Fate of Man After Death
Death is the inevitable end of all organic life on earth, including human life. A man's death, however, is not the annihilation of his identity, but only the destruction of his physical shell. The words: "For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:19) refer to the human body. The soul of a person, as that which carries within itself the image and likeness of the Creator, is eternal: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it" (Eccl. 12:7). After its separation from the body, the soul continues to think, feel and act, but in another state of existence, one unlike our material world.
What, then, happens to a man's soul after its separation from the body? Man is given life in order to learn how to believe, to do good, and to develop his talents. All of these things make up his spiritual riches, or, in the words of the Saviour, his "treasure in heaven." The Orthodox Church teaches that while a person lives, God gives him the chance to repent and correct his shortcomings. After death, the possibility of repentance is removed, but the prayers of believing people for the dead always benefit them. If they were not deemed worthy of heaven, these prayers alleviate their fate beyond the grave, and if they are in paradise, these prayers give them joy and an increase of light.
It is the custom of the Orthodox Church that a Panikhida (or memorial service) be celebrated prior to burial, on the 9th and 40th days after death and, if requested, each year on the anniversary of death. Each person who attends lights a candle and stands in prayer during the celebration, remembering the person who has died and praying to God on the occasion of their passage from this world into life eternal.
Let us each pray that the departed be received by God, in a place where there is no sickness, sorrow or mourning, but life everlasting!!!
