Happy Sunday! Today is the memory of the slain Uar from Egypt.
According to some versions of his life, the martyr has a special audacity before God - to ask forgiveness for the sins of those who died without baptism.
However, it should be arranged. The Orthodox Church only prays for the baptized deceased who remained faithful to the Church. According to the church charter, it is also forbidden to hold burial and memorial ceremonies in the church for suicides. However, an Orthodox person, motivated by love for a relative or friend who was not baptized (or fell out of the church), can hold a private prayer for the deceased, after receiving the blessing of a priest. There have been cases in the history of the Church when, through the intense prayer of loved ones, the fate of souls of suicides or unbaptized people was alleviated.
For example, let us recall the conversation of St. Macarius of Egypt with the skull of a pagan priest. One day Macarius was walking in the desert and saw a skull lying on the ground. The ascetic asked him: "Who are you? " The skull replied: "During my life I was the chief pagan priest. When you, father, say a prayer for those in hell, we feel a certain relief."
Macarius asked: "What is this torment? ".
"We are standing in a great fire," replied the skull, "and we do not see each other's faces. When you pray for us, we begin to see those standing next to us, and this gives us some comfort. Of course, our prayer cannot be compared to the prayer of St. Macarius, just as our life cannot be compared to the life of an ascetic. But still, this story gives us hope that our prayerful commemoration of the unfortunate who died without baptism will bring them some comfort. Did the holy fathers allow their spiritual children the possibility of private prayer for the dead who could not be remembered in a church meeting? Yes, such cases are known. For example, the monk Theodore Hastoudi permitted a private prayer for them: "... Unless everyone in his soul prays for such people and does charity to them."