ALL SOULS' DAY
St. John of Kronstadt once said: "We have to pray for the dead as if we ourselves are in hell and suffering. We must feel their torment and pray fervently that they rest in a place of light, where there is no sorrow or tears. "
Our holy faith says: "Pray for each other. "The prayer of the Church is so strong that in its ascension to Heaven it rises to the very throne of the Almighty. That same prayer descends into hell and delivers those who are imprisoned there.
The prayer of the Church is addressed to the Heavenly Father in the name of His beloved and only Son, reminding of His immensely great sacrifice that He offered on the Cross for the sins of the world. This is what happens in front of the pure Body of the Son, broken to forgive us our sins, and which lies on the altar. That prayer is united and strengthened by the prayer of all the Saints, and especially by the all-powerful intercession of the Holy Virgin, tireless representative of the Christian gender. Every time the Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of the Son of God is offered, the whole assembly of the army of heaven is present, the congregation of Angels and Saints. Every time, when we mention our brothers during the Liturgy, their souls are allowed to attend, together with the angels and the Saints, and to pray for their salvation.
With what kind of shivering hope the soul of some people dear to you may be waiting for you to enter the temple of God and ask the priest to mention that soul during the great and terrible holy rite and that you yourself, along with the entire church, pray for that soul! With what joy and consolation the soul of the former is filled again when, summoned by mention to the temple of God, appears before the throne of the Lord with the word of an angel to beg the Lord and the Church for forgiveness of sins and for a good answer on the Terrible Judgment of Christ! What an indescribable joy, happiness and bliss fill the soul when a particle, taken for its mention at proskomedia, together with other particles is immersed in the most holy Blood of the Son of God in the Holy Path, with this prayer: "Wash away, Lord, with Your Blood, the sins of those mentioned here! "
We should, therefore, preserve the true love for our dearly deceased. When we die, they will remember us in our mortal hour with the same love with which we remembered them here. That will help us. And while we say goodbye to them here with tears and prayers, they will welcome us with joy and good news. Dead people know everything about us and what we do here. They see and hear us perfectly when we pray for them. Even if we would like to hide in the womb of the earth and pray for the dead there, they would know, see and hear who is praying for them. They also know to whom, for whom and for what purpose we are praying. How much more the Lord Himself knows about all this!
The dead are saved by the good deeds and prayers of the living during their remembrance. With what a gentle, holy parental love, parents love their children who are left on earth - their orphans! With what angelic love children love their parents who are left on earth! What a strong love do married people who have retired love their spouses who are left on earth! What pure and true love our brothers, sisters, friends and all true Christians love those who are left here, united with them in the holy Faith! What a multitude of souls are waiting for us there! "There the man's soul will meet everyone he prayed for and for whom he prayed during his life", said Bishop Teofan Zatvornik. What a comfort ! How gracious God is to our souls! When we step into an unknown land, He immediately sends to meet us those we prayed for and to whom we prayed. That strong faith, that foresight of the future life, a calm and radiant death, and the complete acceptance of one's part in life - all these bountiful gifts the Saints receive because of their faith in God.
Statement by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East
Damascus, June 22, 2025
On this day when our Antiochian Church commemorates All the Saints of Antioch, the treacherous hand of evil struck this evening, claiming our lives, along with the lives of our loved ones who fell today as martyrs during the evening Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Prophet Elias in Dweilaa, Damascus.
According to the initial information available at this time, an explosion occurred at the entrance of the church, resulting in the deaths of numerous martyrs and causing injuries to many others who were inside the church or in its immediate vicinity.
As we are currently counting the martyrs and the wounded, and gathering the remains and bodies of our martyrs, whose exact number we have not yet been able to determine, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East strongly condemns this heinous act and denounces, in the strongest terms, this horrific crime. It calls upon the responsible authorities to assume full responsibility for what has happened and continues to happen in terms of violation against the sanctity of churches, and to ensure the protection of all citizens.
His Beatitude Patriarch John X has been personally following the developments from the very first moment. He is conducting both local and regional communications to convey the grim reality unfolding in Damascus to the entire world. He is calling for urgent action to put an end to these massacres.
We offer our prayers for the repose of the souls of the martyrs, for the healing of the wounded, and for the consolation of our grieving faithful. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to our faith and, through that steadfastness, our rejection of all fear and intimidation. We beseech Christ our God to guide the ship of our salvation through the storms of this world, He who is blessed forever.