"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on their souls and accept them in your Kingdom."
The actual parastos/panekhida, memorial service is quite beautiful as we go through series of God praising prayers of gratitude to the merciful God and ends with us committing their souls to memory eternal.
We also pray for our departed during Divine Liturgy.
The priest recites (I am omitting people's responses) "That the Lord God will establish his (or her or their) soul(s) where the just repose. "
"The mercies of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, and the remission of his (or her or their) sins, we ask of Christ, our King Immortal and our God"
"O God of spirits, and of all flesh, Who hast trampled down death by death, and overthrown the Devil, and hast bestowed life upon Thy world: do Thou Thyself, O Lord, grant rest to the soul(s) of Thy departed servant(s), (name-s of the deceased), in a place of brightness, a place of verdure, a place of repose, whence all sickness, sorrow and sighing have fled away."
"As the gracious God, Who lovest mankind, pardon every transgression which he (or she or they) has (or have) committed, whether by word, or deed, or thought. For Thou alone art without sin, and Thy righteousness is to all eternity, and Thy word is truth."
"For Thou art the Resurrection, and the Life, and the Repose of Thy departed servant(s) (name-s of the deceased). O Christ our God, and unto Thee we ascribe gory, together with Thy Father, Who is from everlasting, and Thine All-Holy, and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages."
No magic, FK. Just throwing ourselves at His feet.
It doesn't appear that Paul believes there is an intermediate state of any kind. He seems to think that once we physically die, the elect go straight into the presence of our Lord/I>
I would expect +Paul to think that body was filth. That's the Gnostic in him. Yet, the body is just inanimate clay; nothing God didn't make. It is our soul that sins.
If it would preferable to be away from the body then why give us new bodies? We were not meant to be angels who are punished by being imprisoned in a body (although Gnostics did believe exactly that!).
God created us body and soul, together. The soul by itself is in in unnatural state without a body. But, of course, the pagans and Gnostics (and apparently some Protestants) believe that the soul pre-exists the body, in which case – who needs the body, right?
Will we all look like 18-year-olds?
Where does it say that in the Bible? I have heard that said by many people, but I can't figure out whence that came.
Plus, what sort of bodies do abortion victims get?
Such speculations are absurd and pointless, FK. We simply don't know.
Thanks for posting all the prayers. I agree that prayer is still good even if we know God has already made up His mind. But at the moment of this prayer, hasn't the issue already been resolved? I mean, within time, hasn't the mercy already been granted or not? IOW, how is this different from saying a prayer today for America's victory in WWII?
If it would be preferable to be away from the body then why give us new bodies?
Paul meant THESE bodies. The new bodies we get will be glorified, so they are desirable.
FK: "Will we all look like 18-year-olds?"
Where does it say that in the Bible? I have heard that said by many people, but I can't figure out whence that came.
Oh, from me it comes from no where. I just picked an early age of maturity. I just wondered if there were any reasoned theories out there about how it will be.