1. THE DORMITION [THE FALLING ASLEEP - THE
ASSUMPTION] OF THE MOST-HOLY BIRTH-GIVER OF GOD
The Lord Who, on Mt. Sinai, commanded by His Fifth Commandment: "Honor
your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12), showed by His own example how
one should respect one's parent. Hanging on the Cross in agony, He remembered
His mother and indicating to the Apostle John, said to her: "Woman behold
your son" (St. John 19:26). After that, He said to John: "Behold your
mother" (St. John 19:27). And so providing for His mother, He breathed His
last. John had a home on Zion in Jerusalem in which the Theotokos settled and
remained there to live out the end of her days on earth. By her prayers, gentle
counsels, meekness and patience, she greatly assisted the apostles of her Son.
Primarily, she spent her entire time in Jerusalem often visiting those places
which reminded her of the great events and of the great works of her Son. She
especially visited Golgotha, Bethlehem and the Mount of Olives. Of her distant
journeys, her visit to St. Ignatius the Theophorus [God-bearer] in Antioch is
mentioned, as well as her visit to Lazarus (whom our Lord resurrected on the
fourth day), the Bishop of Cyprus, her visit to the Holy Mountain [Athos] which
she blessed and her stay in Ephesus with St. John the Evangelist [The
Theologian] during the time of the great persecution of Christians in Jerusalem.
In her old age, she often prayed to the Lord and her God on the Mount of
Olives, the site of His Ascension, that He take her from this world as soon as
possible. On one occasion, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and revealed to
her that within three days she will find repose. The angel gave her a
palm-branch to be carried at the time of her funeral procession. She returned
to her home with great joy, desiring in her heart once more to see in this life,
all of the apostles of Christ. The Lord fulfilled her wish and all of the
apostles, borne by angels in the clouds, gathered at the same time at the home
of John on Zion. With great rejoicing, she saw the holy apostles, encouraged
them, counseled them and comforted them. Following that, she peacefully gave up
her soul to God without any pain or physical illness. The apostles took the
coffin with her body from which an aromatic fragrance emitted and, in the
company of many Christians, bore it to the Garden of Gethsemane to the sepulchre
of [her parents], Saints Joachim and Anna. By God's Providence, they were
concealed from the evil Jews by a cloud. Anthony, a Jewish priest, grabbed the
coffin with his hands with the intention of overturning it but, at that moment,
an angel of God severed both his hands. He then cried out to the apostles for
help and was healed since declaring his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The
Apostle Thomas was absent, again according to God's Providence, in order that a
new and all-glorious mystery of the Holy Theotokos would again be revealed. On
the third day, Thomas arrived and desired to venerate [kiss] the body of the
Holy All-pure one. But when the apostles opened the sepulchre, they found only
the winding sheet and the body was not in the tomb. That evening, the Theotokos
appeared to the apostles surrounded by a myriad of angels and said to them: "Rejoice,
I will be with you always". It is not exactly known how old the Theotokos
was at the time of her Falling Asleep but the overwhelming opinion is that she
was over sixty years of age.
HYMN OF PRAISE
THE MOST-HOLY BIRTH-GIVER OF GOD [THE THEOTOKOS]
Thus spoke the Lord Most High
From your heart, Virgin pure,
Living water, to flow,
That, those who thirst, drink Christ -
Life-bearing Source,
We are all boastful of you!
So that the thirsty, drink Christ:
By Him, the bitter to be sweetened,
By Him, the blind to be washed
And by Him, the sorrowful, to heal their grief
Life-bearing Source
We are all boastful of you!
Beverage, from eternity arrived,
The arid time, the brook filled,
And again, toward the heavens raised;
The world exhausted, became refreshed-
Life-bearing source,
We are all boastful of you!
O All-pure One, glory to You,
O Mother of God, glory to You!
For us, to the Living Christ, You gave birth
The living water of grace -
Life-bearing source
We are all boastful of you!
REFLECTION
Each one of the faithful can learn much, indeed very much, from the life of
the Virgin Theotokos. However, I would like to mention here only two things.
First, she had the habit to frequently on Golgotha, on the Mount of Olives, in
the Garden of Gethsemane, to go to Bethlehem and to other places famous because
of her Son. At all of these places, especially Golgotha, she prayed on bended
knees. By this, she gave the first example and incentive to the faithful to
visit the holy places out of love toward Him Who, by His presence and by His
passion and glory, made these places holy and significant. Second, we learn how
she, in her prayer, prayed for a quick departure from this life that her soul,
at the time of her separation from the body, not see the prince of darkness and
his horrors, and hidden from the dark regions not encounter the power of Satan.
Do you see how terrible it is for the soul to pass through the toll-gates
[mitarstva]! When she, who gave birth to the Destroyer of Hades and, who herself
has frightening power over demons prayed thusly, what then is left for us? Out
of very great humility, she commended herself to God and did not trust in her
own deeds. So much less should we trust in our deeds and even more we should
commend ourselves into the hands of God, crying out for His mercy, especially
for mercy at the time of the departure of the soul from the body.
CONTEMPLATION
To contemplate the wondrous proof by which Samuel confirmed his words before
the people (1 Samuel 12 - 1 Kings 12):
1. How Samuel told the people it is evil before the Lord that they seek a
king for themselves beside the Lord, the King;
2. How for the confirmation of his words, he called upon God to permit
thunders and rain;
3. How the thunders and rain descended and how the people were frightened of
God and of Samuel.
HOMILY
About the most glorious Child
"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the
government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful,
Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace"
(Isaiah 9:6).
Upon whom of mortal man, in human history could all of these titles, all of
this authority, all of this glory apply? There is no one. That is why St.
Chrysostom says: "It is impossible to understand this in regard to any
other man but only in reference to Christ." The prophet here clearly
expresses two natures in the Savior of the world: the Human and the Divine. "A
Child is born," this signifies a purely human nature. "Unto us a Son
is given," this unites the two natures in one person: the Son of God and
the Son of the Virgin in the person of the Incarnate Lord. However, the
remaining titles signify the divine nature of the Lord Jesus. His government is
"upon His shoulder," i.e., the government is His. His own government
and is not borrowed. "Mighty Counseller," is this not the Holy
Trinity? The angel or messenger and herald of this Triune Counsel is the Son of
God, the Pre-eternal Word. "Wonderful Counseller," for all that is
wonderful, all that is an amazement, all that is new which came to mankind is
from Him and through Him.
"The Mighty God," what would Arius and his modern adherents, who
deny the divinity of the Lord Jesus, say to this? "The Prince of Peace,"
for from Him is lasting peace; outside Him is war, without and within. "The
Everlasting Father," [the Father of future times] as He is the Lord of the
past, so also is He the Lord of the future. Furthermore, He is also the Father
of the Church, the Creator of the new world, the Founder of the Kingdom of God.
Isaiah himself, the son of Amos, saw this wonderful and true vision some
seven hundred years before it was revealed to the entire universe.
O Lord Jesus, You are to the prophets the most glorious prophecy and to the
faithful, the most glorious revelation. Unlock our mind that the wonderful glory
of Your majesty can enter into it and unlock our heart so that it would be
filled by Your life-creating love.
