“The Dormition of the Mother of God is also the feast of our hope,” Metropolitan Nicolae of the Americas said on Thursday in a pastoral message for the feast.
His Eminence explained that the Church does not regard this moment as one of despair, but as a testimony to the victory of life: “The Mother of God falls asleep, but death cannot hold her.”
“At the centre of today’s feast stands a tomb, yet the Church does not call us to sorrow, but to joy. The Apostles are gathered around the body of the Mother of God, yet the feast’s hymns speak of life. A separation takes place, yet the Church proclaims a reunion.”
Metropolitan Nicolae recalled that, following the Resurrection of Christ, death can no longer be regarded as the ultimate end of human existence: “Christ Himself called death sleep. Before raising the daughter of Jairus, He says: She is not dead, but sleeping.”
“The Holy Fathers who spoke about the Dormition of the Mother of God did not try to conceal the reality of death. On the contrary, it was precisely in her death that they saw the power of Christ’s Resurrection revealed.”
The holy and living Ark
His Eminence highlighted the unique place of the Mother of God in the history of salvation, since it was from her body that the Son of God took His human flesh: “She is not holy merely because she lived a virtuous life. She holds a unique place in the history of salvation because the mystery of the Incarnation took place within her body.”
“She who received God into her body is now received by God into His Kingdom,” the Metropolitan said.
Metropolitan Nicolae also drew attention to the central image in the icon of the Dormition, in which Christ holds the soul of His Mother in His arms, like an infant wrapped in light.
“At Bethlehem, she receives God into our world. At the Dormition, God receives her into His world. At Bethlehem, the Mother carries the Son. At the Dormition, the Son carries His Mother.”
‘How do I live before I die?’
In the final part of his pastoral message, the Metropolitan of the Americas explained that, when confronted with the reality of death, the essential question concerns not only when and how a person will die, but above all how one lives one’s life.
“However much we may avoid this thought, each of us is moving towards the day when we will leave this world. But the Christian does not ask only: How will I die? The far more important question is: How do I live before I die?”
“The Mother of God shows us this preparation. She said yes to God at the Annunciation. She remained with Christ throughout her life. She stood beside Him at the Cross. She prayed together with the Apostles. And at the end, she passed over to Him,” His Eminence added.
“Let us ask the Mother of God to teach us also to say to God, every day of our lives: Let it be to me according to Your word,” Metropolitan Nicolae concluded.
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