed for her pagan relatives. She prayed only for her son. But he was by no means a pagan. If John, together with his mother, built a temple for the saint and prayed at the relics, then could he be an unbeliever?

Unfortunately, beautiful story the fact that Saint Huar begged for Cleopatra’s relatives, who were pagans and during their lifetime chose the path of renunciation of God, remains just a story that inspires prayer for the unbaptized.

Is it possible to “beg” an unbaptized person?

If Saint Uar did not beg the pagans, then how should we approach prayer for the unbaptized and people of other faiths? Is there any point at all in praying for those who did not strive for God during their lifetime?

Let's pay attention to two nuances:

1. God gave every person free will. And if someone does not believe in God and does not want to be with Him after death, then the Lord does not act by force. He respects a person's choice, no matter what Negative consequences he had neither.
2. Even in the prayer itself to the martyr Uar it is said that it weakens the eternal torment of the unbaptized, but does not “guarantee” him paradise.

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Complete collection and description: prayer for the unbaptized deceased for the spiritual life of a believer.

The Orthodox Church calls all Christian believers to constant prayer. Of course, most often we pray for people close to us, relatives, friends. But there are situations when a person in need of prayer help has not been baptized in Orthodox Church. What then should be the prayer for the unbaptized living and deceased?

The importance of the Sacrament of Baptism for a person

Baptism is one of the seven Sacraments of the church, and without exaggeration it can be called fundamental. The spiritual life of an Orthodox Christian is impossible if sooner or later he does not accept church baptism. Why is it so important for a person and what does it give?

First of all, baptism makes a person a full member of the Church of Christ. By accepting the Sacrament, a person confesses faith in the crucified Jesus Christ and shows his intention to follow Him in life. In addition, in this Sacrament the seal of a person is washed away original sin which is inherent in each of us.

The rite of baptism with water itself dates back to Gospel times. Yes, Forerunner Lord John baptized the people in the Jordan River. It was there that Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself received the Sacrament during His earthly life.

Thus, we can say that by accepting this Sacrament, a person becomes open to God’s grace and can boldly follow Christ in the fullness of church life.

Features of prayer for unbaptized living people

If a person for some reason does not accept the Sacrament of Baptism, he cannot be a full member of the church. This is expressed, first of all, in the opportunity to participate in the Divine Liturgy.

Interesting! Some time ago, unbaptized people could not enter the temple beyond the vestibule, and also had to leave the Divine service in a certain part of it.

Today, such a strict restriction has been lifted, but still an unbaptized person cannot participate in worship as an equal.

The main feature of prayer for unbaptized people is that they cannot be remembered at the Divine Liturgy.

The priest at the altar offers a bloodless sacrifice, symbolically representing the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. At this time, pieces are taken from the prosphoras for each name submitted for commemoration. These particles are then sent to the Chalice and become a great shrine - the Body of Christ.

If a person deliberately avoids baptism, then Christ’s sacrifice for him becomes meaningless. That is why, in order to participate in the Sacrament of Communion, and indeed in the fullness of the Liturgy, it is necessary to be baptized in church.

But what should we do if a person close to us, whose fate we care about, turns out to be unbaptized? He cannot be commemorated in church, but there are no obstacles to purely personal prayer. At home, in front of the home iconostasis, we can pray for all the people close to us, even if they have not been baptized.

Prayer for unbaptized babies

Prayer for children who have just recently been born and have not yet had time to be baptized also has its own characteristics. There is a tradition of baptizing children after the 40th day of birth, but in fact, the baby can be baptized as soon as it is born. So, if the mother had a difficult birth and the child is in danger, it is very advisable to baptize the baby as soon as possible. In many maternity hospitals and children's hospitals you can freely invite a priest, and in some places there is even operating temples on the territory of the medical institution.

If the family decides to baptize the baby later, then all the time before the Sacrament is performed, they pray for the child in close connection with the mother. It is believed that at this time the mother and baby share one Guardian Angel, and only after Baptism does the child have his own.

