Zadusnice (Subota 26. februar)

Na Zadusnice se posećuju i uredjuju grobovi naših dragih, obavlja se parastos ili pomen, osvećuje se žito, sveštenik prekadjuje i preliva vinom grob, pale se sveće za pokoj duša, a ako su nam srodnici sahranjeni daleko i nije moguće otići na groblje, onda se u crkvi služi pomen.

Najvažniji pomen za preminule je Proskomidija koja se služi na svakoj Svetoj Liturgiji. Za Proskomidiju je potreban hlepčić-prosfora. Prosfora znači prinos, prema običaju iz najranijih dana hrišćanstva, kada su hrišćani donosili (prinosili) hleb i vino za službu. Svaka prosfora ima na gornjoj strani kvadratni pečat sa krstom i slovima: IS HS NI KA, što na grčkom znači - Isus Hristos pobeđuje.

Prosfore se koriste po strogo utvrđenom kanonskom redu i čestice iz svake od njih imaju posebno mesto i namenu. Za spomen preminulih hrišćana, kada se njihova imena pominju pred Bogom Živim i Carstvom Nebeskim, vade se čestice iz pete prosfore. Tim liturgijskim pominjanjem: "U sklopu Svete Tajne Evharistije - Tajne spasenja sveta, preminulima se opraštaju gresi". Zato je najvažnije davati imena pokojnika, da se pominju u crkvi.

Pored ovih pominjanja i molitava za preminule, Crkva je ustanovila posebne dane kad se sećamo naših dragih pokojnika i obilazimo njihove grobove.

Zadušnice su dan za duše preminulih. Uvek padaju u subotu, jer je to i inače, u toku čitave godine, dan kad se sećamo preminulih. Na groblje i u crkvu se nosi kuvano žito - koljivo. Žito nas simvolično podseća na Hristove reči da zrno tek kad umre rod donosi, i to ne u zemnom mraku, nego u svetlosti sunca. Žito je simvol smrtnog tela i besmrtne duše u svetlosti Carstva nebeskog.

Crno vino, kojim sveštenik preliva žito, označava Božje milosrđe kojim se zalečuju rane greha.

Sveća je simvol svetlosti Hristove. On je rekao: "Ja sam svetlost svetu." Ta svetlost treba da nas podseti na svetlost kojom Hristos obasjava duše preminulih. Sveća je malena žrtva Bogu, koji se za nas žrtvovao.

Daće i podušja se ne daju da se "nahrani" pokojnik, odnosno, da duša njegova "jede", nego da se sirotinja nahrani i u molitvama pomene pokojnika.

Naš blazenoupokojeni Patrijarh Pavle stalno je govorio, savetovao i upozoravao da daće nikako ne smeju da budu gozbe sa mnogo skupocenih jela i pića. Umesto na nehrišćanske gozbe, novac treba da se upotrebi u plemenite svrhe i to prema mogućnostima. Koliko ko može, treba da pomogne nekoj siromašnoj porodici, izbeglicama, bolesnima ili siročadi. Patrijarh dalje kaže: "Nije li bolje i plemenitije svima da postupamo hrišćanski, nego da, ugledajući se na nerazumne postupke pojedinaca, prestupamo zapovesti svoje Crkve - zapovesti kojih su se naši preci sveto držali."

Na dan zadušnica se ide u crkvu, gde se služi Sveta Liturgija i parastos na kojem sveštenik vinom preliva žito, posle službe se ide do grobova pokojnika. Tamo se pale sveće, a sveštenik obavi kratki obred i okadi grobove.

Ako su naši pokojnici sahranjeni daleko i nije moguće otići na groblje, uvek može da se ode u crkvu, gde se odsluži pomen, a Gospod vidi i zna.

Na zadušnice se deli milostinja. Kako na grobljima tada ima najviše prosjaka, treba svakom udeliti po neki prilog, jer je bolje poći sa blagoslovom, nego da iza leđa prosjaci proklinju.

Postoji još jedan vid milostinje koji je kod nas zaboravljen: duhovna milostinja. Duhovna milostinja je prastanje bliznjima njihovih sagresenja ucinjenih prema nama, poklanjanje duhovnih knjiga, pomoci svetinju, utesiti bliznjeg koji pati i strada, reci lepu rec, ne osudjivati bliznje, ne zavideti i sve to ciniti za pokoj dusa nasih bliznjih, srodnika, prijatelja, neprijatelja....

Parastos u nasem hramu sv. apostola Tome, pocece u subotu 6. novembra u 16h00. Poneti ciniju kuvanog zita, spisak sa imenima pokojnika i prilog crkvi ili vino, ulje, brasno....

Memorial services in the Orthodox Church

We know from the Bible that the souls of the departed in Christ, after they are freed from the body, live in another world, beyond this world. However, where that world is, how the souls exist in it, what language they speak, etc. we do not know, although we are so curious for such knowledge.
It has not pleased God to reveal to us the secrets of the next world, and hence, His "holy men", the writers of the Bible (2 Pet 1:21), would not write by their own imagination to satisfy human curiosity; therefore, their writings bear the seriousness of Gods inspiration, and thereby absolute trustworthiness.

The life of the souls in the other world is described in the Bible in parables and characters, the descriptions of which are accepted by our Church as standing for realities (Luke 16:22; Matt 22:13; I Cor 13:12; Heb 12:22; Rev 2:10, 3:5, 21:8; etc). The souls of the departed, from their death to their Final Judgment, live in an intermediate state. In other words, if they had lived according to the will of God, their souls foretaste the Joys of Paradise; if they had deliberately set themselves against the will of God and their lives ended in sin and unrepentance, their souls foretaste the misery of Hell. Their Joy or punishment shall have its perfect realisation at the Last Judgement after the resurrection of the dead, when their nature will be restored to its integrity (John 5:29). In this intermediate state, the disembodied souls retain a conscious existence.

The term "sleep" used instead of death in the Orthodox Church, applies to the body rather than to the soul. We may rather expect a quickening of the spiritual powers of memory, thought and affection and an intensifying of their operations, when released from the burden of the flesh (Luke 16:22-25). The departed have not forgotten us, nor are they indifferent to us. Those who have pleased God with their holy life, the Saints, pray for us; the rest need our prayers; it is "a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they might be delivered from sin" (11 Maccabees 12:45).

The prayers for the departed are as ancient as the Christian Church. Prayers for a merciful Judgment at the Last Day, have the sanction of the early Liturgies, of which the first is that of St James, the Lord's brother. Although we read in the Bible that there are sins for which "there is no forgiveness, either in this world or in the world to come" (Matt 12:32), it is our brotherly duty and obligation to pray for the forgiveness of the departed.

Our prayers can help those who repented even shortly before their death; not those who committed suicide (or euthanasia) or those who of their own free will rejected the love of God and ignored His Justice to the end of their life. However, as we do not know what is going on in one's mind, while living or dying, we must pray for the souls of all departed. Therefore, our Church offers prayers for them at their funerals and burials and over their graves, but especially the Church offers the Bloodless Sacrifice for the repose of the departed.

For the same purpose, we perform the Memorial Services on the third, ninth and the 40th day, as well as on the anniversary of one's death and on the Saturday dedicated to the souls (Psychosavata), preparing boiled wheat (kollyva) for these Services. The kollyva represent the souls of the departed (John 12:24). At the end of the Liturgy, special hymns and prayers are offered over them for the repose of the departed. These memorial services cannot be replaced by donations or similar Pious acts. Our prayers for the souls of the departed are expressions of the brotherly unity of the living and the dead, aiming to influence the All-Merciful God to show mercy to them.