Grave Arrangement #
“…for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
(Prayers at Burial)
The body of a departed Christian is committed to the earth. Cremation is not permissible in Christian tradition. The grave is arranged simply and modestly. A headstone serves two purposes: to show fellow Christians that a brother in the faith lies buried here, and to preserve his name for future generations. One should not spend excessive money on elaborate grave markers; it is better to reserve such funds for almsgiving.
We believe that on the day of the general resurrection, the dead will rise and no longer be subject to decay or destruction. Those who have been burned, drowned, or torn by beasts will all appear before the judgment of God, bearing no outward injury. Their bodies will bear the imprint of their earthly deeds: the righteous will have radiant and joyful faces, while the wicked and ungodly will have faces darkened by shame and terror. But since Christians believe in the resurrection of the body, cremation, as stated, is considered unacceptable.
The departed is laid in the grave facing east, as a sign of faith in Christ’s Resurrection and as though in anticipation of the general rising of the dead. A cross is placed at the feet of the departed. In old Russia, crosses were most often made of strong wood and sized to the average height of a man. If a gravestone was placed instead of a cross, it was still required to have a cross carved upon it. A cross was installed even at family plots with gravestones, as a sacred object to which one might bow while offering prayers for the departed.