One of the deepest calls of the Dormition Fast is the rediscovery of the altar of the heart, wrote Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in his pastoral message published at the beginning of the fasting season.
“The altar is the place where God and man meet, where God gives Himself to humanity and where man offers his entire being to God. In this profound sense, the heart of the Mother of God is revealed as the first living altar of the New Covenant,” the archbishop explained.
“The Eastern Fathers describe the heart as the centre of the human person, the place where the mind is united with prayer and where God’s grace works mysteriously to transform life. St Macarius of Egypt calls it the palace of Christ, while St Dumitru Stăniloae teaches that true spiritual life begins when a person gathers their whole being into the heart and opens it to God’s presence. There prayer, peace, discernment and love are born; there the true renewal of the human person begins.”
The Mother of God—the harbour of the heart
From this perspective, the Mother of God offers the most profound example of opening the heart to God: “Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).
“In this testimony, we discover the full beauty of her inner life and the mystery through which God prepared the salvation of the world,” Archbishop Atanasie wrote.
“The heart of the Mother of God becomes the hidden and living altar of the Word. She receives God’s will with humility, preserves it with patience and allows it to bear fruit through the work of the Holy Spirit.”
“Before she carried Christ in her arms, she carried Him in faith, in obedience and in the love of her heart. For this reason, the Holy Fathers saw in her the good soil in which the divine seed bore fruit a hundredfold, and the beginning of the new creation, in which humanity responds fully to God’s love.”
Life is measured by love
The Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God reveals one of the most comforting mysteries of the Orthodox faith, the Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Great Britain and Northern Ireland continued.
“The love that flows from God does not end when we depart this life; it is brought to perfection in the eternal communion of His Kingdom.”
“For this reason, the Church contemplates the Dormition through the light of Christ’s Resurrection and celebrates it with joy, as the Mother’s perfect reunion with her Son and with the glory God has prepared for those who love Him. This mystery is portrayed with particular beauty in the icon of the Dormition.”
Looking at that icon, Archbishop Atanasie noted, Christians also discover the image of their own calling.
“Human life is not measured by the number of years spent on earth, but by the measure of the love with which we respond to God and to our neighbour. Wherever love bears fruit, the life of the Kingdom has already begun.”
An icon of perfect love
“The Mother of God remains before us as the icon of this perfect love. She continues to protect the Church, intercede for the world and gather all those who hasten with faith beneath the shelter of her prayers.”
The archbishop concluded:
“Ultimately, the Dormition Fast speaks of one mystery alone: God seeks a heart in which He may dwell. He found it perfectly in the Virgin Mary, and He continues to seek it unceasingly in each one of us.”
The Dormition Fast began on Friday and continues through 14 August, the eve of the Feast of the Dormition.
Photo: roarch.org.uk
