In the Christian faith, after a person dies, his soul goes through a certain path. And, as you know, important days for this soul are the third, ninth and fortieth days after the death of a person.
On these days, relatives and friends commemorate the deceased. But few people think about why these days are so important for the soul and what happens to it during this period.
Due to the large number of confessions and trends in Christianity - Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and others, there is an equally great variety in interpretations of the journey of the soul after the death of a person. In this article we will try to reveal this religious aspect within the framework of the Orthodox movement.
The first three days
In the first two days, the soul of a deceased person is absolutely free, it can be next to its body, or in places where a person was happy during his life, with his family and friends. And only on the third day, on which it is customary to carry out the burial and the first commemoration, the soul is called to God to administer Justice.
From the third to the ninth day
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These days the soul is in Paradise in order to learn about the life of the saints and the righteous who came here after death. Here the soul forgets about its sorrow, about earthly life and its relatives, and for six days dwells in paradise. But on the ninth day, the angels again return the soul to God at the Judgment. On the ninth day, the family and friends of the deceased commemorate him and pray for the salvation of his soul and that it would go to Paradise. They organize a memorial event, which is attended by everyone who wants to help the soul of the deceased with the help of prayers and fond memory of him. That is why this day should not be turned into a tragic or, on the contrary, a festive event. Bright and good memories of a person should help him in God's kingdom at the righteous Judgment.
Forty days
After the soul appears before the judgment of God for the second time on the ninth day, it goes with the angels to hell to contemplate the torment of sinners, once again think about its repentance and return on the fortieth day to God to make a decision about where the soul will go. person and where he will stay until the Last Judgment, at which the fate of every Christian will be finally decided. That is why on the fortieth day, close people again pray for the soul of the deceased, asking the Lord to accept the soul into Paradise.
This is the Orthodox vision of the afterlife. These dates are of great historical and religious significance for Christians, and that is why on these three days and during the first forty days in general, relatives and loving people, with their prayers and bright memory, help the soul to get to Paradise.