Thoughts while reading the Psalter Ps. 1. Prosperity in everything and the bliss of pious people and the misfortune of the wicked are described. A godly person is like a fruitful tree by the flow of water, but the wicked are like dust swept from the earth by the wind. Ps. 2. Prophecy about the Messiah. Ps. 4, art.

Continued reading from the Psalter Ps.77. How wonderful God is in His works! Here He (v. 13 ff.) opens the sea and leads His sons through the dry land: imagine the waters like fur: the waves rose and fell, and meanwhile, as the wall thickened, both floors were water (like fur). Guides them with a cloud in

The significance of the Psalter for Divine Services The Psalter contains many reflections, appeals to one’s soul, many instructions and words of consolation. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Psalter is used extremely widely in prayer. Not a single divine service, since Old Testament times, is without

479. How to remember parents who died in sectarianism. The state of the souls of dead sinners. About purgatory and ordeals A letter to a doubter about the received resolution of sins. The mercy of God be with you! I was slow in answering you. Please excuse me. You ask how to remember the dead in

In the Orthodox Church there is a good custom of continuous reading of the Psalter over the body of the deceased (except for the time when memorial services or funeral lithiums are performed at the grave) before his burial and in memory after his burial.
The reading of the Psalter for the dead has its origins in the most distant antiquity. Serving as a prayer to the Lord for the dead, it brings them great consolation both in itself, as reading the word of God, and as testifying to the love of their living brothers for them. It also brings them great benefit, for it is accepted by the Lord as a pleasant propitiatory sacrifice for the cleansing of the sins of those remembered - just as every prayer and every good deed is accepted by Him.

The reading of the Psalter begins at the end of the “Following the Exodus of the Soul.” The Psalms should be read with tenderness and contrition of heart, slowly, and carefully delving into what is being read. The greatest benefit comes from reading the Psalms by those who commemorate them: it testifies to the great degree of love and zeal for those commemorated by their living brethren, who themselves personally want to work in their memory, and not replace themselves in work with others. The Lord will accept the feat of reading not only as a sacrifice for those commemorated, but as a sacrifice for those who bring it, who work in reading. Any pious believer who has the skills to read accurately can read the Psalter.
The position of the reader of the Psalter is the position of the one praying. Therefore, it is more fitting for the reader of the Psalter to stand as a person praying (at the feet of the tomb of the deceased), unless a particular extreme forces him to sit down. Negligence in this matter, as in the observance of other pious customs, is offensive both to the sacred rite, blessed by the Holy Church, and to the word of God, which, if carelessly, is read as if in conflict with the intention and feeling of the praying Christian.
When reading the word of God over the body of the deceased, relatives and friends of the deceased should be present. If it is impossible and not always convenient for family and relatives to continuously participate in prayer and reading the Psalter, then, at least from time to time, they need to join the prayer of the reader with their prayer; It is especially appropriate to do this while reading the funeral prayer between psalms.
In the Apostolic decrees it is commanded to perform psalmody, readings and prayers for the departed on the third, ninth and fortieth day. But mainly the custom has been established of reading psalms for the departed for three days or all forty days. The three-day reading of the Psalter with prayers, which constitute a special burial rite, for the most part coincides with the time during which the body of the deceased remains in the house.

The Psalter consists of 20 sections - kathisma, each of which is divided into three "Glories". Before reading the first kathisma, the initial prayers are said before starting the reading of the Psalter. At the end of the reading of the Psalter, prayers are said after reading several kathismas or the entire Psalter. The reading of each kathisma begins with a prayer:

Come, let us worship our King God.

Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God.

Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God.

(When reading the kathisma for each “Glory” (which reads as “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, And now and ever and unto ages of ages Amen”) it is said:

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, glory to Thee, O God! (three times)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

(Then the prayer petition for the deceased is read “Remember, O Lord our God...”, located at the end of the “Following the Exodus of the Soul”, and the name of the deceased is remembered on it with the addition (until the fortieth day from the day of death) of the words “newly deceased”):

Remember, O Lord our God, in the faith and hope of the eternal life of Your departed servant, our brother [name], and as Good and Lover of mankind, forgiving sins and consuming untruths, weaken, forsake and forgive all his voluntary and involuntary sins, deliver him from eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna, and grant him the communion and enjoyment of Your eternal good things, prepared for those who love You: even if you sin, do not depart from You, and undoubtedly in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, God glorified by You in the Trinity, faith, and Unity in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, Orthodox even to his last breath of confession. Be merciful to him, and faith, even in You instead of deeds, and with Your saints, as You give generous rest: for there is no man who will live and not sin. But You are the One besides all sin, and Your righteousness is righteousness forever, and You are the One God of mercies and generosity, and love for mankind, and to You we send glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Then the reading of the psalms of kathisma continues.) At the end of the kathisma it reads:

Trisagion

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.(Read three times, with the sign of the cross and bow from the waist.)

