March: Day 15: Teaching 1: Holy Martyr Nikandros

March: Day 15: Teaching 1:
Holy Martyr Nikandros
 
(How Should our Love for the Dead Be Expressed?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Nikandros, whose memory is celebrated today, suffered during the reign of Diocletian, with whose name is associated the memory of the most terrible persecution that Christians ever experienced. Saint Nikandros was a physician; he visited the martyrs in prison and ministered to them. Once he was busy burying the bodies of the holy martyrs, who had been thrown to be devoured by beasts and birds. For this he was subjected to various tortures, then flayed alive and killed with the sword.

II. The Holy Martyr Nikandros expressed his love for the dead, namely for the holy martyrs who suffered for Christ, by burying their holy bodies. His example is also obligatory for us: we too must take care to give our dead neighbors an honorable burial in the hope of their glorious resurrection on the day of God's General Judgment.

But our love for the dead should not be limited to this.

How should love be manifested in relation to the dead? Prayers are dear to them now, material offerings given to those in need on their behalf are dear to them; the bloodless sacrifice performed for them is infinitely dear to them. If we do this, then we will show that we love the dead and know how to do good to them. This is the only thing the dead are waiting for, this is the only thing they need.

a) Therefore, let us pray for the dead not only at a certain time of the year, but always, every day, let us pray for them. With our prayer we will bring the desired and expected good to the dead, we will bring them a better position, we will free them from the sufferings of hades, we will bring them joy and consolation. Now the dead themselves can do nothing, they cannot pass from one state to another. But we, the living, moved by Christ's love, which will attract God's mercy to us, can ease their lot and make it joyful from being joyless.

If we wish to know that prayers ease the sufferings of the dead and grant them a blessed state, then here is an example from the patristic tales. "Who are you?" asked Saint Makarios, traveling in the desert and coming upon a skull. "I was the chief of the idol priests," replied the skull. "How are you, pagans, in the next world?" asked Saint Makarios again. "We are in fire," answered the skull with groans, "the flames engulf us from head to toe, and we do not see each other; but when you pray for us, then we begin to see each other somewhat, and this brings us comfort." From this it is clear that prayers, performed with faith, bring real benefit to the dead, and not only to believers, but also to pagans.

b) Philanthropy on behalf of the dead also brings the same benefit. "Almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every sin," says the word of God (Tobit 12:9). “For if the dead man was a sinner, and one who has in many things offended God, it behooves to weep (or rather not to weep only, since that is of no avail to him, but to do what one can to procure some comfort for him by almsgivings and offerings),” says Saint Chrysostom (Homily 62 on the Gospel of John). And indeed, philanthropy and alms for the dead serve to alleviate their lot, as the following example confirms.

The Holy Abbess Athanasia, before her departure from this life, commanded the sisters of her monastery to provide meals for the poor in memory of her for forty days. It happened that the sisters observed the will of their superior only for ten days. This negligence called the Saint back from the other world. Appearing accompanied by two angels to some of the sisters of the monastery, she said to them: “Why have you transgressed my commandment? Let it be known to all that almsgiving and feeding the hungry done for the soul of the dead for forty days propitiates God. If the souls of the departed are sinful, then through this they receive from the Lord the remission of sins; if they are righteous, philanthropy for them serves for the salvation of the benefactors” (April 12).

Do you see, Christian brethren, the benefit and importance of philanthropy for the dead? Both the word of God, and the teaching of the Teachers of the Church, and the testimony of the patristic tales confirm that almsgiving and philanthropy for the dead bring benefit not only to the dead, but also to their benefactors.

c) Now let us speak about the importance of the saving bloodless sacrifice. The bloodless sacrifice is offered in order to cleanse, propitiate, and save.

"If the priests under the law," says Ephraim the Syrian, "cleansed the sins of those killed and defiled by iniquities with service offerings, as mentioned in the Holy Scriptures (2 Macc. 12), then is it not more convenient for the priests of the New Testament of Christ to truly cleanse the debts of sinners who have departed from the earth with holy offerings and the prayers of their lips?"

“It was not in vain that the apostles established,” says Saint Chrysostom, “that the dead should be remembered during the performance of the Awesome Mysteries, for when the entire people and the sacred choir stand with raised hands, and when the awesome sacrifice is presented, how can we not entreat God, asking for the dead” (Homily 41 on 1 Corinthians)?

During the performance of the bloodless sacrifice, Christ Himself offers this sacrifice in the person of the celebrants. He Himself intercedes before the justice of God for the forgiveness of the sinner. And from this comes the greatest benefit to the souls for whom prayer is offered at the time when the holy and terrible sacrifice is presented.

Here is an example of how the bloodless sacrifice alleviates the lot of the dead. A deceased Christian appeared to a pious priest and asked that the bloodless sacrifice be performed for the repose of his soul. To this request the one who appeared added that if the sacred sacrifice would ease his lot, then he would no longer appear to him as a sign of this. The priest of Christ fulfilled the demand, and no new appearance followed (Gregory the Dialogist, "Dialogues", bk. 4, ch. 59).

III. In these ways, brethren, let us do good on behalf of the dead. In these acts of philanthropy let us show our love for them. Amen. 

 

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.