The Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos 

In light of the feast day of the Dormition of the Theotokos, the highlight of liturgical feasts for the month of August, I thought I’d offer some brief reflections.

Amidst the uncertainty and countless challenges presented to us by the endless effects of the pandemic, thankfully there is some respite with what the Church brings before us to celebrate. Even though we may be forced to stay at home—let us never forget that our home can be transformed into ‘house Churches’, as St Paul reminds us in his letters, when we invite Christ into our homes. The hope and prayer of all the College Faculty is that in celebrating the Dormition of the Mother of God this will bring to us the heavenly gifts of heavenly peace, blessedness and joy that she experienced in her life.

During the month of August, the Virgin Mary, referred to as the ‘Theotokos’ in our tradition, figures prominently: every day we have been praying the Paraklesis Services with the pinnacle being the liturgical services surrounding the great feast day of the Dormition. More than that, the beginning of the ecclesiastical year, which as you know is the 1 September, begins with a first major feast day dedicated to Panagia—namely, the Birth of the Virgin Mary on 8 September—and ends with the Dormition of the Theotokos.

There would be no Orthodox believer who would not honour, respect, pay tribute and chant hymns to our Mother, the Theotokos. Every Sunday at Church we chant: “… more honourable than the Cherubim, incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim.” Throughout the Liturgy, the Priest, on a number of occasions, says: “Commemorating our all-holy, pure, most blessed, glorious Lady Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary….” During Great Lent, we have the Akathist Hymn; but more than that, on every day in our liturgical services we chant the so-called Theotokia, hymns specifically dedicated to the Mother of God.

Specifically in relation to the great feast day of the Dormition, the tradition of the Church tells us that three days before her falling asleep, she was visited by an angel who told her to prepare for her burial, as her Son would be coming to receive her precious soul. Not disturbed in any way, as we are told, she went about calmly to prepare for her departure from this world. The Exapostilarion of the day, sums it up in the following way: “Apostles, you have assembled from every corner of the earth, here in Gethsemane today; now come and bury my body. And You, my Son and my God, receive my departing spirit.”

It must be remembered that her dormition in no way implies that the Mother of God is no longer with us. In fact, quite the opposite is true, as we sing in the Dismissal Hymn: “You gave birth yet preserved your virginity. You fell asleep in death yet did not desert the world, O Theotokos. You were transported to life, as you are Mother of Life and, by virtue of your intercessions, deliver our souls from death.”

In putting all great Feasts before us to celebrate, the Church does not simply wish that we offer our praise and doxology—which of course we ought to do—but that we also discern the relevance for our everyday lives. The Virgin Mary has to become an example for our life. In fact, she is offered referred to as the archetype par excellence of what it means to be truly human.

And amongst her countless virtues, one that pre-eminently stands out is her willingness to entrust her entire life to Christ. This aligns with the words that we will hear during the Gospel reading for the day: “Blessed… are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" (Lk 11:28). She lived her entire life placing the Word of God at the forefront of her life; at every moment she was able to declare: “may it be according to your will [γένοιτο μοι κατά το ρῆμα σου]” or as we read in the Lord’s prayer: “your will be done [γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου]!” Allowing God to dwell within her heart, she was filled with the grace of the Spirit. It is for this reason that we refer to her as the one who is full of grace—ἡ Κεχαριτωμένη.

Throughout her entire life she suffered immensely, encountered unthinkable hardships: there is no greater Cross, for example, than for a parent to have to bury their own child. And this she had to bear—something picked up in our Church’s hymnography: “The blameless Virgin was watching as You were suspended on the Cross today, O Word of God. She lamented with motherly emotions, and it cruelly broke her heart. She sighed with pain from the depths of her soul, tearing at her face and her hair, and it wore her out. Then, beating her breasts, she mournfully cried aloud: “Woe is me, my divine Child! Alas, the Light of the world! Why did you sink from before my eyes, O Lamb of God?... “ But, beyond the unimaginable Cross of having to behold her child, Jesus Christ crucified on the Cross, she is able to join in with the angels in saying: “Incomprehensible Lord, glory to You!” (this is how the hymn ends).

The Virgin Mother is an example of profound obedience; a tangible example of love towards God; and a revealing icon of overwhelming trust and dedication to God. Indeed, precisely because of all these qualities, her ‘falling asleep’ was life-giving to the extent that her dormition was her entrance into the fullness of life, life with her Son, Jesus Christ. And the Church celebrates her dormition because She knows that the Virgin Mother is with Christ; and in this way is a bridge connecting earth with heaven, which is precisely the way we chant in the Vespers: “Marvel at the wondrous paradox! Now the fount of our life has been laid within a tomb; her tomb has become a ladder to heaven above.”

Allow me to end this brief reflection with a quote from our very own, Fr John Behr:

May her entrance into heaven and the gift of eternal life that the Virgin Mother received through the grace of her Son, be our constant reminder of the promise of resurrection for all of the world, there to live with Christ for all eternity!

Philip Kariatlis
Sub-Dean