There is no person who does not know that it is impossible to pray for the souls of people who commit suicide. Nor do they bury them in consecrated land, only behind the church fence. Of course, suicides are not buried in the temple. This is a well-known fact. But where did this rule come from? Indeed, neither in the Bible, nor in other ancient sacred texts there are references to whether it is possible to pray to the Lord for mercy to the soul of a suicidal person, or not. But in canonical texts it already exists and is one of the most well-known.
Who first spoke about the inadmissibility of commemoration of suicides?
Prayer for suicide was forbidden by Timothy of Alexandria, who lived in the IV century. This man was highly educated, intelligent, and zealous in serving the Lord.
Timothy of Alexandria participated in the Second Ecumenical Council, held in Constantinople. This man has struggled with Arianism all his life and has made great progress in this. He himself adhered to the doctrine of the single essence of the Holy Trinity.
In 380, this man was elected head of the Alexandrian Christian pulpit. From that moment on, he began to be referred to only as Timothy the First of Alexandria. He himself studied under Athanasius the Great and, of course, was his follower, like his brother, Peter of Alexandria.
Enjoyed authority during his lifetime and created many sacred texts recognized by the church as canonical, after his death this man was also surrounded by honor. He was canonized and revered in the rank of Saint. Day of reverence for Timothy of Alexandria - February 13.
How did this rule appear?
The Sixth Ecumenical Council approved, in the rank of canonical texts, known as the “Eighteen Answers on Moral Purity and Communion,” which belonged to Timofey of Alexandria. This was done by the second rule of the Council. The answers were not a treatise as such. However, it was precisely this work in those distant times that clergy often turned to when there were incomprehensible situations, difficulties, or ambiguous circumstances, finding explanations in the text.
Among these answers was a ban on prayers for the souls of suicides. However, the word "prohibition" is not the most appropriate definition. The texts were more likely to have an explanatory character, because they were answers to the most pressing questions arising from Christian ministers at the end of the 4th century. And their author was, although very respected, surrounded by honor and a fairly high priest, the head or leader of the church still was not.
Why did this rule arise?
Why is prayer for the repose of the souls of suicides considered a sin? For what reasons should these people not be buried? For what reasons did this belief arise? What guided the priests in asserting this rule? Similar questions invariably ask all those unfortunate people who happened to face suicide in the family or among relatives.
For what reasons, at the end of the fourth century, the head of the Alexandria department considered it inappropriate to burial of suicides and their burial near churches, it is now impossible to establish for certain. It is only known that this rule was directly related to those who rejected Christ and his Church, to those who fell away from the faith. In other words, it didn’t apply in any way to those who did not receive holy baptism or to pagans, Gentiles. The ban on the funeral service concerned only those who had lost their way and left the bosom of Christ.
Possibly, the prayer for suicide began to be considered by Timothy of Alexandria, and after him by other clergymen it was not entirely appropriate and even unacceptable in connection with Arianism and the dawn of other heresies.
Why is it impossible to worship the suicides and pray for their souls?
It is generally accepted that suicide is one of the most serious sins for a Christian. Probably everyone knows the saying: "God tolerated and commanded us." In this popular saying, the essence of what suicide is for the Christian is most accurately expressed.
A person who interrupts his life on his own intervenes in God's providence, in fact, rejects it. And what can be harder for a Christian than to reject from the Lord? Intervene in his craft and upset him? In fact, thereby putting oneself on a level with God, no less. In other words, those who consciously and independently pass away from life oppose God and his Church. The Lord does not send overwhelming trials to man - this is what clergymen think. Accordingly, nothing can justify such a sin as interrupting one’s own life.
Those who dare to act such as prayer for suicides seem to share this sin with the dead. According to numerous testimonies of spiritual ascetics, who dared to pray for mercy for the souls of people who have taken their own lives, after these actions an inexpressible spiritual burden is felt. It is as if an emptiness arises in the soul, which is filled with melancholy, despondency, and besides this, thoughts completely alien to nature appear, having prayed for a suicidal person. These thoughts may well be called demonic temptations. Prayer for suicide, according to descriptions of spiritual ascetics, leads to all this.
