On Saturday, His Grace Bishop Damaschin of Dorna, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Lazaret Parish in Bacău and led a memorial service for the departed.
In his sermon, Bishop Damaschin highlighted three key reasons why the Orthodox Church remembers the deceased on Saturdays during Lent.
Why Do We Commemorate the Departed During Lent?
1. Saturday is the day when Christ rested in the tomb.
His Grace explained that “Christ’s Resurrection began on Saturday” and that “we remember the departed on these Saturdays because we believe that they, too, will not remain in the tomb forever.”
2. Lenten Saturdays are unique compared to other Saturdays.
During Lent, believers are called to “change their perception of the body, to gather their thoughts, and realize that life is about more than just being born, growing, working, and accumulating material goods,” Bishop Damaschin said.
“Lent reminds us that there is something more important than the body,” he emphasized.
3. We pray for the departed during fasting periods because these are times of increased repentance and spiritual awareness.
“Prayers for the departed are made with a heightened spirit of repentance during this season. Before asking for God’s mercy on someone’s soul, we first seek His mercy for ourselves because God’s forgiveness is proportional to our humility. His mercy is not given based on anyone’s personal merit,” said Bishop Damaschin.
He encouraged the faithful to pray for the departed with humility and repentance, adding:
“If we do this, each commemoration of the departed will, beyond sorrow and grief, bring the assurance that life triumphs, goodness prevails over evil, and mercy overcomes judgment.”
Assistant Bishop Damaschin officiated the service in Bacău with the blessing of Archbishop Ioachim to participate in the 40-day memorial for Ciprian Pavel Iftimiu, the father of Basilica.ro’s director.
Among those present at the commemoration were Archdeacon Nicolae Iftimiu, Patriarchal Counselor Priest Ciprian Ion Ioniță (Director of the Filantropia Federation), Archimandrite Serafim Baciu (Administrative Vicar of the Diocese of Alexandria and Teleorman), and Protosyncellus Nectarie Iftimie (Ecclesiarch of the Roman Cathedral).
Photo: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
