(MP3 duration: 3hrs 22mins) 

This is a continuation of Talk 29. There is much confusion among Orthodox Christians regarding many aspects of the Church’s teachings on life after death. One important example is the difference between Hades and Hell. While many think them identical, the difference is actually so important that it can cause many not to prepare properly for their own deaths, and to neglect the departed souls who are in urgent need of help for their release.

In this talk Father Kosmas discusses the purpose of serving memorial services and liturgies for our departed loved ones. He explains what is meant by the prayer, “With the saints give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant.” Furthermore, he emphasises that our personal sins and our spiritual life affect the souls of our departed loved ones, and that it is very important to fix our own souls before attempting to help them.

The following questions are also discussed: is it healthy for an Orthodox Christian to think about Hell? Can a priest refuse to commemorate a departed Orthodox Christian? What will happen at the Last Judgement? Why can only some souls be forgiven in the next life? Why does one elder state that Christians must be merciful in order to receive help in the next life? Why do the demons rejoice when Christians are superstitious regarding the dead? Why is it dangerous to draw conclusions about the manner of a person’s death? How can souls be receptive so as to be able to receive help? 

Other points covered in this talk include: how a holy elder prayed for the soul of his unrepentant departed cousin; how a father blasphemed because his daughter had died; the “good obsession” of an elder who prayed for the release of all the souls that are in Hades; how the saints would constantly ask God whether they would be saved; how people who have died without producing fruits of repentance are in need of help; how even some clergy find the Church’s teaching on Hades hard to accept; and why one priest continually forgot to commemorate the souls of certain relatives.

Talk 30 duration: 3hrs 15mins 

Chanting duration: 7mins (Hymns for the Reposed)

Total duration: 3hrs 22mins

Acknowledgement: The icon of the Last Judgement is used with the kind permission of the Holy Monastery of Saints Cyprian and Justina, Fili, Greece.