We celebrated this past Thursday and Friday, the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God; a beautiful feast filled with incredible imagery, especially in the Lamentations on Thursday Evening here at the Church. The Church on that evening, described the Theotokos as:
“The door, who now passes through the doorway”, because it was through her that God entered the world.
“Heaven Who now enters heaven”, because her womb which was more “spacious than the heavens”, was home to the Word of God from the time of the Annunciation to the Nativity.
“The Throne of God who know ascends the Throne of God” because for a time, it was God made the womb of the Theotokos into His Throne.
As awesome as those images are, as it is with every funeral service, there are also hints of sadness in the hymnography. At one point, we echo the words of the Apostles on the day of her Dormition, asking her: “Do not leave us as orphans, O Mother, who taken from Earth to Heaven, shall abide together with your Son and God.”
When we look at the icon of the Dormition, we see the sadness of the Disciples and Apostles as they are weeping. This woman had been a fixture in their lives with Christ. When our Lord was preaching throughout all of Israel, the Theotokos was at his feet listening to His words. When Jesus was crucified and sent to the Cross, his Mother was there watching at his feet, as her son and God was weeping in agony for the Human Race. After the Resurrection and Ascension, she went into the protection of St. John, who’s home was near the Mt. Of Olives, and no doubt carried on her relationship with the Disciples when their missionary journeys took them back to the Holy Land. She was a mother to Christ, in many ways she was a mother to Disciples, and she is a mother to all of us today who seek to follow after Christ.
Some might ask, what makes this woman so special in the Christian world?
There is a Gospel reading that is called for at every feast of the Theotokos which answers this question for us, and the reading isn’t even about the same Mary. It is about Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, who were offering hospitality and a meal to Jesus. When he came into the house, Martha went about the kitchen frantically making sure that everything was in it’s proper place…but Mary her sister didn’t worry about any of the business, and rather took her place at Jesus’s Feet, listening to his words, and being in his presence.
When Martha went about complaining to Jesus, He responded: “Martha Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her”
What as the Good part? Simply being in the presence of Christ. This was precisely how the Mother of God lived her life.
A good mother is one that not only teaches her children with words…but rather leads them by example. The Disciples loved and honored the Theotokos, not for of the words she offered to them, not simply because she was the Mother of God, but because of how she lived her life…in complete faith and in humble obedience to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
For those coming to Holy Orthodoxy, who are not yet used to how the Church honors and loves the Theotokos, I offer this small image to you that we see in her icons around the Church. In many instances, she holds the Divine Child with one arm, and with the other, she points towards Him. This is because the Church sees Mary, among other things, as the ultimate guide to Christ. If we want a relationship with Him…if we want to learn how to live a life that fully embraces Christ, then we need to honor, love, and learn from the example of His Mother…because she is the one who points the way to God.
Through Her Prayers, may our Lord Save and protect us. Amen!