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Soul Saturday
Catechism in the Home – “Stewardship of Faithful Goodworks”
In fact there are four Soul Saturdays and they are:
The Saturday before Meatfare Sunday, known among the people as Soul Saturday of Winter;
The Saturday before Pentecost, known among the people as Soul Saturday of Summer;
The Saturday before St. Demetrios’ Day, known among the people as Soul Saturday of Autumn;
The Saturday before St. Cyriacus’ Day, known among the people as “All-hollows” Soul Saturday;
The Monday after St. Thomas Sunday (in some places the second or third day after Pascha).
The first three Soul Saturday’s have an ecumenical or universal character, and is applicable for the whole Orthodox Church. That is when Christians of the Orthodox Faith go to the cemeteries pray for the departed. The Saturday before St. Cyriacus’ Day has a different character and is not practiced in the whole Orthodox Church, but rather different parts of the Church, such as Dalmatia.
Just as the Church established four great fasts, at which time Christians prepare themselves to worthily receive Holy Communion and unite themselves with their Lord and Savior, also the Holy Orthodox Church, from the time of the Apostles, established four Soul Saturdays. All Orthodox Faithful are called to increase their prayers for the souls of their departed family members so they too would be united with their Savior and be saved from eternal torment in Hell. Along with what the Holy Apostle James writes that the prayers of a righteous person can help much, the Holy Apostle John, the most dear disciple of the Savior advises: If one sees their brother in sin … pray for him and he will receive life (1 Jn. 5:16). God is faithful and just and He will forgive our sins and cleanse us of every injustice (1 Jn. 1:9) – we just have to pray! We have to pray constantly. Sin that stains the human soul distances itself from the living God. As water is too a dirty body, so to prayer is to a soiled soul. Just as water washes a dirty body so also pray, especially prayers of a righteous person, cleanses the soul from sin.
Orthodoxy: Courage to be Different, Strength to Remain the Same Archpriest
by Mateja Matejic, Ph.D.
We Orthodox faithful have all the necessary reasons to preserve and cherish our Orthodox Faith unaltered. We should have the courage to be different knowing that Orthodoxy is the right-believing religion and that the Eastern Orthodox Church is the authentic Christian Church.
Instead of considering and/or seeking the change of our Orthodox Faith and Church, we better pay heed to Fr. Seraphim Rose’s passionate plea: Orthodox Christians! Hold fast tot he grace which you have; never let it become a matter of habit; never measure it by merely human standards or expect it to be logical or comprehensible to those who understand nothing higher than what is human or who think to obtain grace of the Holy Spirit in some other way than that which the One Church of Christ has handed down to us.
There is no need for us Orthodox Christians to adapt ourselves to any other religions. All we have to do is what St. Gregory of Sinai requested us to do, and that is: Become what you already are; find Him who is already yours; listen to Him who never ceases speaking to you; own Him who already owns you.
Receiving the Priest’s Blessing and Nafora
What is nafora (antidoran)? It is the bread from which a portion was used to prepare Holy Communion given to the faithful after Divine Liturgy. Quietly and calmly without rushing, one approaches the priest who offers the nafora. When it is your turn, reverently cross yourself twice, kiss the icon(s) and cross yourself again, then kiss the cross, then place your right hand, palm up, within your left palm and receive the nafora from the priest. After kissing the priest’s right hand, depart quietly.