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.

Lord have mercy. (three times);

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen

Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

Tropari

(found at the beginning of “Sequence on the Exodus of the Soul”)

From the spirits of the righteous who have passed away, give rest to the soul of Your servant, O Savior, preserving it in the blessed life that belongs to You, O Lover of Mankind.

In Thy chamber, O Lord: where all Thy saints rest, give rest also to the soul of Thy servant, for Thou art the only Lover of mankind.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit:

You are God, Who descended into hell and loosed the bonds of the bound, May You Himself and the soul of Your servant give rest

And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

One Pure and Immaculate Virgin, who gave birth to God without a seed, pray for the salvation of his soul.

Lord have mercy (40 times)

(Then the prayer prescribed at the end of kathisma is read.) ..

For every Christian believer, reading the Psalter for the dead is a tribute to those who have left this world. According to tradition, the Psalter is read continuously over the body of the deceased from the moment of his death until burial.

The Psalter is a book that is part of the Holy Scriptures. There are only 150 psalms. Most of them were written by the biblical King David, the rest are from the pen of other ancient Israeli rulers.

What is kathisma?

The Psalter itself is divided into twenty chapters or kathismas. Kathismas represent several psalms (usually three or four) collected together, separated by three “Glories”. In other words, after reading, for example, two psalms, the reader encounters the word “Glory” in the text. This means that in this place one should say: “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” then other prayers are read sequentially and at the end it is said, “And now, and ever, and unto ages of ages.” Amen".

The famous Bishop Athanasius believed that while reading the Psalter for the deceased, after each “Glory” and “Now,” a special funeral prayer should be said and five prostrations should be made. Before and after reading the Psalter for the dead, it is necessary to read the funeral Canon.

Divided into kathismas, the Psalter is much easier to read, and the reading of the book itself can last only five hours. It is advisable to read the Psalter for the dead continuously, especially before burial. This can be done by close people of the deceased, those who are able to do this.

The text itself conveys a person’s hope for God’s mercy. Thoughtful reading and listening to the Psalter comforts loved ones and relatives of the deceased.

It is not only permitted, but also encouraged to read the Psalter for the departed for up to 40 days. It is often practiced to read the Psalter forty days before the date of death, and then repeat the reading for another forty days. As a result, eighty days pass.

Seventeenth Kathisma

This book has long been included among the liturgical books, since almost half of the text of the All-Night Vigil and Liturgy service consists of excerpts from it. The Psalter for the Dead can be read while sitting, but not lying down. The Holy Fathers believe that prayers said without straining the body do not bear worthy fruits. Only sick and infirm people are allowed to read the Psalter, Gospel, and so on while lying down.

People who are far from the church, but who want to become real believers in the future, often ask: what Psalter is read for the dead at home? Indeed, it happens that clergy give their blessing to read not the entire Psalter, but only its kathisma. This is the seventeenth kathisma. She was chosen because the content of the Divine text is most suitable for expressing the feelings of the deceased himself.

The seventeenth kathisma is not only the longest of all, but also the most beautiful. The reader has the difficult and honorable responsibility to remember the deceased, to work for him before God, which is why the Psalter, read for the deceased, brings great benefit to the soul of the one who reads it.

How did the tradition of commemorating the dead come about?

The story after which the tradition of commemorating the dead appeared is recorded in the Old Testament, in the second book of Maccabees. After Abraham showed deep devotion to God, the Almighty promised the Jewish people that they would emerge victorious in all wars, even if the number of enemies was several times greater, but only if they kept His Covenant.

Indeed, as long as the people kept the Divine covenant written on the tablets, no one could defeat them in battle. However, the Old Testament military leader Judas once suffered a crushing defeat on the battlefield. This happened for the first time and the remaining soldiers, led by the military leader, were at a loss, realizing that the Almighty had refused His word. The alarmed warriors decided to examine the bodies of their dead friends in order to send some of their clothes to their relatives and friends. On some they found pagan amulets and other signs of idol worship. This opened their eyes to the wrath of God.

Judas gathered the surviving soldiers, and they all stood up for prayer, having first thanked the Creator for not hiding the truth from them. In their appeal to God, the pious soldiers asked for forgiveness for the dead brothers who had departed from His covenant. The Lord accepted their prayer and highly appreciated Judas’s deed.

There are several other Old Testament stories in which ancient people showed concern for the dead.

Why should you read the Psalter?

