Saint paisios

 My reasoning tells me that only ten percent of the condemned dead are in a demonic state and, where they are, they curse God, like the demons. They neither seek help nor accept help. For what can God do for them? They are like a child who leaves his father, squanders all his inheritance, and then curses his father. What can the father do for such a child? However, the other condemned souls, who have a bit of nobility, feel their guilt, repent, and suffer for their sins. They seek help and are positively aided by the prayers of the faithful. God thus gives them an opportunity, now that they are condemned, to be helped until the Second Coming occurs. Just as in this life, if someone is friends with the king, they can intercede and help a condemned person,

similarly, if someone is a "friend" of God, they can intercede with God through their prayer and transfer the condemned dead from one "prison" to a better one, from one "cell" to another better one. Or they can even transfer them to a "room" or an "apartment." Just as we relieve prisoners with refreshments, etc., that we bring them, so too we relieve the dead with the prayers and alms we perform for their souls. The prayers of the living for the deceased and the memorial services are the last opportunity God gives to the deceased to be helped until the final Judgment occurs. After the judgment, there will no longer be an opportunity to help them. God wants to help the deceased because He cares for their salvation, but He does not do so directly because of His majesty. He does not want to give the devil the right to say, "How do you save this one when he did not strive?"

But when we pray for the deceased, we give Him the right to intervene. God is more moved when we pray for the deceased than for the living. This is why our Church has the kollyva, the memorial services. Memorial services are the best advocate for the souls of the deceased. They even have the power to bring a soul out of hell. So, at every Divine Liturgy, you should offer kollyva for the deceased. The wheat has meaning. "It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption," says the Scripture. In the world, some people are too lazy to boil a bit of wheat and bring raisins, kourabiedes, and cookies to the church for the priests to bless. And you see, there in Mount Athos, some poor little old monks at every Divine Liturgy make kollyva both for the deceased and for the saint being celebrated, to have their blessing.