“You were filled, o pure one, with an infinite joy, at the message of the Archangel Gabriel, of your passing unto heaven from earth.” “Mary, though you contained God who cannot be contained, and were made to be His sanctified dwelling place, you are covered by the land of Gethsemane.” - 1st Stanza of the Lamentations to Panagia(1)Reflection: As we approach the Dormition of the Theotokos(2) tomorrow, we do so with great joy since it is the 'Summer Pascha'! According to the tradition of the Church(3), the Archangel Gabriel spoke to the Virgin Mary announcing that the Lord will take her in three days. This was a kind of second Annunciation.
When she notified those around her, and the Apostles were gathered together from the ends of the earth by God, they began to lament and weep at the news. The Theotokos urged them, “do not turn my joy into mourning.”(4)
The news from Archangel Gabriel was her ‘infinite joy’, as the hymn above denotes, the joy that she would be reunited with her son and God. This too is our infinite joy, after Pascha itself, the Dormition, rising and ascent of the Theotokos by Christ, shows us what awaits all of humanity at the Second Coming of Christ and the Resurrection of all.
The Theotokos shows us the joyful result of following Christ. She shows us the result of making choices in order to live a life in Christ that transforms our soul and body into the dwelling place of God. True joy, divine joy, comes from giving. When we sacrifice for God and others, then we experience eternal joy.
Are we doing what it takes in our lives to become a dwelling place for God?(5)
In accepting God’s Will, the Theotokos bore God physically. We, accepting God’s Will in our lives, are to bear God within our hearts spiritually. If we follow her example completely, we too will make Christ continually incarnate through our every word, deed, and thought.
The Summer Pascha is a celebration of witnessing the Salvation that Christ has opened unto us, showing our first and foremost intercessor, the Theotokos, residing with God in Heaven, completely, body and soul.
May the joy of the Dormition of the Theotokos brighten and strengthen us and fortify our resolve to live in Christ!
Resources: 3) (Not Dogma, but understood to be true, revealed through the hymnology of the Church and writings of the saints which are both also inspired by the Holy Spirit)5) 1 Corinthians 6:19 “do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”
When she notified those around her, and the Apostles were gathered together from the ends of the earth by God, they began to lament and weep at the news. The Theotokos urged them, “do not turn my joy into mourning.”(4)
The news from Archangel Gabriel was her ‘infinite joy’, as the hymn above denotes, the joy that she would be reunited with her son and God. This too is our infinite joy, after Pascha itself, the Dormition, rising and ascent of the Theotokos by Christ, shows us what awaits all of humanity at the Second Coming of Christ and the Resurrection of all.
The Theotokos shows us the joyful result of following Christ. She shows us the result of making choices in order to live a life in Christ that transforms our soul and body into the dwelling place of God. True joy, divine joy, comes from giving. When we sacrifice for God and others, then we experience eternal joy.
Are we doing what it takes in our lives to become a dwelling place for God?(5)
In accepting God’s Will, the Theotokos bore God physically. We, accepting God’s Will in our lives, are to bear God within our hearts spiritually. If we follow her example completely, we too will make Christ continually incarnate through our every word, deed, and thought.
The Summer Pascha is a celebration of witnessing the Salvation that Christ has opened unto us, showing our first and foremost intercessor, the Theotokos, residing with God in Heaven, completely, body and soul.
May the joy of the Dormition of the Theotokos brighten and strengthen us and fortify our resolve to live in Christ!
