Recently, (Holy Tuesday, in fact) one of my good friends died. He was 17, and the nicest guy. Unfortunately, not only was he not Orthodox, but the verdict was that he killed himslef. THis came as a huge shock to me, because he just wasn't like that. But now I'm in confusion as to eactly how I should or can pray for him. I know not in church, but at home I can remember him in some way, surely? Also, if anyone else will at least remember him or do whatever they can, please do, because I know he at least regretted it before he died.
non-orthodox death
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bogoliubtsy
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sashaedwardovna
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I am very sorry to hear about this, and he will be in all of my prayers.
I am wondering though, why can you only pray for him privately at home? I mean I know that only Orthodox Christians can be mentioned during the Divine Liturgy, but surely can't you say a silent prayer for this friend of yours in church?
Last edited by Ben Jamin on Tue 20 April 2004 10:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Anastasios
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That non-Orthodox are not commemorated at Church is a principle, yet one that has enjoyed exceptions since the earliest times. It seems that the early Christians prayed for the emperor, who was pagan, in their liturgy, for instance.
That's beside the point though, because no one is asking for a debate about whether he should be prayed for in Church. The issue is that he committed suicide. Thankfully, we now know that suicide is usually the result of a severe mental imbalance, which certainly takes away much if not all of the guilt associated with the sin of self-murder. Because of this, there is hope that your friend may be saved by the Lord Jesus Christ and a reason therefore to pray fervently for him. I am doing this now, and I also am praying for you so that you will be consoled in your loss.
anastasios
Disclaimer: Many older posts were made before my baptism and thus may not reflect an Orthodox point of view.
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anastasios wrote:That non-Orthodox are not commemorated at Church is a principle, yet one that has enjoyed exceptions since the earliest times. It seems that the early Christians prayed for the emperor, who was pagan, in their liturgy, for instance.
anastasios
Good point, Anastasios! We still commemorate (at least in some Litanies) the President and civil authorities most of which definately not Orthodox.