by Brent Kostyniuk
As adherents to Byzantine tradition, Ukrainian Catholics place great emphasis on commemorating relatives and friends who have passed from this life. We pray their memory will be eternal, both on this earth and in God’s love.
We do this in a variety of ways beginning with the moment of a loved one’s death. Christ Our Pascha, the catechism of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, guides us in this manner.
At death, a person leaves this world and stands before God. For a worthy encounter with the Lord, the deceased needs the prayerful support of the living, as well as the intercession of the most holy Mother of God, their guardian angel, and of all the saints. (Christ Our Pascha, 519.)
Later, in funeral and memorial services, we ask God to forgive the deceased of all their sins and “to grant their souls ‘repose in the land of the living, in the place of light, where all the saints and righteous have their rest.’ For this the Church also makes ‘atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin’ (2 Mc 12:45).” (Christ Our Pascha, 510.)
Even as we pray for the dead, it is important to understand why we are doing so. In his book, Orthodox Christian Beliefs, Stanley Harakas explains the motivation for these prayers is based on our understanding of the nature of sin and forgiveness. In Eastern theology, sin is not so much seen as a violation of divine law, as a broken relationship with God. We mend this relationship by repenting wholeheartedly and calling upon God’s mercy for forgiveness. “If that repentance is genuine and sincere, then God forgives our sin,” explains Harakas. “All of it. There is nothing left for us to do, other than make restitution to someone we may have harmed, not as ‘punishment,’ but as an expression of our true repentance. When we repent of our sins, we are fully cleansed. No punishments are required or demanded.” Hence, the concept of purgatory does not exist in Eastern theology.
Then why do Eastern Christians pray for the dead? Once again, Stanley Harakas explains that we “pray for the souls of the dead, imploring God to be merciful to them. It is not a question of guarantees, or being punished or relieving punishment. It is an appeal to the love and compassion of God. We appeal to His kindness, compassion and tender mercies for the departed. The rest is up to God.”
Ukrainian Catholics, and many others, view death in the light of Christ’s victory over death in his Resurrection. This is expressed in a special way when a funeral occurs during the Paschal season and the troparion of Pascha is sung over the deceased: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs giving life.” The joy of Christ’s Resurrection is the divine answer to the sorrow of a person’s death (Christ Our Pascha, 511). Outside of Easter season, the haunting strains of the traditional Ukrainian lament, Vichnaya Pamyat’, will be heard. “May your memory be eternal. With the saints grant rest, O Christ, eternal memory.”
This explains why the Eastern Christian prays for the dead. It does not convey the spirit in which those prayers might be said, or when the departed might be remembered. Also, during the Paschal season, we have a wonderful tradition of commemorating those who have passed from this life to the next—blessing of graves. Relatives and friends, along with clergy, gather at the cemetery to celebrate the Panakhyda service. Following this the priest will walk to each spot where people have gathered at the grave of a loved one. The grave is blessed and the Paschal troparion is sung.
Remarkably, blessing of the graves can often be a very festive event, particularly in rural parishes. Here, people often travel great distances to take part in the services. As well as a time to commemorate deceased loved ones, it is also a time to renew friendships. It may be the one time during the year when an older generation visit their “home” parish; the one they knew as children. It could also be a time for a younger generation to become acquainted with a parish known only to their ancestors. If there is an active parish hall adjacent to the cemetery, a great country meal will be served. If the cemetery is not associated with a parish church, or if the church no longer exists, a priest may still come to celebrate a panakhyda and bless graves. In this case, each family will bring its own food, and have a picnic near the grave, joyfully remembering the departed, and in a mystical way, once again making that person part of a shared meal.
In so many ways, we strive to keep our loved ones memory eternal. Vichnaya Pamyat!