Even before the Lord Jesus Christ revealed himself to people and before the appearance of the New Testament, Old Testament pious people read the Psalter. who wrote it was a humble man with a meek heart, which was unusual in those cruel times.

Through his psalms or, in modern language, songs, he showed the highest qualities of man, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. A collection of psalms, read for the soul of the deceased, protects it from persecuted evil spirits.

How to read the Psalter?

Usually they read it, which causes some bewilderment and inconvenience. The reader may not fully understand the meaning of words and expressions. There are two opinions on this matter.

Another opinion is a thoughtful reading of the psalms, with incomprehensible words written out and translated into Russian.

Of course, conscious reading is a priority, but the first option is also acceptable. If you wish, you can find explanations for the collection of psalms both on the Internet and in books devoted to this topic, of which there are many in church shops.

It is useful to study the Holy Scriptures, both the New Testament and the Old Testament. The fiftieth psalm, most often used during Divine services, has its own explanation, which can be found in the Second Book of Kings. David wrote this repentant psalm in severe contrition, so it is useful to know it by heart for the repentance of the soul.

If the Psalter is read in front of the coffin of the deceased, then the reader should stand at his feet with a burning candle. When reading, the words of Scripture must be pronounced with reverence, since words spoken carelessly are an insult to both the sacred rite and the Word of God.

The Psalter is a book included in the corpus of Holy Scripture of the Old Testament. It contains 150 psalms (hence the corresponding name), which are prayers to the Lord. The author is considered to be King David, but some prayers were compiled by other rulers of ancient Israel.

The Psalter was widely used for use back in apostolic times. Since ancient times in Rus', this Old Testament book has been used as a prayer book both at divine services and in home prayer. Currently, the Church's services also include prayers from the psalter.

In Orthodox culture there is a pious tradition of reading the psalter in memory of them. The entire Old Testament book is divided into twenty kathismas, its complete reading can take up to five hours, so prayer for the deceased with the help of this book is a special work of living people in memory of the deceased. The reading of the psalter is performed both for the laity and for the deacons and monks. Any pious Christian can read.

It is customary to read before burying the deceased. It is desirable that the prayers last continuously, but in the absence of such an opportunity, you can read at least several kathismas a day or change readers. The prayers of the psalter trace a person’s hope for God’s mercy; the sacred texts console the loved ones and relatives of the deceased person.

The Psalter can be read for forty days after death, with special attention paid to the days of remembrance: the ninth and fortieth. In addition, the psalter for the dead can be read on anniversaries of death or on any other day, because prayers to the Lord for the forgiveness of the sins of the dead can be offered by a Christian at any time.

The order for the deceased is simple. In the prayer books, before reading the psalter, there are special opening prayers, after which “Come, let us worship” and the text of the kathisma are read. All kathismas are divided into three “Glories”. A special feature of reading the psalter for the dead is the addition of a special funeral prayer for each “slavnik”. Thus, when the reader sees the inscription “Glory” in the text of the kathisma, it should be read as follows:

After this, the reading of psalms from the kathisma continues. There is a practice according to which, after the funeral prayer, the Mother of God prayer is said, “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary.” On the last third “Glory” only “Glory” “And now” is pronounced, three times “Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia glory to Thee, O God” and a prayer for the deceased. After this, the trisagion according to the Our Father is read, special troparia written at the end of the kathisma, as well as a specific prayer.

The beginning of each new kathisma is again accompanied by the reading “Come, let us worship”:

At the end of the reading of the psalter or several kathismas, there are special prayers published in the prayer book “after reading the Psalter or several kathismas.”

It is worth especially noting that if a person does not have the opportunity to read the psalter for the departed in full, one should at least work on reading the 17th kathisma, since it is this part of the psalter that is read at the funeral service (used during the prayer for the remembrance of the departed).

The position of the person praying when reading the psalter should be standing. Other people can sit during prayer if they experience physical weakness.

If the psalter is read in front of the coffin of the deceased, then the reader stands before the feet of the deceased. When reading the psalter, it is customary to light candles or a lamp in front of the icons. While reading the psalter, you must fully concentrate on prayer and turn to the Lord with humility, reverence and pious attention to the sacred texts.

We continue the theme of remembering loved ones. The loss is especially difficult because it seems irreversible. But as Christians, people must remember that there is an unseen world where souls will meet in due time. In the meantime, prayers must be read for the deceased - there is a special procedure for up to 40 days.

What to read

To better understand the meaning of memorial actions, one must understand what exactly happens to the soul of a deceased person after his death. It is believed that until 40 days his future is not yet determined. That is why prayer during this period should be intensified. After all, beyond the line that is crossed after the soul separates from the body, a person can no longer influence his future and has no opportunity to repent. All this must be done during the earthly journey. Relatives can help, and in this way they develop their spirituality.

