All Souls Saturday; Our Venerable Father Parthenius, Bishop of Lampsacus; Blessed Hieromartyr Petro Verhun, presbyter.
1 Corinthians 10:23-28; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Luke 21:8-9, 25-27, 33-36; John 5:24-30.
Read John 5:24-30
Today the Eastern Church gathers for the first ‘All Souls Saturday’ and we contemplate not the end and our utter dependence on the only stable and permanent reality: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”(Luke 21:33). The passing of this world places every human life under judgment; this is a certainty that we will all face, and it is precisely in this light that the Church prays for the departed with faith in God’s justice and mercy.
Prayer for the dead is rooted in the conviction that the communion of the Church does not end at death. St. John Chrysostom writes plainly: “Let us help and commemorate them. If Job’s sons were purified by their father’s sacrifice, why should we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation?” (Homilies on First Corinthians, Homily 41; PG 61:361). Likewise, St. Cyril of Jerusalem teaches: “We pray for the holy fathers and bishops who have fallen asleep, and for all who have died among us, believing that this will be of the greatest help to the souls for whom the supplication is offered.” (Mystagogical Catechesis 5.9; PG 33:1116).
Such prayer is an act of spiritual mercy, which Christians with compassion are called to practice. The living still struggle, the departed await the fullness of the Kingdom, and Christ alone is Judge. All Souls Saturdays remind us that the end of this age is certain and is coming to an end. We are all part of this movement and are very much connected and dependent on each other. What we ask for the departed today, we ourselves will one day depend upon.