The Orthodox Understanding of Death

OBJECTIVE

As Orthodox Christians, we are blessed to have an enormous amount of resources explaining and describing death and the afterlife in the Orthodox perspective. This module aims to educate our 5th graders in this study (eschatology), presented in an age-appropriate manner. This week we will discuss:

Orthodox Understanding of Death & Christian Mourning
Prayers for the Departed
Attitude towards the body: Burial
3rd, 40th Day and Annual Commemorations of the Dead

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 10 Minutes

As students are walking into class and you are getting ready for class, play the spiritual song "Heaven is a Wonderful Place". (This is a very old song with many different recordings. Find one that your class will enjoy. It's a catchy easy jingle-type song that they will start singing on their own. Pick a different rendition every week of this unit.) Lyrics: "Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with glory and grace. I want to see my Savior's Face, Heaven is a wonderful place"

Hook: Role Play - Racetime

You will need the following:

Runners running a very long race
Cheering crowd
Coaches
People on the side giving water and fruit
Finish Line Banner

Make race day as fun and exciting as possible with banners and lots of cheering

Our life on earth is like a race, or a test. When we finish successfully, we are rewarded Those cheering us along the way are our family and friends that we choose to surround ourselves with. The water and fruits we are given along the way of our race represent the Holy Sacraments we take to support us. The finish line is eternal life with our Lord Jesus

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 10 Minutes

Memory Verse - "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." 2 Timothy 4:6-8
Relevant Passage:
6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of Hisresurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:1-14

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 10 Minutes

Since we know where we are going when we pass away from this world, as Orthodox Christians we do our best to prepare.

With all the preparation and excitement of Heaven, it doesn't take away the difficulty of death. Remember we discussed that death is not the original intention of our Lord for creation. Our Lord is saddened by death on earth. He cried at the tomb of Lazarus even though He knew that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead very shortly.

John 11:33-36 "Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him""

As Orthodox Christians, we are also saddened by death, but never too sad unto despair or depression because we know we will be reunited with our loved ones again

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 "16 Therefore we do not despair, but even if our physical body is wearing away, our inner person is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison 18 because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal."

When someone dies, it is our tradition to say that he/she "passed away" or is "asleep in the Lord" or "the departed" to show our faith that the souls of this person is still alive in Paradise with our Lord Jesus and that death is a temporary condition until the Second Coming of Christ and the Resurrection.

In order to not take death and mourning too lightly (some traditions hardly mourn or believe it's unfaithful to be sad) or too despairingly, the Church has established a "prescription" for mourning. Definition of mourning - the expression of deep sorrow for someone who has died, typically involving following certain conventions such as wearing black clothes.

Immediately upon the passing - the priest says special prayers over the departed. (The prayers can be found in CopticReader)
The 3rd day after death - the priest says special prayers over the departed. The third day prayers remember that our Lord Jesus was in the tomb for 3 days before His Resurrection.
The funeral includes the body in a casket, or beautiful wooden box, that is open so that friends and family have a chance to say goodbye to the loved one that has departed from this world. Remember the body is created by our Lord God and will be resurrected and made completely new in the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus. Our Orthodox Church does not participate in the practice of cremation. (The practice of cremation was historically done, and still is, by non-Christians who believe the body is evil and should be destroyed.)
The funeral prayers are special prayers that the priest prays while the casket is in front of the altar. Usually, these prayers are done before Holy Divine Liturgy. The casket stays in front of the altar during liturgy.
After liturgy, the casket is taken to the place of burial, and family and friends go to the place of burial. The priest then says special prayers at the tomb and during the burial. The place of burial is meant to be a beautiful garden-like area that is very quiet and peaceful. This area is meant to bring comfort to the family and friends of the person who has departed to help them know that this person is at rest in Paradise with our Lord Jesus.
After the burial, friends and family typically gather to share a meal together. Traditionally this AGAPE meal had the sole purpose of taking care of the poor and needy by distributing the possessions of the deceased. The money left behind was used to feed the poor and care for their needs.
Commemoration services are special services offered to remember the person that has fallen asleep. We are giving thanks to our Lord God that He has granted us eternal life after death on earth. It's also a time to pray and remember the loved one that has fallen asleep in the Lord. Commemoration services happen 1 week, 40 days, and 1 year after departure. The 40 days recognizes that our Lord Jesus spent 40 days in the desert in fasting and praying and was victorious over the temptations of the devil. The 40 day prayers asks the Lord to grant that the departed receive the Heavenly Kingdom as his/her reward. Family and friends gather together at the 40 day commemoration as a way to pray for the deceased, remember him/her, to celebrate his/her life, to express grief. The sadness doesn't go away after 40 days, but this time together in prayer and praises helps to bring healing to the broken-hearted.
When we are giving our feelings of sympathy to someone who has lost a loved one, we say "may his/her memory be eternal" or "memory eternal".
Every year on the day of this person's departure, we write their name on a piece of paper and give it to the priest during liturgy. The priest remembers the name of this person in liturgy on the altar after the Commemoration of the Saints. This is a beautiful way to remember our loved ones yearly

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 5 Minutes

Why are we sad about death?
Why is it important to take care of the body of the deceased person?
Why do we pray for the person who has passed away?
Why do we try to comfort those who are saddened by death?

LIFE APPLICATION - 5 Minutes

Talk about the importance of empathy and being empathetic to those who are dealing with the loss of loved ones. It may be difficult to understand what this person is feeling, especially since you might not have felt this way before. However, it is very important to give comfort and be in community together. Write a sympathy card to someone you know who has lost a family member. If you don't know someone, ask your priest.

ACTIVITY - 5 Minutes

Write a sympathy card to someone you know who has lost a family member. If you don't know someone, ask your priest.

Release your butterflies Talk about the change that the caterpillar made to become a beautiful butterfly Old life, new life, death/life in cristales...

SERVANT RESOURCES

Heaven: An Orthodox Christian Perspective By H.G. Bishop Youannis
Homily of 40 Day Commemoration - Attached pdf