A HOMILY FOR THE AFTERFEAST OF THE DORMITION OF THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS
Being a Brief Account of the Dormition and a Word in Praise of the All-Pure One
Brothers and sisters!
This Sunday we find ourselves in the post-festal period of the great feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Some of those present today were not able to attend the service on the feast itself, so I will recount the events we continue to celebrate and say a word in honor of the one who is the cause of our festal joy.
After the death and Resurrection of the Saviour, Saint John the Theologian, in obedience to the word of the Lord, took the all-holy Virgin into his home and served her as a faithful, true son until the day of her Dormition. During the years she lived with Saint John, the Mother of God fixed her thoughts on things above and constantly lifted up her heart to Christ the Saviour, Who had ascended into the heavens. The All-pure One spent much of her time visiting various places which had been sanctified by the presence of her Son. Saint John’s house was located not far from the Mount of Olives, whence the Lord had gone up to His throne on high, so the Theotokos frequently went there to pray. Bethlehem, the Garden of Gethsemane, Golgotha -- all these hallowed spots were loved and treasured by the maternal heart of the All-holy One, who returned to them again and again to meditate on the sacred events which had occurred there.
After many years of this life of prayer and divine contemplation, during which time the Mother of God repeatedly begged her Son and Lord to take her from this world and reunite her to Himself, the hour drew near for her departure from life unto Life. Once, while she was praying on the Mount of Olives, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her with the glad tidings that in three days the Lord Jesus Christ, with all the hosts of heaven, would come to claim her soul. As a sign of her approaching triumph over death and corruption, the great archangel bestowed upon the All-pure One a beautiful, fragrant branch from Paradise. After this, the divine glory which shone within the Mother of God became clearly visible upon her face. Returning home, the Theotokos related to Saint John what the angel had told her. He in turn hastened to tell it to Saint James, Brother of the Lord and first Bishop of Jerusalem, and after telling him, to inform all the brethren who believed in Christ. Meanwhile, the All-holy One made the necessary arrangements for her burial at Gethsemane, beside the graves of her parents, Saints Joachim and Anna, and Saint Joseph the Betrothed.
In accordance with directions given by Saint James, relatives of the Theotokos and other Christians gathered at the house of John the Theologian to give the last kiss to the Virgin and to receive a blessing from her. As the Theotokos was delivering a final discourse to the Christians, the sound of a mighty wind was heard, so that it seemed a fierce storm was arising. A number of clouds appeared in the August sky, always clear in those parts at that time of year. Saint John went outside and, to his astonishment, saw that the clouds were bringing the other apostles. It had been the Mother of God’s earnest desire to see the apostles, and the Lord’s power was transporting them from the various countries where they had been preaching the Gospel. The apostles were overjoyed to see one another and the Theotokos, but they were sorrowful, too, because they understood that the Lord had conveyed them there to see His holy Mother for the last time in this life. The Mother of God comforted both the apostles and the others in their grief, assuring them that after her death, she would be even closer to her Son and Lord than she was before, and would intercede with Him for every Christian soul.
Soon the third day and hour after the angel’s appearance drew near. Gabriel had said that this was when the soul of the All-holy Virgin would take leave of her body; therefore, the Theotokos reclined upon the bier which had been prepared for her and made ready for the coming of her Son. Everyone in the house lit candles, incense was burned, and the apostles began to chant the Doxology. Suddenly the house filled with light and, in the sight of all, the Lord Jesus Christ, accompanied by hosts of angels and saints, approached the bier of the Mother of God. After a few words with her, He took her all-pure soul into His hands and ascended with it into heaven. Those present beheld the All-holy One lying in the bier as though asleep. Her face was joyous, but she was no longer breathing. The apostles lifted the bier upon their shoulders and, chanting psalms, set out for the Garden of Gethsemane. They were led by Saint John, who carried the heavenly branch delivered by the great archangel. Enemies of the Lord, the leaders of the Jews, attempted to put a stop to the triumphant procession; but a cloud surrounded the bier and hid it from the impious, who were blinded by an angel. One of the evildoers, a Jewish priest named Athonios, ran through the cloud and laid hold of the coffin, hoping to overturn it, but his hands were cut off by an invisible sword and were left hanging on the coffin. This unexpected punishment converted the Christ-hater to faith in the Lord and His All-pure Mother, and he was healed by the prayer of Peter and the other apostles. Later Athonios was glorified in martyrdom for the sake of Christ’s name.
The procession reached Gethsemane and the body which had given flesh to God the Word was entombed. Following this, the apostles remained almost constantly before the burial place of the Theotokos, praying and chanting hymns to Christ. However, by the special providence of the Lord, one of their number was missing. The Apostle Thomas had not arrived with the others and consequently was not present at the burial of the Mother of God. He was carried on a cloud to Jerusalem only on the third day after her repose. Having learned what had happened, Thomas was deeply downcast. Out of pity for him, the other apostles decided to roll away the stone at the entrance to the cave in which the Mother of God had been buried. When this was done, they found that the all-pure body was gone, and that there remained only the Theotokos’ burial garments, from which came forth a wondrous fragrance. The apostles’ bewilderment at this was dispelled that evening, when they beheld the all-pure Virgin soaring ever higher through the air, alive and in the flesh, and surrounded by throngs of angels. The apostles thereafter believed, as did all the Christians, that on the third day after her death, the Lord had raised up the Theotokos and taken her into heaven bodily. Because her soul was separated from the flesh for such a brief time, the apostles were loath to refer to the Theotokos’ repose as “death.” Instead, they called it a dormition or “falling asleep.” And indeed, because of its brief duration and the entire absence of pain and disease, it really did resemble the sleep natural to man more than it did death.
Brothers and sisters, like her Son and God, the all-blameless Mother of the Saviour is alive after death not only in spirit, but in the body; moreover, as the now-glorified Queen of all creation, she has even greater boldness with her Son and God than before her Dormition. Full of the all-powerful grace of God, she saves and will save to all the ages those who with faith, hope, and love turn to her in prayer in every sorrow, illness, and struggle. As the compassionate Mother of the compassionate God, the pure Theotokos is always with us, if only we choose to turn to her; if only we believe undoubtingly in her closeness to us at all times. Pray to her fervently when you are in sorrow or need, and you will assuredly experience her help and deliverance for yourself.
Besides this, dear brothers and sisters, the Dormition of the Most Pure Theotokos teaches us to believe with certainty in the immortality of all human souls after death and in the resurrection of all human bodies on the last day. May our holy Mediatrix, the Mother of God, who is alive after death and always works salvation for her inheritance, confirm you in all three of these great truths. And observing your earnest faith in them, may she be for you a fervent protectress and help at the hour of your departure from this life, driving far from you the dark countenances of the evil demons. In the terrible day of judgment, may she deliver you from eternal torment and make you an heir of the unspeakable glory of her Son and our God, unto Whom is due all glory, honor, and worship, with His Father which is without beginning, and His all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
