The Saturday of the Commemoration of the Departed and the Sunday of the Last Judgement

The Saturday of the Commemoration of the Departed and the Sunday of the Last Judgement (Meatfare Sunday) form a diptych. On that same Sunday, the second Parousia of the Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated.

Copyright La blouse romaine facebook page

All Saturdays are dedicated to the departed, according to the recommendation of the Holy Fathers, as recorded in the Triodion: Saturday is the day of remembrance of all the faithful who have piously fallen asleep throughout the centuries, in the hope of the resurrection to eternal life. These are the souls who, from Adam until our own day, have loved God in deserts and in cities, at sea and on land. Everywhere, they have been kings and queens, priests and bishops, monks and married people, men and women of every age and every race. They are all those who have served God in their hearts, with faith and purity, who have appeared “in so many forms and by so many ways” (third sticheron at Vespers).

The prayer of the Church for the dead on this specific day symbolises the rest of the seventh day, the great Sabbath which prepares the coming of the eighth day, the Day of the Lord, the Day of the Resurrection, which is also the day of Judgement.

When Thou shalt descend, O Universal Judge,

And shalt judge the whole earth,

Count me also worthy to hear that call:

“Come, ye blessed of My Father.”

On this Sunday, we commemorate the second and full Parousia (parousia meaning “presence” in Greek), the second and glorious coming of the Lord.

“Saviour, Thou hast opened eternal life unto us.”

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ has taken place. It constitutes the central event in the history of the Church and of the world. For mankind, however, the resurrection is still to come. We are living in the time of this fulfilment and must pass through the stage of judgement.

What must we do in order to accomplish in the future what Christ has achieved in the past? The answer is found in the Gospel and in the liturgy. The departed are made worthy of “rest” through the prayers of the Mother of God, on earth, and through the saints and the faithful of the Church who call upon divine mercy. The living, for their part, are invited to “lead their lives in faith” (third sticheron at Vespers) until the end of the world.

Day by day, let us press forward without omitting anything from the Holy Gospel, adding, if possible, a few additional acts of love. The Christian is the one who waits, who keeps watch for the coming of the Master in the middle of the night, with loins girded and lamp alight, ready to open the door to the Lord. “Blessed are those servants whom the Master, when He cometh, shall find watching!” (Luke 12:35–38).

“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.” (Matthew 25:13)