Burial Customs (Teachings of the Orthodox Church) Christianity. Orthodoxy. Catholicism. Sense of life. Articles for Christians.
Don't be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear.                Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.                Consider the ravens: they don't sow, they don't reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds!                Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his height?                If then you aren't able to do even the least things, why are you anxious about the rest?                Consider the lilies, how they grow. They don't toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.                But if this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith?                Don't seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious.                For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need these things.                But seek God's Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you.               
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Burial Customs (Teachings of the Orthodox Church)
   

QUESTION:

I attended an Orthodox funeral Today. I noticed that the deceased person had a piece of paper on his forehead with lettering on it. The deceased person also had some type of prayer written on it. After the priest blessed and annointed the body, he folded up the paper prayer and put it in the deceased's left hand. What do these two customs mean during a funeral ceremony?

ANSWER:

The paper band on the forehead signifies a crown of glory or victory; just as a runner in the ancient Olympics received a crown of victory for completing the race successfully, so too the departed are crowned in victory for completing life's ourse. The lettering is usually the prayer, "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us."

The prayer written on the piece of paper you observed in the casket is knownas the "Prayer of Absolution." The priest reads this prayer at theend of the funeral service, during which he proclaims that the sins of the departedare forgiven.

These two customs are not universal among all Orthodox Christians, however. In some places, depending on the origins of the parish, they are observed; in others they are not. In every instance, however, the Prayer of Absolution is read, either from the separate sheet sometimes placed in the coffin or from the service book.






Published in January 2011.








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