On the Universal Memorial Saturday, a Panikhida was served in our church. The service was led by the rector of the parish, Archpriest Vadim Zakrevsky.
The rite of the Panikhida is one of the most touching and moving among the services of the Church. At the same time, it reveals the great mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ in that we are given the opportunity to pray for the souls of the departed, hoping that this may play a role for them even at the Last Judgment. In other words, the feeling that arises during this service may be expressed as follows: “There was no time to speak then; now there is time, but there is no one to speak with.” This particularly relates to our relationship with our parents.
In his sermon before the beginning of the Panikhida, Father Vadim emphasized the importance of this point both for our relatives who have already departed and for us, since we have the hope of being able to help them.
After the service, a discussion with the priest took place. During this conversation, the rector touched on several themes and topics. He spoke about the historical development of Christianity, including facts that are not widely known—for example, that in ancient times a Christian could not only receive the Holy Gifts but also take them to a relative or neighbor who was unable to attend the service, and that person could partake of them independently.
The meanings of many elements of the priest’s vestments were also discussed.
Special attention was also given to the history of the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.