Dormition of the Most Pure Theotokos
Dormition of the Most Pure Theotokos
Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 10:38-42
People call today’s holy day - the “First Most-Pure” [Перша Пречиста], and the Nativity of the Most Pure Virgin Mary - the “Second Most Pure” [Друга Пречиста], but, obviously, believers understand there is only one Most Pure Virgin Mary.
Upon the repose of a person, people remember that person’s life path in order to outline for themselves the merits and spiritual image of the one who bodily has departed from us. And so, when we remember the Most Pure Virgin Mary, we firstly recall her unusual birth, as well as her earthly life.
Regarding the birth of the Most Pure Virgin Mary, there is no mention in the Holy Scriptures, but there is an ancient church tradition that depicts her parents, Joachim and Anna, as being childless in their old age. They, as it was customary to consider childless people, considered themselves unhappy. They prayerfully asked God to grant them the grace of having a child, promising that they would devote that child to serving God.
God truly showed mercy to Joachim and Anna - a girl was born to them. They were very comforted and wanted to fulfill their promise to God. At a very young age, Mary was brought to life and education at the temple in Jerusalem. She grew up there, being brought up in knowledge and service to God.
However, in Judaism there was no monastic order; therefore, having reached adulthood, Mary was released from the temple. Due to the fact that her parents were already deceased, and there were no close relatives, she was betrothed to an older man, Joseph, in order that she might have a guardian. The role and actions of the guardian Joseph-the betrothed in the Gospels are sufficiently well presented: according to God's providence he took responsible care not only of Mary, but also of her Son Jesus.
From the Gospels, we certainly know about the annunciation of the Most Pure Virgin Mary from God through the archangel Gabriel, and the circumstances of the birth of her divine Son. The Most Pure Virgin Mary was the chosen one of God - she was honoured to become the mother of God in the flesh, yet God did not shield her from human suffering. The Most Pure Virgin Mary endured and suffered more than any other mother in this world. She had to suffer, standing before the crucifixion of her Son on the cross (John 19:25).
But, of course, she also enjoyed the greatest joy when her Son appeared risen from the dead, when He defeated death with death and thereby gave new hope to the human race.
However, we should always remember the suffering of the Most Pure Virgin Mary, because there is a widespread false belief among people that good, righteous people should not suffer in this world. Life experience teaches us that good people do experience severe trials and tribulations in this world. And to a large extent, because people are going through difficult experiences, they are the most sensitive to human grief and the suffering of their neighbours.
Life experience also convinces us that people who have felt grief, which they had to endure for observing and confessing the truth, such people strengthen their faith and through their virtues draw closer to God.
After the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, His mother Most Pure Virgin Mary remained in this world alone, without family and family care. Yet, her Son, already hanging on the cross, was concerned about her and made sure that His Mother had protection in this earthly world. In the Gospel, we read:
“When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” (John 19:26-27)
According to ancient church tradition, it is confirmed that this truly happened: John took the Most Pure Virgin and took care of her continually. This traditional interpretation is also documented: in the letter of Bishop Ignatius the God-Bearer to the Apostle John, there is mentioned: "Many of our women want to visit the Blessed Virgin Mary to hear from her about many wonderful mysteries."
From the early history of the Church of Christ, we know that after the death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary lived and was under the care of apostle John in Jerusalem. In the year 44, there was a great persecution of Christians by the Jewish king Agrippa, and because of that the Most Pure Virgin Mary, together with her adopted son, ap. John, moved to live in Ephesus. And when the persecution of Christians by the Jews ended, she again returned to Jerusalem.
Living in Jerusalem, Most Pure Virgin Mary often visited the places where she had been with her Son. While she was on the Mount of Olives, she received news through the archangel Gabriel about her approaching departure from this world. And so, on the day of her bodily repose, all the closest disciples of Christ gathered around her. She painlessly and joyfully accepted the approach of her bodily death -- because it was a departure to her Son.
The apostles buried her body in Gethsemane, where her father and mother, Joachim and Anna, and Joseph the betrothed were buried. But, according to a pious tradition, when the apostle Thomas arrived three days later, he asked to see the body of the Blessed Virgin Mary, because he did not have the opportunity to say goodbye to her. When the tomb was opened, her body was not found. No one knows what happened to the body.
There is an assumption that God resurrected the Most Pure and that He took the Virgin Mary to heaven in her body, but this is only a pious conjecture - there is no evidence for this. No one witnessed her resurrection or ascension to heaven, no one saw her resurrected. The apostles did not leave any statement on this matter, either in the Acts or in their Epistles.
Consequently, Orthodoxy does not have a single firm instruction on how to believe concerning the body of the deceased Most Pure Virgin Mary. People can believe one way or another, but the Church of Christ cannot establish any rules of faith, because there is no Apostolic tradition concerning that.
In the Roman Catholic Church in the 1950s, the pope proclaimed the dogma that the Most Pure Virgin was taken to heaven with her body. Accordingly, that dogma binds Roman Catholics, and no one else...
Nevertheless, the Dormition of the Most Pure Mother of God is highly revered in the Orthodox Church. In honour of the Dormition of the Most Pure Mother of God, many magnificent temples were built, especially in Ukraine.
The main church in Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Abbey), which was built by 12 legendary builders from Mount Athos, was in honour of the Dormition the Most Pure Mother of God. Similarly, the main temple in the Pochaiv Lavra (Abbey) in Volyn is in honour of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In our Orthodox faith, it is not important whether the Most Pure Virgin Mary was taken to heaven in the body, or without the body. In our belief, it is important that we have conviction, that we have faith that God glorified and exalted the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ above all mankind and even above all angels.
We in the Church glorify her as "more honourable than the Cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God the Word", who gave birth in the flesh to Jesus Christ, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:20).
Through the Most Holy Virgin, God connected the divine being with the human being - God chose her as the bridge of our, human, salvation.
About her own glorification among people, the Blessed Virgin foretold even before the birth of her Son:
“And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.” (Luke 1:47-48)
And we, according to those gospel words, consider the Most Pure Virgin Mary the most blessed, most holy person in heaven. This is how we glorify her, celebrating her Dormition - the transition from earthly life to heavenly life.
Amen.
Very Rev. Fr. Taras Slavchenko
Taras Slavchenko was born on March 8, 1918 in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region in Ukraine. After graduating from school and the Pedagogical College, he entered the language and literature faculty of the Scientific Pedagogical Institute. Having successfully completed it in 1938, he served as a teacher in a secondary school.