After the priest's prayer for the repose of the deceased (or a special prayer of the bishop, if he participates in the burial), the dismissal of the Burial Rite is pronounced. The priest turns to the immortal King, Who has risen from the dead and rules over life and death, that is, to Jesus Christ, beseeching Him to place the soul of the departed in the eternal abodes of the righteous, in the bosom of the patriarch Abraham, and to rest him with the saints. As for us, who continue the path of a difficult life, the priest beseeches God to have mercy on us, for He is good and a lover of mankind. For all of us, the priest asks for the intercession of the Mother of God, the Holy Apostles, the Holy Fathers and the three patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac and James, as well as the holy and righteous friend of Christ Lazarus.

The prayer of dismissal, which again inspires hope for the resurrection and gives an unlimited perspective of the length of human life, is followed by another prayer: "Eternal memory to you, blessed and ever-memorable brother of our soul." The priest pronounces this prayer three times, then the singers repeat "Eternal memory" three times. According to Symeon of Thessalonica, this is the "permission" of the deceased. This solemn exclamation signifies that the deceased is at rest with the saints, that he is a worthy successor to them and their faith, as he appeared through his life in the name of this faith. This is what we believe when we sing "Memory Eternal," handing over the deceased into the hands of the ever-living God. "Absolution" is our prayer for the fate of the departed, the prayer of those who accompany him as a victor to eternal joy in the Lord. This prayer is our gift to the deceased, who gives his body and soul to the Creator [827].

After the farewell and prayer of absolution, the moment comes to pay our last respects to the deceased. The funeral service here also indicates to us how Christians should bid farewell to the deceased. This is a very powerful and truly human form of expressing feelings. Our separation from our brother, although temporary, since we await the Resurrection of the dead, is always and for all sorrows. And religious hymns not only make it possible (of course, according to the Christian measure) to express our sorrow, but clothe it in a God-pleasing and spiritually beneficial form. Of these twelve hymns, unfortunately, only ... First! However, all of them are extremely moving. "What a parting, O brethren! – the hymnographer cries out in the second hymn. "What weeping, what weeping at this hour! Come, kiss him who has been with us for only a short time!" "Behold, he is forsaken by his kinsmen," says the first hymn, "and hastens to the grave, he will no longer bother about the things that are vain, and about the flesh, which is full of many passions. Where have relatives and friends gone now? In general, all these hymns sung during the last kiss remind us of the transience of all earthly things, of the transience of human life. They ask us exciting questions: "What were we? Are not all ashes the same?", and conclude with a precise, exhaustive answer: "Verily, everything in life is vanity and corruption; Everything is a ghost, everything is unworthy of glory. We will all disappear, we will all die..." However, in the call: "Give the deceased the last kiss," one hears, first of all, the excited request of the deceased himself for our prayers, that the Just Judge would show him His mercy. And we, fulfilling the will of our brother, beseech the Savior to give rest to his soul [828].

Kissing is an act of expressing human love; it is a deep need of the soul, recognized by the Orthodox Church by virtue of the spirit of love for the human race inherent in her. Kissing also has a mystical meaning, emphasizing that our departed brother is desirable and worthy of the honors accorded to pious people [p. 369], since he ended his life unswervingly following the path of God. We encounter the custom of kissing in the era of persecution of Christians, that is, in those times when the Burial Rite had not yet been formed. It is known, for example, that Origen gave Christian martyrs a kiss before their tortures. Later, the custom of giving a kiss after death was established. Beginning with the IV-V centuries, we encounter the custom of kissing at the end of the Burial Rite, as is customary today. There are indications of this in many lives of saints.

For example, it is said about the abbot of the monastery of St. Sava in Palestine, Agiodoul:

"When he (Agiodoulos) was the abbot of the Lavra of Blessed Gerasimos, one of the brethren there died, but the elder did not know about it. The canonarch struck the beater so that the brethren would gather to carry out the deceased. The elder also came and, seeing the body of his brother lying in the church, he was saddened that he did not have time to say goodbye to his brother before his death. Approaching the bed, he addressed the deceased with the words: "Arise, brother, and give me the last kiss." The deceased got up and kissed the elder. "Now rest," said the elder, "until the Son of God comes and resurrects you!" [830] Also from the Life of John the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople († 595, Comm. 2 September), we learn that he, already dead, rose and kissed Nilus, who had come to give him his last kiss [831]. St. Athanasius of Athos (10th century) during the funeral service in the monastery of the Great Lavra, after the end of the funeral hymns, approached the deceased, gave him the last kiss and then escorted him to the grave. These cases confirm that giving the last kiss was considered the duty of the living towards the deceased. That is why this custom is included in the Funeral Rite.

St. Symeon of Thessalonica notes that the last kiss emphasizes the community and unity of believers, living and dead. Since the Church Militant on earth is inextricably linked to the Church Triumphant in Heaven, we bid one another a brief farewell for physical separation. Kissing, as the Holy Father points out, is given "for the passage and separation from this life, as well as as a sign of our communion and unity, for although we die, we are not separated from each other." All of us, he continues, will follow the same path in order to reach a place where we will never again be separated, for there we will always be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:17). Thus, kissing "signifies the union of the living in Christ with the dead" (832).

After the kiss, the priest (or bishop) concludes the Burial Rite with the words: "Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, save us and have mercy on us!"

The Rite of Burial, which we have considered very briefly here, is performed in relation to the laity, men and women. However, there are also special burial rites for monks, priests and infants. Of course, everyone is equal before God, and there is no distinction between kings, rulers, and ordinary citizens. In this case, we are talking only about ethical differences. Thus, the prayers, hymns, and passages of Holy Scripture included in these Rites relate to the life of monks (nuns) or priests. The life of a monk is different from the life of a priest. The life of a believer in a big city also has its own peculiarities. And is it possible to bury immaculate infants using words related to the life of a mature person?

{p. 371}

It should also be noted that it is not customary to perform this service during Paschal Week, on the very day of the celebration of Pascha, as well as on the Leaving of Pascha. Since our Church celebrates the triumph of the Bright Resurrection of Christ on these days, and everywhere we hear "Christ is risen," then instead of the usual Burial Rite, a special Burial Rite of Paschal Week is performed. In this Procession, the hymns "Christ is risen from the dead...", "The day of the Resurrection..." and "Having fallen asleep in the flesh...". From the usual Rite only the prayer is pronounced: "God of spirits and of all flesh...", followed by a dismissal with a mention of the Resurrection. Then, instead of "Give me the last kiss," we sing the joyful "Resurrection day...", and then again "Christ is risen from the dead...", repeated by the priest instead of "By the prayers of our holy fathers...".

Truly wise and beautiful are all the codes and prescriptions of the Holy Fathers, including the Funeral Rite, which is so exciting and beneficial for us.