You can pray for such children in church, but only the note indicates not the individual name of the baby, but the name of the mother with the note “with the child.” For example, if the mother’s name is Maria, then the note should be submitted as follows: “About the health of the slave Mary of God with the child." After Baptism, you can write in a note the name of the child himself with the postscript “baby”.

O Most Holy Lady Virgin Theotokos, save and preserve under Your shelter my children (names), all youths, young women and infants, baptized and nameless and carried in their mother’s womb. Cover them with the robe of Your motherhood, keep them in the fear of God and in obedience to their parents, pray to my Lord and Your Son to grant them what is useful for their salvation. I entrust them to Your maternal supervision, for You are the Divine Protection of Your servants.

Mother of God, introduce me to the image of Your heavenly motherhood. Heal the mental and physical wounds of my children (names) caused by my sins. I entrust my child entirely to my Lord Jesus Christ and Your, Most Pure, heavenly protection. Amen.

Prayer for the unbaptized dead

Anyone Orthodox Christian It’s hard to realize that someone close to you died without becoming a full member of the Church of Christ. There is no point in becoming despondent; God’s Providence exists for such people as well. But sincere heartfelt prayer will help the soul of a deceased person, even if he did not have time to deeply know God.

Have mercy, O Lord, on the soul of Your servant (name), who passed into eternal life without Holy Baptism. Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not make this my prayer a sin for me. But Thy holy will be done.

Important! As is the case with people still living, notes with the names of unbaptized people cannot be submitted in church for commemoration.

The reason is the same - a person during his life, for one reason or another, did not have time to enter the Church of God. It is all the more important for such a soul that there is a person who remembers the deceased in his personal prayer at home. After all, the whole Church prays for baptized people at every liturgy, but only those who take on this burden in personal work pray for the unbaptized.

What kind of prayers to read for the unbaptized dead

IN Orthodox worship There is a special service - a requiem - during which all Orthodox Christians who have died since centuries are remembered. You can only submit notes about those who have managed to come to God and His Holy Church in their lives. However, this does not mean that everyone else should be left without prayerful remembrance.

Most often, they pray to the martyr Uar for the repose of the souls of unbaptized people. There is a specially compiled canon for this saint, who lived in the 3rd century and spent his entire life begging for those unfortunates who remained outside the protection of the Church of Christ. To this day, a sincere appeal to this ascetic brings great relief to souls after death.

Through the army of the saints, the passion-bearer who suffered legally, in vain, you showed your strength courageously. And having rushed to the passion of your will, and to die lustfully for Christ, who have accepted the honor of the victory of your suffering, Ouare, pray for our souls to be saved.

Having followed Christ, the martyr Uare, having drunk His cup, and having been bound with the crown of torment, and rejoicing with the Angels, pray unceasingly for our souls

Oh, venerable holy martyr Uare, kindled with zeal for the Lord Christ, you confessed the Heavenly King before the tormentor, and you suffered earnestly for Him, and now you stand before Him with the angels, and rejoice in the highest, and see clearly the Holy Trinity, and enjoy the light of the Beginning Radiance , remember also our relatives in languor, who died in wickedness, accept our petition, and like Cleopatrine, the unfaithful generation through your prayers from eternal torment You have freed us, so remember those who were buried against God, who died unbaptized, trying to ask for deliverance from eternal darkness, so that with one mouth and one heart we may all praise the Most Merciful Creator forever and ever. Amen.

Separately, for stillborn or unbaptized babies, you can pray with the prayer of Metropolitan Grigoir of Novgorod or Hieromonk Arseny of Athos. If such a misfortune occurs in a family, and a child dies before receiving the Sacrament of Baptism, then special prayer support is needed both for his soul and for his parents and family. In prayer and trust in God's Providence for each person, it will be easier to survive loss and grief.

Remember, O Lord who loves mankind, the souls of the departed servants of Your babies, who in the womb of Orthodox mothers died accidentally from unknown actions or from a difficult birth, or from some carelessness, and therefore did not receive the holy sacrament of Baptism! Baptize them, O Lord, in the sea of ​​Your bounties and save them with Your ineffable goodness.

