From this article you can find out how the suicides are remembered, where they are buried, how relatives can help them in the afterlife . And also what happens to the souls of those who voluntarily die. Moreover, in recent years this has begun to happen more often.
Suicide or euthanasia?
Our life now is such that a sufficiently large number of people decide to voluntarily leave this world, without waiting for a natural end. The reasons for this are completely different, but psychologists have an opinion that in any case at this moment a person is not completely healthy from a mental point of view.
Suicide is a serious sin in almost all religions. Exceptions are some sects, also in Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism, voluntary departure from life is possible in some cases, i.e. it is not considered a deadly sin. If you are wondering whether it is possible to remember the suicides, then the clergy will definitely give you a negative answer. There can be no question of anything else. Of course, there are exceptions, but they are quite rare and documented (more on this will be written below).
It should be noted that in the modern world in some countries, the voluntary departure from life of terminally ill and those who are "turning into vegetables" is practiced. This method is called euthanasia. It is believed that this is a personal matter for everyone, "live a plant" or die. However, it should be remembered that the Lord never gives a person a burden that is beyond his power. You only need to set your priorities correctly and revise your life, decide where to move. Maybe you should turn to the Lord?
And the doctors themselves, helping to accomplish euthanasia, understand that this is a banal murder. Each life is valuable to the Lord, and he himself knows when to take it. You should only rely on him in your troubles and sorrows.
Orthodox Attitude Towards Suicides
As stated above, suicide is a sin. This action amounts to breaking one of the ten commandments. After all, there is a murder, even of his own, but of the body. It also indicates that a person does not believe that he will be able to cope with the situation by turning to the Lord. He dares to decide his own fate, completely not trying to pass the test, temper his spirit. The soul of the suicidal is doomed to wander and perish forever.
It should be noted that this sin cannot be forgiven by the church. All this implies repentance, committed this unworthy act. Besides not forgiving sin, the church does not pray for the soul of one who voluntarily left this world. Therefore, there is no traditional church commemoration for him. Also, you can not submit notes with a name for peace.
The worst thing is that it is very difficult for such souls to help in the afterlife. If relatives have a question about when they can remember the suicides, then they should know that this action is prohibited in the church. As an exception, the funeral service is subject to special permission.
What do Christian writings and canons say about suicides?
Concerning those who voluntarily take their own lives, there is a special mention in Christian canons. This happened for the first time in 385, when the Alexandrian Patriarch Timothy wrote down the fourteenth canon in the form of questions and answers. It mentioned whether it is possible to remember the suicides. According to the canon, this is possible if the person was beside himself, and this must be additionally verified.
In 452, at the next church council, it was established that suicide occurs from devilish malice, which is why it is considered a crime. And in 563, at the next meeting, it was forbidden to funeral for those who voluntarily passed away. Also, he was not buried according to church customs, did not follow his body to the grave, and later they also ceased to bury him on consecrated ground.
How is the burial of those who voluntarily passed away?
So, based on all of the above, you should know how to bury the suicides. In early times, burial took place on uninitiated land (most often by the road), now everyone is buried in a common cemetery. However, it is not customary for suicides to funeral and hold requiem.
In addition to this, there are other restrictions in the church tradition . So, on the grave of the suicides do not put up a cross, which is a symbol of faith. According to the church, he voluntarily passed away, refused from it. In addition, there are no other traditional things. For example, a corolla, which is a symbol of the tests sent by God (since he did not pass them), is not placed in the coffin. It is also not used to cover the body of the church bedspread, which is a symbol of patronage (which is impossible in this situation).
As we see, in the question of how the suicides are buried, the church is quite categorical and has a set of rules that it strictly follows.
Traditional remembrance of suicides in Orthodoxy
So, now we will consider the question of how to remember the suicides in Orthodoxy. As mentioned above, there is no traditional remembrance for them. It is impossible to offer church prayer for those who voluntarily passed away from life; requiem services do not serve on them. Remember that the prayer of St. mch. The Ouara ascends only for the unbaptized, but by no means for suicides.
However, there are special days - Ecumenical parental Saturdays (the day before the Holy Trinity), when all the dead are remembered. Of course, during the service, universal commemoration takes place, but even this will make suicides easier. After all, prayer is offered in a general way, everywhere for all souls who are in hell. This is what distinguishes parental Saturday. Therefore, if you have relatives among your relatives who have left their lives voluntarily, then on this day you need to pray with special zeal.
However, a relative of suicide should remember that such an act cannot be hidden. There were times when a request to pray for the repose of such a soul did not bring the desired effect. The Lord did not accept prayer. It was a sign that perhaps a person had died of his own free will.
Radonitsa - a special Orthodox holiday
Now let's take a closer look at what Radonitsa is. It falls on Tuesday of the second week after Easter. Therefore, it is impossible to say exactly what date Radonitsa, since this day will depend on when the Sunday will be. This day is also called parental. Naturally, it is different from what happens before the Great Trinity.
