Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God.

The ways in which people depart from this world are as different from each other as those people's lives and personalities, death being the conclusion of one's life. Therefore it is quite natural to suppose that the departure of such an extraordinary Person as the Holy Virgin could not have been unexceptional. In the opinion of the Church (not only Orthodox, but also Catholic) the death of the Theotokos was sui generis. Being a human, she was not exonerated from death, nor was Her Son; but, quite like Her Son, She triumphed ever death, although not as gloriously, indubitably, and independently as He did. Her resurrection was not revealed to many, and for a long time it was not one of the general beliefs of the Church. "There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon"
(I Corinthians, 15, 41).

Generally speaking, the whole life of the Holy Theotokos is shrouded in mystery. It could be said that of all the lives of saints, Hers is the one least known to us. Until 4th Century no Christian writer has given any information about the life of the Mother of God after Her Son ascended to Heaven. It is not surprising, considering the scarcity of Christian writings during the period, and the fact that there was no need to talk about this subject. When such a necessity arose because of the Nestorian heresy, it turned out that the Christian world is not at all unaware of the life and departure of the Holy Theotokos. On the contrary, ample amount of knowledge about the matter was preserved in the rich treasury of the tradition, which has always (and especially during those times) been at the heart of the Church life.

According to the Church tradition (the way we know it now) the Mother of God lived in Jerusalem after Savior's resurrection until Herod's persecution of the Church (Acts 12, 1-3); then She and Apostle John the Theologian traveled to Ephesus; from there She visited the holy Mount Athos and blessed it. Shortly before Her departure She returned to live in Jerusalem, where She often visited places where the most important events in the life of Her Divine Son took place, especially during His last days in this world: Gethsemane, Golgotha, Christ's Sepulcher, Eleon. There she prayed zealously, and the trees of the Mount Eleon bowed down and straightened up together with Her. Jews attempted to murder Her, and for that purpose they even sent sentry to Christ's Sepulcher, but they were blinded when Theotokos visited the tomb. Her constant desire was to depart to her Son. When She was praying on Mount Eleon, Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her, annunciated that in three days Her earthly life would end, and gave Her a radiant branch from a palm in Paradise, a symbol of triumph over death and incorruption. (Compare with Christ's entry into Jerusalem on the Palm Sunday). The Holy Virgin asked Apostle John to carry this branch before Her bier. Apostle John revealed the day of Her departure to Apostle James, Lord's brother, who was the Bishop of the Jerusalem Church at that time, and the latter told it to the Christians who lived in Jerusalem and its vicinity.

The Mother of God told those who came to Her burial what Archangel Gabriel had annunciated to Her, showed them the branch from Paradise and made the last preparations. She bequeathed Her property, consisting only of two tunics, to two poor widows, who had served Her faithfully; She asked to be buried at Gethsemane between Her righteous parents and St. Joseph. As She was making Her last wishes known, there came a great noise, comparable to many rolls of thunder, and a strong whirlwind swept through the house: at God's command angels had lifted up all the Apostles, who were scattered all over the world, and carried them on clouds to Jerusalem. The Apostles were struck with wonder when they saw each other. Not only the Twelve, but all the seventy Apostles were gathered. Apostle Paul came last.

On the 15th of August the Holy Virgin was lying on Her deathbed, which was strewn with flowers and awaited Her Son. Suddenly wondrous light shone, darkening the light of the lamps; the roof opened and Christ Himself came down accompanied by hosts of angels, holy forefathers, and prophets. She spoke to Her Son saying "My soul doth magnify the Lord…" (Luke 1, 46) and asked Him to bless those who honor Her memory. Mother of God also asked to be protected from the power of Satan., i.e., from the demonic tollhouses through which a soul must pass on the way to Heaven. Then She painlessly submitted Her soul into the Lord's hands, and angels began to sing the words of the Annunciation (Luke 1, 28). The Apostles watched as the Lord carried the soul of His Mother up to Heaven. Many sick people were cured by the healing power that emanated from Her fragrant body.

The Apostles bore Her body from Jerusalem to Gethsemane in a procession; in their hands they carried candles and censers, sang psalms (Psalm 113 with the refrain "Hallelujah", among others) and prayed. A wreath-like radiant cloud appeared above the bier. Angels were singing incessantly as the cloud followed the procession to the burial place. Jews, who had not believed in Christ followed the procession in astonishment. When the Jewish archpriests and scribes found out about that, they became furious and sent their servants and warriors to dispel the procession, kill Christ's disciples, and burn the body of the Mother of God.

When the pursuers almost gained upon the procession, the wreath-like cloud descended from above and shrouded the procession, encircling it as if by a wall. The pursuers heard the singing but could not see what is inside the cloud. The angels struck them with blindness, and some dashed their heads against the city walls, while others sought to be guided. A Jewish priest names Athonius (according to some sources Sophonius, according to others Jephonius) ran up to the bier and tried to overturn the casket, and was miraculously punished: his hands were chopped off by an angel, and hung down from the bier. He was healed by St. Peter after he repented. The blinded Jews also regained sight after repentance.

After placing the body of the Theotokos in the tomb, the Apostles spent three days near it, singing psalms day and night. During all that time they could hear the singing of the heavenly powers. After the belated arrival of Apostle Thomas the tomb was opened, but the body of the Theotokos was not found. On the same day after the evening meal the Apostles heard angelic singing and saw the Theotokos who was standing in air in Her resplendent glory surrounded by angels. Inadvertently, they cried out "Most Holy Theotokos, help us" instead of "Lord Jesus Christ, help us." After that the Apostles were transported back to the places where they came from.

Copyright 2004, Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church