It should be remembered that prayer is always work. And personal prayer without the support of the church is special work. Therefore, if we undertake to beg unbaptized people close to us, we must be prepared for various temptations and obstacles along this path. And only with God’s help and humility can this path be overcome.

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Prayers for the unbaptized living and dead

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Today, there are many different debates about whether it is possible to pray for the health of an unbaptized person. Some argue in this regard that it is absolutely impossible to ask the Lord for such people. This is justified by the fact that a person who has not been baptized puts his person against church canons, rejecting the shrine of God’s Temple.

Others say that you can ask God even for lost sheep, so he will definitely hear your prayer for unbaptized people.

Judging by the numerous discussions of clergy on this topic, we can safely draw a conclusion. To the question, is it possible to read a prayer for unbaptized children or adults? You can answer this way: of course it is possible, why not?

Church sources even contain real prayers for unbaptized people. In such prayers, people turn to God for the forgiveness of sinners and the opportunity to return them to the bosom of the divine temple.

For the deceased unbaptized - prayers to the martyr Uar

If you want to reach out to the Lord and ask for protection for a person who has not undergone the Sacrament of baptism, then it is better to turn to the patrons of the lost. One of such patrons is considered to be the holy righteous man Uar. During his lifetime, this Saint prayed for the repose of the unbaptized for the protection of the Lord.

Saint Huar is addressed to:

• for the living lost people;
• for children who have not been baptized;
• for unborn babies;
• for an unbaptized deceased baby who did not have time to receive the Sacrament;
• for dead lost people.

Words of prayer to this Holy Martyr:

“Oh, the venerable holy martyr Uare, we kindle with zeal for the Lord Christ, you confessed the Heavenly King before the tormentor, and now the Church honors you, as glorified by the Lord Christ with the glory of Heaven, Who has given you the grace of great boldness towards Him, and now you stand before Him with the Angels , and in the highest you rejoice, and clearly see the Holy Trinity, and enjoy the light of the Beginning Radiance: remember also our relatives in languor, who died in wickedness, accept our petition, and like Cleopatrine, you freed the unfaithful generation with your prayers from eternal torment, so remember the people buried against God , who died unbaptized (names), trying to ask for deliverance from eternal darkness, so that with one mouth and one heart we may all praise the Most Merciful Creator forever and ever. Amen".

Prayers for unbaptized dead people

The Church has an ambiguous attitude towards lost souls. But there, nevertheless, there is a real prayer to the Lord for such people. And many clergy even declare that every person has the right to ask for God’s protection.

However, we must remember that the church prohibits ordering liturgies and funeral services for lost souls. You can only read a private prayer for the deceased. At the same time, being outside the influence of the church.

Praying for dead soul, You are not only supporting the deceased, but also yourself. After all, as you know, prayer allows you to pray for sadness, grief for a worthy person who was an important part of your life.

Prayer for the unbaptized departed to the Lord

Many people often wonder: “who can pray for the souls of dead people who did not accept Orthodox baptism? The clergy say that you can pray not only to God, but also to the Saints. Remember that sincere prayers from a pure heart will definitely reach the addressee. Every person on the planet has the right to the protection of the Almighty and his forgiveness.

Even people without faith or those who have converted to another religion can pray for people who have not been baptized. In addition, in the Orthodox Church to this day there is no specific opinion on whether baptized Catholics should be considered Christians or not.

You can ask the Almighty in these words:

“Seek, O Lord, the lost soul of my father: if it is possible, have mercy! Your destinies are unsearchable. I did not make this prayer a sin for me. But Thy holy will be done"

May the Lord protect you!

Watch also the video about prayer for unbaptized people:

Prayer for the unbaptized dead

It is a great tragedy if a person dies without being baptized. This can't be fixed. And according to church laws, it is forbidden to perform his funeral service in church or commemorate him at the Liturgy. But loved ones always have the right to personal prayer for the unbaptized dead. What's the best way to do this?

