June 2, 2012

Elder Paisios: On General Prayers for the Dead


- Elder, the dead who do not have people to pray for them, are they helped by those who pray generally for the dead?

- Of course they are helped. When I pray for all the reposed, I see in my sleep my parents, because they are at rest by the prayers I do. Whenever I have a Divine Liturgy, I do a general memorial for all the reposed. If sometimes I do not pray for the reposed, the reposed who are known to me appear before me. One relative of mine, who was killed in the war, I saw in front of me after the Divine Liturgy, during the time of the Memorial Service, because I didn't have him written with the names of the reposed, since he was memorialized during the Proskomide with the other fallen heroes. And you also during the Holy Prothesis, do not only give the names of the sick, but also those of the reposed, because the reposed have great need.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos