Today is Merelots
Today is Merelots (Մեռելոց, Remembrance of the dead). To mark the occasion, we present this short explainer by Archpriest Rev. Fr. Datev Mikaelian from the St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church. This piece was first published on Sept. 13, 2025, in Armenian in the church newsletter and was translated by Torontohye.
Remembrance of the Dead
Father Datev Mikaelian
The Armenian Apostolic Church calls the day following each of the five major feasts the Remembrance of the Dead (Merelots).
Those who are not familiar with the faith and teachings of the Holy Apostolic Church often ask: Does praying for the deceased truly transfer them from Hell to Heaven when they are no longer able to repent?
Dear brothers and sisters, whether during a requiem service (Hokehankist) in church or in our personal prayers, we do not pray for the Lord to move someone from Hell to Heaven. We must remember that the Last Judgment has not yet taken place; it will occur at the Second Coming of Christ. Rather, our prayers ask that the Lord show mercy to our loved ones on the Day of Judgment.
(The image was created by artificial intelligence based on a photograph by Narek Avetisyan)
Praying for our departed relatives and asking God to grant them rest, mercy, and compassion is an expression of love. We cannot remain indifferent while our loved ones still await the Last Judgment and the manner in which the Lord will judge them on that final day.
For this reason, we pray daily for the souls of our departed, asking our Lord Jesus Christ to treat them with mercy on the Day of Judgment. Throughout its two-thousand-year history, the Church has borne witness to countless testimonies of how prayer brings comfort and light to the souls of the departed.
To ask for mercy through prayer for those who have passed is to affirm an unbreakable bond of love. May our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on our departed loved ones on the Day of Judgment and treat them with compassion when they stand before Him.