What happens after death

Each soul after death goes to a private trial, which will take place on the 40th day after death. It is believed that prayers for the unbaptized dead help the soul of the deceased go through aerial ordeals and ways to even alleviate his fate. On the very day of death you can:

• read 17 kathisma - psalms and necessary prayers about repose;
• perform the secular rite of lithium at the cemetery;
• light a candle in the temple and pray.

It is not possible to order a memorial service or church memorial. This is done because during his lifetime the person himself did not express a desire to belong to the Church and rejected God.

What other prayers can you read?

The Holy Fathers also advise giving alms for those who died without repentance, without accepting Christ.

If a baby dies

Great grief is the loss of a small child. But the Holy Church believes that all babies end up in heaven. This is written about in the Gospel. Prayer for unbaptized babies is also done privately, as well as about other people who have not become members of the Church. Children, although they do not have conscious bad deeds, still bear the stamp of the original sin of Adam and Eve. This is why the Church considers it necessary to baptize young children.

• Prayer for deceased relatives
• Children's prayer for deceased parents for the repose of the soul - here
• Prayer before reading the Gospel - https://bogolub.info/molitva-pered-chteniem-evangeliya/

It may seem unfair that the child did not know life. But we don’t know what his fate would have been like. It is believed that the Lord takes people to Himself in order to protect a person from a more terrible disaster, this also applies to children. We must believe in the goodness of God, not despair and give thanks for everything, although this can be difficult.

Prayer of Leo Optinsky for those who died unbaptized

“Have mercy, O Lord, on the soul of Your servant (name), who passed into eternal life without Holy Baptism. Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not make this my prayer a sin for me. But Thy holy will be done."

It is good to pray to the Mother of God, reading the rosary “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...” (as much as your strength allows: from 30 to 150 times a day). At the beginning and at the end of this rule, one must ask the Mother of God to help the soul of the deceased.

deceased . Prayer By to the deceased up to 40 days...

Orthodox tradition demands to be remembered deceased repeatedly, the first 40 days after death are especially important. . Prayer By to the deceased up to 40 days...

Today there is a lot of controversy about whether it is possible to pray for the unbaptized living. According to some, it is impossible to ask God for those, because without being baptized, a person independently puts his own person against the canons of the church, rejecting the Temple of God as a shrine. Others, on the contrary, say that it is also possible to ask the Lord about lost sheep.

Fortunately, in church sources there is real prayer about the unbaptized living, which asks for forgiveness of sinners, as well as the opportunity to turn them into the fold of the church.

Judging by the abundance of discussions of clergymen on this topic, as well as the debates that are still ongoing, we conclude that the question of whether it is possible to pray for the unbaptized can be answered as follows: of course it is possible, why not?

Popular prayers for the unbaptized

Prayers to the Holy Martyr Huar

Prayers for the unbaptized can be read to saints who are trying to patronize them, trying to turn them towards the church. One of these saints to whom you can pray is the holy martyr Uar. During his lifetime (it is known that he died in 307 AD), Uar lived in Alexandria, being a military commander.

At that time there was a ban on Christianity, which was trampled upon by the pagans in every possible way. When unfortunate Christians were caught and tortured, Uar tried in every possible way to provide assistance to his fellow believers, bandaging their wounds and also bringing food.

He also prayed for the unbaptized, asking them for the same protection from the Lord as for other creatures created by the Lord.

Saint Uar voluntarily gave himself up to torture, praying for his executioners even as they tormented his body. To this day they pray to him for deceased people, small children, and infants who died at birth.

The following common prayer for unbaptized people is known, addressed specifically to the martyr Uar.

