Lives of the Saints
1. THE DORMITION OF THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS
The Lord, who on Sinai gave the fifth commandment — Honor thy father and thy mother — showed by His own example how one must honor one's mother. Hanging on the Cross in His torments, He remembered His Mother, and pointing to the Apostle John, said to her: *Woman, behold thy son! Then He said to John: Behold thy mother! * And thus, having provided for His Mother, He breathed His last. John had a house on Zion in Jerusalem, in which the Theotokos settled and continued to live until the end of her days on earth. By her prayers, kindly counsel, meekness, and patience, she greatly assisted the apostles of her Son. In the main, she spent all the time until her death in Jerusalem, often visiting those places which reminded her of the great events and the great deeds of her Son. She especially visited Golgotha, Bethlehem, and the Mount of Olives. Of her longer journeys, mention is made of her visit to Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer in Antioch, her visit to Saint Lazarus the Four-Days-Dead, Bishop of Cyprus, her visit to the Holy Mountain, which she blessed, and her stay in Ephesus with Saint John during 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, at the place of His Ascension, that He would take her from this world as soon as possible. On one occasion the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she would be laid to rest in three days. And the angel of God gave her a palm branch, which would be carried at her funeral procession. With great joy she returned home, desiring in her heart to see once more in this life all the apostles of Christ. The Lord fulfilled this wish for her, and all the apostles, borne by angels and clouds, suddenly gathered in the house of John on Zion. With great joy she beheld the holy apostles, encouraged them, counseled them, and comforted them; and then she peacefully surrendered her spirit to God, without any pain or bodily suffering. The apostles took the coffin with her body, from which an aromatic fragrance issued, and accompanied by a multitude of Christians bore it to the Garden of Gethsemane, to the tomb of Saints Joachim and Anna. By the Providence of God, a cloud shielded them from the malice of the Jews. A certain Jewish priest, Athonius, seized the coffin with his hands intending to overturn it, but at that moment an angel of God cut off both his hands. Then he cried out to the apostles for help, and was healed after he declared his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Thomas was absent, again by God's Providence, so that a new and most glorious mystery concerning the Holy Theotokos might be revealed. On the third day Thomas arrived as well and wished to venerate the body of the All-Pure One. But when the apostles opened the tomb, they found only the burial cloth, and the body was not in the tomb. That evening she appeared to the apostles — surrounded by a multitude of angels — and said to them: "Rejoice, I shall be with you forever." It is not known exactly how old the Theotokos was at the time of her Dormition, but the prevailing opinion is that she had passed her sixtieth year of her earthly life.
Hymn of Praise
The Lord Most High thus spoke:
"From thy heart, O pure Virgin,
Let living water flow,
That the thirsty may drink of Christ."
O life-bearing fountain,
We are all proud of thee!
"That the thirsty may drink of Christ:
The embittered be sweetened by Him,
The blind be washed clean by Him,
And the sorrowful heal their woes."
O life-bearing fountain,
We are all proud of thee!
From eternity the drink arrived,
It filled the dry riverbed of time,
And rose again toward heaven;
The weary world was refreshed.
O life-bearing fountain,
We are all proud of thee!
Glory to thee, O Most-Pure One,
Glory to thee, O Mother of God!
Thou didst bear for us the Living Christ,
The living water of grace.
O life-bearing fountain,
We are all proud of thee!
Reflection
Very much, exceedingly much, can every believer learn from the life of the Virgin Theotokos. But let us mention here only two things. She had the custom of frequently going to Golgotha, to the Mount of Olives, to the Garden of Gethsemane, to Bethlehem, and to other places made notable by her Son. At all these places, and especially at Golgotha, she prayed to God on her knees. By this she gave the first example and encouragement to the faithful to visit holy places, out of love for Him who by His presence, suffering, and glory made them holy and renowned. Second, we learn how in her prayer for a speedy departure from this life, she prayed that her soul, at its departure from the body, might not behold the prince of darkness and his terrors, and that, hidden from the realm of darkness, she might not encounter the satanic power. You see how fearful it is for the soul to pass through the toll-houses! If she prayed thus — she who gave birth to the Destroyer of Hades and who herself possesses a terrifying power over the demons — what then is left for us? From her exceeding humility she placed herself wholly upon God and did not wish to rely upon her own works. Still less ought we to rely upon our own works, and all the more should we place ourselves in the hands of God, crying out for His mercy, and especially for mercy at the departure of the soul from the body.
“She gave the first example and encouragement to the faithful to visit holy places out of love for Him who by His presence, suffering, and glory made them holy and renowned.”
Contemplation
Contemplate the wondrous confirmation with which Samuel confirmed his words before the people (1 Samuel 12), namely:
1. How Samuel told the people that it was evil before the Lord that they had asked for a king for themselves instead of the Lord as King;
2. How to confirm his words he called upon God to send thunder and rain;
3. How thunder and rain came down, and how the people feared God and Samuel.
“How Samuel called upon God to send thunder and rain, and how thunder and rain came down, and how the people feared God and Samuel.”
Homily
on 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: Angel of Great Counsel, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Father of the Age to Come (Isaiah 9:6)
What mortal man in all of human history could bear all these titles, all this authority, all this glory? None. Therefore Saint Chrysostom says: "This is impossible to understand in relation to any other man, but only in relation to Christ." The prophet here clearly expresses the two natures in the Savior of the world: the human and the divine. A Child is born — this signifies the purely human nature. A Son is given to us — 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. The remaining titles signify the divine nature of the Lord Jesus. His government is upon His shoulder — that is, His authority is His own possession and is not borrowed. Great Counsel — is this not the Holy Trinity? The Angel, or messenger and herald, of this Trinitarian Counsel is the Son of God, the pre-eternal Word. Wonderful Counselor — for all is wonder, all surprise, all newness, that has come to the human race from Him and through Him. Mighty God — what would Arius say to this, and his modern followers, who deny the divinity of the Lord Jesus? Prince of Peace — for from Him is lasting peace; apart from Him there is war both outward and inward. Father of the Age to Come — as He is the Lord of the past, so also of the future. But He is also the Father of the Church, the Creator of the new world, the Founder of the Kingdom of God. This wondrous and precise vision was beheld by Isaiah himself, son of Amoz, seven hundred years before it was revealed to all the world.
O Lord Jesus, to the prophets Thou art the most glorious foretelling, to the faithful the most glorious revelation. Unlock our minds, that the wondrous glory of Thy majesty may enter therein; and unlock our hearts, that they may be filled with Thy life-giving love. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“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: Angel of Great Counsel, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Father of the Age to Come.”