". . . Do Thou Thyself, O Master of all things, our God and Saviour, Thou Hope of all the ends of the earth and of them that be far off at sea, . . . Who on this all-perfect and saving Feast [of Pentecost] hast vouchsafed to accept the supplicatory prayers of forgiveness [(ἱλασμοὺς ἱκεσίους)] for them that are held in Hades [(ὑπὲρ τῶν κατεχομένων ἐν ᾍδῃ)]; Who grantest us great hope that unto the departed held in the bondage of grief [(τοῖς κατοιχομένοις τῶν κατεχόντων αὐτοὺς ἀνιαρῶν)], there be sent from Thee rest and refreshment: Hearken unto us, the lowly and the wretched, who pray unto Thee, and grant rest unto the souls of Thy servants that have fallen asleep before us [(τῶν δούλων σου τῶν προκεκοιμημένων)], in a place of light, a place of verdure, in a place of refreshment, where all pain, sorrow, and sighing are fled away; and establish their spirits in the tabernacles of the righteous, and vouchsafe unto them peace and rest; for it is not the dead that shall praise Thee, O Lord, nor shall they that are in Hades dare to offer thanks unto Thee, but we the living, bless and entreat Thee, and offer unto Thee reconciliatory prayers and sacrifices [(τὰς ἱλαστηρίους εὐχὰς και θυσὶας)] in behalf of their souls. . . ."
Service of kneeling (Vespers, Sunday of Pentecost), The Pentecostarion, translated from the Greek by the Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Boston, MA, 1990), 424. But is this really a prayer for unbelievers-in-life, the reference to Hades constituting a prayer upon which "no limits are placed"? ODCC, 4th ed. (2022), sv Dead, Prayers for the: "In the E. Church no limits are placed on such prayer. In the liturgy of Chrysostom, the eucharistic sacrifice is offered for (ὑπέρ) the saints and martyrs, and there is authority for praying for those 'bound in Hades' (Service of Kneeling, Pentecostarion [(πεντηκοστάριον χαρμόσυνον)] (Rome, 1883), 414; (Athens, 1959), 212) and for pagans (cf. Apophthegmata Patrum, Makarios, 38[, below]). In the W. prayer for the dead was closely connected with the development of the doctrine of purgatory; gradually such prayer was limited to prayer for the ‘holy souls’, i.e. the souls in purgatory. The W. Church does not pray for the martyrs, because they are believed to be in full possession of beatitude immediately after death, a refusal later extended to all canonized saints. Nor, it is held, can the damned, i.e. those who have died in unrepented mortal sin, be assisted by our prayers, though who they are is known to God alone"; sv Purgatory: "The E. Church came to admit of an intermediate state, but refrained from defining it so as not to blur" ['the clear-cut alternative fates of heaven and hell']; it combined with this doctrine a firm belief in the efficacy of prayer for the dead, which was a constant feature of both E. and W. liturgies. Such prayer is held to be unintelligible without belief in some interim state in which the dead might benefit."
"Abba Macarius said, 'Walking in the desert one day, I found the skull of a dead man, lying on the ground. As I was moving it with my stick, the skull spoke to me. I said to it, "Who are you?" The skull replied, "I was high priest of the idols and of the pagans who dwelt in this place; but you are Macarius, the Spirit-bearer. Whenever you take pity on those who are in torments, and pray for them, they feel a little respite."' The old man said to him, 'What is this alleviation, and what is this torment?' He said to him, 'As far as the sky is removed from the earth, so great is the fire beneath us; we are ourselves standing in the midst of the fire, from the feet up to the head. It is not possible to see anyone face to face, but the face of one is fixed to the back of another. Yet when you pray for us, each of us can see the other’s face a little. Such is our respite.' The old man in tears said, 'Alas the day when that man was born!' He said to the skull, 'Are there any punishments which are more painful than this?' The skull said to him, 'There is a more grievous punishment down below us.' The old man said, 'Who are the people down there?' The skull said to him: 'We have received a little mercy since we did not know God, but those who know God and denied Him are down below us.' Then, picking up the skull, the old man buried it."
Sayings of the Desert Fathers, alphabetical collection, Marcarius 38, trans. Benedicta Ward.
"Abba Macarius said, 'Walking in the desert one day, I found the skull of a dead man, lying on the ground. As I was moving it with my stick, the skull spoke to me. I said to it, "Who are you?" The skull replied, "I was high priest of the idols and of the pagans who dwelt in this place; but you are Macarius, the Spirit-bearer. Whenever you take pity on those who are in torments, and pray for them, they feel a little respite."' The old man said to him, 'What is this alleviation, and what is this torment?' He said to him, 'As far as the sky is removed from the earth, so great is the fire beneath us; we are ourselves standing in the midst of the fire, from the feet up to the head. It is not possible to see anyone face to face, but the face of one is fixed to the back of another. Yet when you pray for us, each of us can see the other’s face a little. Such is our respite.' The old man in tears said, 'Alas the day when that man was born!' He said to the skull, 'Are there any punishments which are more painful than this?' The skull said to him, 'There is a more grievous punishment down below us.' The old man said, 'Who are the people down there?' The skull said to him: 'We have received a little mercy since we did not know God, but those who know God and denied Him are down below us.' Then, picking up the skull, the old man buried it."
Sayings of the Desert Fathers, alphabetical collection, Marcarius 38, trans. Benedicta Ward.
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