Prayer to the holy martyr Huar

“Oh, the venerable holy martyr Uare, we kindle with zeal for the Lord Christ, you confessed the Heavenly King before the tormentor, and now the Church honors you, as glorified by the Lord Christ with the glory of Heaven, Who has given you the grace of great boldness towards Him, and now you stand before Him with the Angels , and in the highest you rejoice, and clearly see the Holy Trinity, and enjoy the light of the Beginning Radiance: remember also our relatives in languor, who died in wickedness, accept our petition, and like Cleopatrine, you freed the unfaithful generation with your prayers from eternal torment, so remember the people buried against God, those who died unbaptized (names), trying to ask for deliverance from eternal darkness, so that we may all praise the Most Merciful Creator with one mouth and one heart forever and ever. Amen."

Pray for bright souls

As mentioned above, the church is still arguing about whether it is worth praying for the unbaptized at all. Opinions differ, but the majority is inclined to believe that it is possible and even necessary to read prayers:

• For newborn babies who have not yet had time to receive the Sacrament;
• Children without baptism;
• Unborn babies;
• Died unbaptized;
• Living unbaptized.

Prayers will help give peace of mind to the souls of all of the above. Besides, who said that it is impossible to instill sincere faith in the hearts of people living unbaptized?

Everyone can pray!

Despite the many existing disputes that contradict one another, any person should pray and can do it. It is more reasonable to assume that sincere faith should only be in the soul of a person. It doesn’t matter what religion he belongs to by virtue of his own birth or beliefs - when he feels the need to exalt holy words, he must pray!

It is a great tragedy if a person dies without being baptized. This can't be fixed. And according to church laws, it is forbidden to perform his funeral service in church or commemorate him at the Liturgy. But loved ones always have the right to personal prayer for the unbaptized dead. What's the best way to do this?

What happens after death

If a person completely rejected the Lord during his lifetime, there is no need to pray for him too hard. There were cases when the dead appeared and asked not to pray for them. In any case, talk to the priest, he will advise what to do in a particular situation. But it happens that people respect the faith, show a desire to be baptized, but simply do not have time to do so. Then you can and should pray.

Each soul after death goes to a private trial, which will take place on the 40th day after death. It is believed that prayers for the unbaptized dead help the soul of the deceased go through aerial ordeals and ways to even alleviate his fate. On the very day of death you can:

• read 17 kathisma - psalms and necessary prayers for repose;
• perform the secular rite of lithium at the cemetery;
• light a candle in the temple and pray.

It is not possible to order a memorial service or church memorial. This is done because during his lifetime the person himself did not express a desire to belong to the Church and rejected God.

What other prayers can you read?

There is veneration of the martyr Huar, who supposedly had the grace to pray for the unbaptized. There was even a service compiled for him, only it is non-canonical, that is, it is not officially recognized by the church. Church prayer for the unbaptized dead, although now permitted by some priests (for a fee), violates all canons. Whether or not to read the canon for the dead to the martyr Uar is a personal matter for everyone.

The Holy Fathers also advise giving alms for those who died without repentance, without accepting Christ.

If a baby dies

Great grief is the loss of a small child. But the Holy Church believes that all babies end up in heaven. This is written about in the Gospel. Prayer for unbaptized infants is also performed privately, as for other people who have not become members of the Church. Children, although they do not have conscious bad deeds, still bear the stamp of the original sin of Adam and Eve. This is why the Church considers it necessary to baptize young children.

It may seem unfair that the child did not know life. But we don’t know what his fate would have been like. It is believed that the Lord takes people to Himself in order to protect a person from a more terrible disaster, this also applies to children. We must believe in the goodness of God, not despair and give thanks for everything, although this can be difficult.

Prayer of Leo Optinsky for those who died unbaptized

“Have mercy, O Lord, on the soul of Your servant (name), who passed into eternal life without Holy Baptism. Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not make this my prayer a sin for me. But Thy holy will be done."

It is good to pray to the Mother of God, reading the rosary“Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...” (as much as strength allows: from 30 to 150 times a day). At the beginning and at the end of this rule, one must ask the Mother of God to help the soul of the deceased.

Prayer for the unbaptized dead was last modified: July 7th, 2017 by Bogolub

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