Orthodox Christianity from Birth to Death (p.4)
Earthly life for an Orthodox Christian, as for all men, ends in death. The last sacrament one may receive is the funeral service. But an Orthodox funeral is as different from other funerals as life is from death. When an Orthodox Christian dies, he is merely passing over from one state of existence into another, far more blessed state. He leaves his body behind for the present, only to resume it in a glorified state at the end of time. The funeral service commits the body to its rest in the earth, awaiting the resurrection from the dead on the last day, and commends the soul into the hands of God-with sorrow on the part of those left behind, but with joy for the one who has passed on.
Orthodox Christians try to remember death at all times, so that we may be prepared to face our Maker when our own turn comes. "In the midst of life we are in death. The Orthodox view of death as an integral part of our earthly life.
Our life in Christ is not a series of separate events, but a unified whole, from birth to death and into the life to come. "Christ is all, and in all" (Colossians 3:11). "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). The sacraments of the Church bind all together in blessing and in grace.
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