The Holy Martyr Nestor (305); Nestor, writer of the first Chronicle of Rus’ (1114); the Holy Martyr Capitolina and Her Slave Erotheides
Colossians 2:20-3:3; Luke 9:23-27
Read Colossians 2:20-3:3
In our liturgical tradition, one of the most beautiful yet often overlooked and forgotten services is the Funeral Service or the Order of Burial. One of the constant themes of the service is found in our epistle reading today when St. Paul tells the Colossians “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (3:2 ESV).
The Order of Burial returns to this theme again and again, especially in the stitchera of St. John Damascene, reminding us that our desired destination and home is heaven with our Lord and that the things of the earth are fleeting and temporary.
Although we live in the world and require the necessities of the world to sustain our earthly lives, these necessities cannot be an end in themselves. The end is heaven and the things of the earth are given to us as a means in this life. We live this temporal life with an eye to eternal life together with Christ.