Prologue in Sermons: October 30

On the Beneficial Effects of Parents' Prayers for Children

October 30*

(On How It Is Useful To Keep a Memorial of the Dead)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

If, according to the teaching of the word of God, we should all pray for one another (James 5:16), then parents, in particular, ought to pray especially and primarily for their children. Why? As the saying goes, a parent's prayer reaches even the bottom of the sea — that is, it is especially efficacious before God and produces the most beneficial effects for the children. We shall now, brethren, demonstrate this truth to you through action.

A young man, originally from the island of Cyprus, along with several of his compatriots, was captured by the Persians and imprisoned. After some time, some of his fellow countrymen managed to escape from captivity and arrived in Cyprus. The young man's parents began inquiring about their son, and those who had returned from captivity stated that their son had died on such-and-such a date and month, and that they themselves had buried his body. Meanwhile, it should be noted that the returnees were mistaken. They had indeed buried a young man abroad, but it was not the son of the inquiring parents, who remained alive. Nevertheless, the parents of the young man in captivity believed the words of those who had returned and began to pray for their son as though he were deceased, especially fervently praying for him three times a year: at Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas.

But four years passed, and the son, who had been thought dead, returned home. Overjoyed, the parents said to him, "We had already considered you dead and prayed especially fervently for you three times a year." "On which days did you pray so?" the son asked. "On Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas," the parents replied. "Then know this," said the son, "that on precisely these three days of the year someone in white robes, radiant as the sun, would come to me, remove my bonds, lead me out of the prison, and I would be free the entire day, unseen by anyone. Yet by the morning of the next day, I would again find myself in chains and in the prison."

Is it not true, dear parents, that your prayers for your children should have the most beneficial consequences for them, and that therefore you should pray for them with particular diligence? Certainly, this is so, for the example given seems to convince you of this sufficiently. Therefore, pray. Pray that the Lord may nurture them in all that is good and beautiful; pray that your children may grow up for the glory of God, for the benefit of their neighbors, and for the salvation of their own souls; and finally, pray that the Lord may grant them prosperity, success in all endeavors, and preserve them, to your joy, for many many years. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Notes:

* In the original text, there is no entry for October 30th. There this is the third entry for November 9th.