What are the rules today?
In recent years, it has been widely believed that the church allowed funeral services and prayers for suicides. But this is not at all true: the official position of the leaders of all, without any exception of Christian denominations, is one and the same - the prayer for the suicide in the church is not read, and the funeral service for such a person is not held.
However, there is a so-called "special rank." It is he who is the very “loophole” that is used in cases when it is necessary to pray for the soul of a suicidal person or to bury him in a Christian way.
Regarding the ban on prayers for suicides, it was never absolute. They always prayed for the souls of these people outside the temples and outside church service. The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church recalls this in his address to ministers and believers. This appeal, in general, gave rise to a rumor that church rules regarding suicides had changed. In fact, the act simply calls on the clergy not to be categorical and to support the relatives and friends of the deceased, teaching them comforting prayers.
What is a "special rank"?
A special rite is part of service, prayer, but not for the suicide, as people who are deeply grief and sincerely believers often misunderstand, but for them, that is, for the deceased's loved ones. This is what it is called - “The rite for the prayer consolation of relatives died without permission.” This is by no means a funeral service, much less a prayer for the soul of a suicidal person.
But this does not mean at all that, within the framework of a special rank, it is impossible to take the funeral of the deceased and to bury him in a Christian way. In Catholicism, this option has long been practiced, and in Orthodoxy it is more an exception than a rule, but still possible. However, the relatives of the deceased will have to show considerable humility and patience, meekness. The fact is that the church does not recognize the sin of suicide for those who were mentally ill. That is, you need to collect all possible medical certificates and come to the priest, and already with him, at the appointed time, go to an audience with the local church head. Often the issue of resolving the funeral service and commemoration is resolved difficultly and for a long time, sometimes even at the metropolitan level.
Before deciding to take such a step as obtaining a special rank, you need to try to abstract from grief and think whether there is a right to it. After all, church funeral and commemoration is not a magic spell, it is not something like a ticket to heaven. It is impossible to deceive the Lord, therefore, in most cases, it is preferable to still pray for the suicide, which is read at home.
What is a cell prayer?
Private prayer is carried out outside the church, outside the framework of church services. That is, if people, being at home, ask the Lord for mercy of the soul of suicides, this is a cell prayer for suicides.
Under this concept lies not only an independent appeal to the saints or to God himself. Thus, a priest, ascetic, and simply any caring pious person can pray for the soul of a suicide.
The most famous of all cell texts is the prayer of Leo Optinsky for suicide.
Who is Leo Optinsky?
In the world, this man was called Leo Danilovich Nagolkin. He lived at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Born in 1772, and rested in 1841. Although historians argue about the date of birth, many adhere to the version that this person was born in 1768.
Leo Danilovich lived a difficult life, which ended in the walls of Optina Desert. He was canonized in the status of the reverend, and during his life we are revered for extraordinary insight and numerous cases of miracles. This man is the founder of old age in the Optina Desert.
How did the prayer of Leo Optinsky
The prayer of Leo Optinsky for suicide arose due to a special case. The elder was known and respected, had a large number of students, and ordinary people often turned to him for guidance or advice.
Once a young man turned to an old man for help, being in a disconsolate state due to the suicide of his father. The name of this young man was Pavel Tambovtsev, and the story itself was documented in the chronicles of the monastery. Of course, the young man was interested in what prayer for a suicidal father should be and whether it is possible in principle, whether there is hope for the soul of the deceased.
The elder did not refuse the heartbroken youth for advice and help, explaining how to pray in such a situation and giving an example of the right words. This prayer became truly popular and spread without any church connivance.