The first step is to order the following prayers for the deceased:

• At home, the Canon for the same deceased is read - daily, only up to 40 days.
• funeral service;
• proskomedia (sorokoust) - can be served immediately, no need to wait 3 days;
• the indefatigable Psalter.

All this is done immediately after death, but in any case before 40 days. The priest must be brought to the house for the funeral service, or the body of the deceased must be delivered to the temple. Previously, he was left in the church at night, one of his relatives read psalms all night. For up to 3 days, the deceased is still near the body. Therefore, you should not be too upset or cry, so as not to detain your soul.

• The frequency for most prayers is arbitrary; the more, the better. Only the funeral service is held once. You can order everything else for any period of time.
• Until 40 days, a deceased person is called newly deceased, then - deceased.

The best way to help in such a situation is to read prayers. Of course, there are numerous distractions, but only communication with the Lord can give peace to the soul. In the Orthodox denomination, they care very much about the deceased members of the church. They are considered alive, therefore they are remembered during the main service - the Liturgy. In it, a bloodless sacrifice is made to God, including for those who have already passed from life to death. According to the teachings of the church, these people are waiting for the general resurrection and judgment.

Orthodox traditions

Already the first Christians realized the importance of the period that lasts up to 40 days after death. The first permissive (farewell) prayers are attributed to Theodosius of Pechersk; today they are accepted to be placed in the hand of the deceased. The famous John of Damascus wrote many poems (stichera), which today are included in the funeral service. There is also a special rite that is read directly over the dying person.

If the death is not sudden, you should definitely invite a priest! He will conduct confession, communion, and read the necessary prayers specifically for this occasion. The soul needs this in order to more easily enter a new world.

For 40 days, relatives of the deceased should read the Psalter every day, you can choose, but usually this is the 17th kathisma. You need to print out the version with accents and Russian font. In the prayers that alternate with the Psalms, the necessary name is substituted.

• The condition for church commemoration is the fact that the deceased was baptized in the Orthodox Church. Even if he was not a church member, notes should be accepted. It is believed that before the general judgment, everyone has a chance for God's mercy.
• It is forbidden to submit notes for suicides. But you can light candles and pray for them at home.

For funeral services, a special set is sold in church shops; you need to purchase it. The priest, as a rule, needs to be delivered. Judge for yourself whether it is convenient to travel on the subway in vestments, with a censer, and how long it will take, because the priest is needed in more than one place. Not only relatives can read prayers for the deceased. It is not for nothing that it is customary to give alms for the deceased. The beggars should be called by name and asked for their prayers. The more there are, the better.

Often people who stand directly on the porch of a church building have the blessing of the rector for this. They really have a dire need and realize the importance of such prayers. Those behind the gate may turn out to be only annoying beggars, but they cannot be denied alms.

No one can look into a person’s heart except the Lord; what if your alms change someone’s soul? And the person will pray for your deceased dad (grandfather, brother) for the rest of his life, and not just up to 40 days. Don't pass by.

What to read on your own

Even in such, or better yet, especially in such a difficult situation, one should adhere to ordinary prayers. Also at home, special attention should be paid to texts from the Psalter. The apostles also advised them to accompany the souls of dead Christians into eternity. The Word of God is that living water that will give peace to the deceased and will have a beneficial effect on those who remain on earth.

It may be difficult to read the entire kathisma - you can agree with someone and read it at the same time (each in his own house) or in turn. The main thing is that the prayer sounds. The Lord accepts her as a sacrifice pleasing to Himself more than hard coin. He needs soul, diligence, not money. The same can be said about the deceased, who travels for 40 days both to the heavenly abodes and to hell. Imagine what it's like for him there. And prayer is like a fresh breeze that lifts you up.

Which psalm to read is not so important, the main thing is to put all your best wishes and feelings towards the deceased, to forgive him all the insults from the heart. After all, those who are still alive will not remain here forever. Through the prayers of the saints, may our father have mercy and save our departed parents, brothers and loved ones!

Prayer for the deceased up to 40 days - read the text

Remember, O Lord our God, in faith and hope the eternal life of Your newly departed servant (or Your handmaid), namename , and as he is good and a lover of mankind, forgiving sins and consuming iniquities, weaken, forsake and forgive all his voluntary and involuntary sins, raising him up at Thy holy second coming to partake of Thy eternal blessings, for the sake of which there is only faith in Thee, the true God and Lover of Mankind. For You are the resurrection and the life and the rest of Your servant, named Christ our God. And we send glory to You, with Your beginningless Father and with the Most Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages, Amen.

Prayer for the deceased up to 40 days - text was last modified: July 8th, 2017 by Bogolub

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