Orthodox Parables and Stories: A story about prayer for the dead illustrates both the benefit of our prayers for both the dead and for us

There was once a priest in Russia who was unfortunately a drunk. He would miss services, or worse, come to them inebriated. He became a scandal to the parishioners and indeed to the diocese. Finally, his bishop could tolerate the priest's scandalous behavior no more and had to defrock him and send him away from the parish. For several weeks after this the bishop was afflicted by dreams of a vast array of the departed. On their ghostly lips was the constant question, "Where is our batushka? Where is he? Only he was there to pray for our souls. He brought us comfort and consolation!"

Unknown to any, this drunkard priest in his sorrows for his sins would go to a long abandoned cemetery and prayed for each and every soul interred in that burial ground. Forgotten by family and friends, these dead had only this one lowly and pathetic priest to pray for them.

The bishop could take no more of these nightly visits and so had to restore the man to his priesthood so that he could come back to this village and pray for the forgotten dead. The restored priest was so moved by the mercy of the bishop and the Church that he was able to repent and reform his life. He became an exemplary priest for his flock in his parish... both those visible and invisible.