How to read this prayer? Prayer text
There is no single, concrete answer to the question of which prayer to read for suicides. You can ask for God's mercy by reading excerpts from troparia, psalms, other texts, or simply praying in your own words.
The prayer, which was cited as an example, according to the legend that the young man of Optina addressed to him, in the modern version of reading sounds like this:
“Seek from me, Lord, for the soul of a dead slave (name of the deceased). Seek and have mercy, Lord. Inscrutable Your paths and indescribable intentions and destinies are unknown to us. Lord, do not put this prayer to you (my proper name) in sin. I give in to your mercy with hope. May Thy will be done at all. ”
In the instructions to those who need prayer for a suicidal husband, son, wife, daughter, or other close friend, the Optina old man advises to show humility and accept as an axiom the fact that the Lord loves the deceased disproportionately more than any of the people. Such confidence will give strength to the worshiper, strengthen his spirit and determination. It will allow to avoid heaviness in the soul and demonic temptations.
Who to pray for?
As a rule, a prayer for suicides - hanged, drowned or who have chosen a different path of death - is addressed directly to the Lord. This is not surprising, because no one but God will be able to forgive and accept the soul of a suicidal person.
However, besides the Lord himself, the archangel Michael also helps. Prayers to him for the souls of suicides arose because of wars, when people laid hands on themselves to avoid any terrible fate. There is a belief that on the night of the day of his veneration, from November 20 to 21, the archangel Michael lowers his wing into the blazing abyss of hell and frees the souls, cleansing them in the eyes of the Lord. It is believed that if you ask Michael for mercy that night, then the soul of the deceased will be saved and find peace.
Pray and the Blessed Virgin Mary. As a rule, inconsolable mothers and daughters of those who voluntarily passed away turn to her.
How to pray to the archangel Michael?
A prayer to Archangel Michael for suicide can be pronounced not only on the day of his veneration, but also at any other time. There are no strict canons prescribing special pronunciation rules for such house prayer. You can turn to the archangel using ready-made texts or praying “from the heart,” that is, in your own words.
The so-called mixed prayers are also well-known, in the texts of which a person does not turn to Michael, but to God, asking him that the archangel extract from the purgatory the soul of a murdered relative or just a close person.
An example of the text of such a prayer:
“Lord Almighty, All-Seeing and All-Merciful! Do not leave me (proper name) in grief. Lighten my terrible cross and don’t sin the prayer for your mercy for the soul of a slave (name of suicide). I did not know what God was doing, stayed in the dope of demonic thy servant (name of the suicide bomber). I pray you, Almighty, direct the great archangel, demons crushing, to save the soul of your servant (name of suicide) and to cleanse it from sin, wickedness and all kinds of filth. I trust in your strength and mercy, Lord, and pray for myself for comfort in my grief. I pray you, God, not to leave me alone with temptation. And to send the great archangel to save my soul from demonism and filth, to protect from the fall. I trust in your strength and mercy, abiding in your love. Do not leave, Lord, do not let the soul of your lost slave (name of the suicide bomber) disappear. Save my soul from perdition (proper name), do not allow sin, Lord. ”
Praying directly to the archangel may be:
“The great warrior of the Lord, Archangel Michael! I (my own name) appeal to you with humility in my soul and obedience to the will of the Lord. I beg you for compassion for my grief and mercy. Deliver, the great archangel, the soul of the servant of God (the name of the suicide bomber) from a terrible fate, from eternal perdition. Seek in the midst of the flames of hell, purify and present yourself before the throne of heaven. Do not leave, Michael, at the time of trial, intercede, free from the shackles of perdition, help find peace for the soul of the afflicted and lost ”.
Those Christians who have decided to pray for the soul of a man who has committed suicide are asking Michael and for the protection of their soul.
Praying for help for oneself in avoiding demonic attacks is necessary just before reading the text for the soul of a suicide. In addition, you should definitely visit the temple and pray for the protection of your soul in front of the image of the archangel daily.