Benefits of Prayer for the Departed

Saint Sophrony the Athonite speaks to us

And how many cases there have been when prayer for the departed changed their state after death!
It happened to me once to serve a memorial service at the tomb of a Romanian lady, close to the royal court. This happened in Italy, when I was a guest in her family. We were praying for her, and she was with us in prayer. Her tomb was in front of us. During the prayer, Mrs. N. (an Englishwoman) was present. Later, in England, a Romanian acquaintance came to Mrs. N. and told her: „I saw that lady for whom you prayed. She came joyful, cheerful, and everything changed completely”. And she mentioned the day and hour when we had prayed.
Just think: the deceased woman was able to convey these things to her friend at the very same hour! How incomprehensibly intertwined all these connections are!

...And our life is linked with Silouan's. Oh, what a Father God has given us!