If we turn to the distant past, then this holiday dates back to pagan times. Only then it was called Navim day, Graves, Trizny. On this day, it was customary to rejoice in the fact that the souls of the dead gained a rebirth. According to ancient beliefs, it is believed that on this day the border between the world of the living and the dead is thinning. And that person who voluntarily passed away may be closer than you think. Therefore, when suicides are mentioned on Radonitsa, they do it very carefully, always after the blessing of the priest. However, the benefits of this action are undeniable. Although, of course, if you want to help your relative, who died in this way, you should perform a number of aggregate actions, which are described above.
It should also be noted that on this day is the commemoration of those who drowned and died unbaptized. So, now you know how much Radonitsa, on what day after Easter it falls.
Special Occasions in Remembrance
It should be noted that there are special exceptions when you can remember the suicides in the church. Priests may bury some of them. However, for this you should know for sure that a person committed this sin when he could not control himself because of mental ill health or severe insanity due to any events. Of course, all this must be confirmed by appropriate medical documents.
Before performing the funeral service, you should receive the blessing of the bishop, who is ruling at that time. He must give it in writing, and only after that do this action. If the decision was made independently without a higher permission, and the clergyman deviated from the rule when it is possible to remember the suicides, then he is punished. He may be prohibited from performing his duties for some time or even be deprived of his dignity.
How relatives can alleviate the fate of those who voluntarily passed away
If it happened in a family that someone from the family died of their own free will, then relatives should know how they remember the suicides. Of course, there can be no talk of any church commemoration, since this is prohibited. But relatives themselves can perform comforting prayers for them. They can be carried out in the days of remembrance. The clergy separately read this prayer service in the church in the presence of grieving relatives.
However, it should be remembered that it is not a memorial service. It can not be done near the coffin and funeral table. This is done only for relatives in comfort. It was specifically approved for such cases only in 2011, since the number of people who have deprived themselves of life is growing inexorably every year.
In addition to the above-described rank, there are also other rules on how to remember the suicide. So, there is a special private reading of the prayer of St. Elder Leo of Optina. Of course, before its implementation it is necessary to receive the blessing of the priest. But the most effective method that can help the dead of their own free will in the afterlife is alms and pious life of all relatives.
You can still make independent prayers both at home and in the temple. You can put candles in the temple for the repose of his soul, ask the Lord for mercy.
It is also advisable not to arrange universally accepted suicide commemoration on the third, ninth, fortieth day and a year from the date of death. This should not be done because the deceased on these special days goes through certain ordeals. Therefore, in order to facilitate his actions, one should pray more earnestly these days (rather than drink alcoholic beverages). However, those who arbitrarily passed away according to church canons immediately go to hell. Therefore, traditional commemoration does not make sense and can even harm the living. That is why you should refrain from them.
Controversial Suicides
When can I remember the suicides in the church? Throughout the history of Christianity, there have been quite controversial cases of voluntary withdrawal from life. For example, the martyr Domnina and her daughter. In order to protect their honor from reproach, not to defile their purity, they threw themselves into the sea and drowned. If you look at this case from a different angle, they committed suicide. However, in the name of what did they accept voluntary death? And this, of course, was not a decision that was pondered in advance.
And there are many such examples in the life of Christian martyrs. Many accepted death in the name of the Lord. Of course, the question may be asked whether this is correct? But there is no right answer. The Church does not classify as suicides those who have lost their lives in the name of her or God, as well as to save a large group of people. All this is considered self-sacrifice. However, where is the truth really? One cannot judge everything by human standards, for only the Lord knows the truth.
Black magic and the graves of suicides
Separately, it should be said about the graves of suicides. They are in special demand for black rituals, which are carried out by those who decided to connect their lives with witchcraft. Why are they so liked unclean? The fact is that, as mentioned above, the bodies of suicides do not funeral, the graves often do not have crosses, which creates fertile ground for creating various ritual objects. For many conspiracies, land taken from such a grave is used.
It is no coincidence that those who died voluntarily, at their own request, were not buried before in a common cemetery. And there wasn’t even a question about whether the suicides were remembered, since this was usually not done. It was such an unclean grave that attracted before (and now too) those who serve the Devil.
Conclusion
So our article came to the end, which talked about whether it is possible to remember the suicides. Of course, this is a terrible tragedy when a person for some reason cannot bear the burden of his worries and find a way out of this situation. Thus, the suicide refuses the intercession of the Lord, does not go his life's path to the end, no matter how difficult it may be. Of course, it is difficult, sometimes it seems that there is no way out, but this is not so. An appeal to God, pure and sincere prayer will help to find peace and calm the soul. Before you take a rash step and leave your life voluntarily, remember the Almighty, how he loves you. Do not forget that there will be no turning back, and your relatives will have to go through the suffering that you will doom to them with your own hands. Take care of yourself and your loved ones! Be strong!