Saint John of Shanghai on the Dormition of the Theotokos
From the apostolic age until our time, all who dearly love Christ have honoured Her Who bore Him, nurtured Him, and safeguarded Him in His childhood. God the Father chose Her. The Holy Spirit overshadowed Her. She received the indwelling of God the Son — Who obeyed Her in His youth and cared for Her as He hung upon the Cross. Then should not every believer in the Holy Trinity bow before Her?
Even during Her earthly life, Christ’s friends, the Apostles held the Mother of the Lord in high esteem. Above all, the Evangelist John showed unwavering devotion. Obeying the will of Her Divine Son, he took Her into his home. He treated Her as his own mother from the moment our Lord declared from the Cross, “Behold your Mother!” (John 19:27).
The Evangelist Luke, in his devotion, painted several icons of Her — some with the Eternal Child, others without. When he presented them to the Most Holy Virgin, She blessed them, saying, “The grace of My Son be with them,” and echoed the hymn She had once sung in the house of Elisabeth: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and My spirit has rejoiced in God My Saviour” (Luke 1:46).
Yet, during Her life on earth, the Virgin Mary evaded the glory that was Hers as the Mother of the Lord. She chose instead to live quietly, preparing Herself for the transition to eternal life. Until Her final breath, She prepared for Ser Son’s Kingdom, praying with deep devotion that He would shield Her from the wicked spirits who try to ensnare souls on their journey to heaven. The Lord answered His Mother’s prayer, and at the hour of Her departure, He Himself descended from Heaven with a host of angels to receive Her soul.
The Theotokos had also prayed that She might bid farewell to the Apostles, and so the Lord gathered them from the far corners of the world, where they were preaching, bringing them to Jerusalem by an unseen power, all except Thomas. They were present at Her blessed repose, and with sacred hymns, they laid Her Most Pure body in the tomb. But on the third day, when Thomas arrived, and they opened the tomb to venerate Her holy remains once more, they found it empty. In their amazement, they returned to their dwelling, and as they sat at the table, the Theotokos appeared to them in the air, radiant with heavenly light. She told them that Her Son had glorified Her body as well and that She, resurrected, was now standing before His Throne. She also promised to be with them always.
The Apostles greeted the Theotokos with great joy and honoured Her not only as the Mother of their beloved Teacher and Lord but also as their heavenly Helper, the Protector of Christians, and the Intercessor for all mankind before the Righteous Judge. And wherever the Gospel of Christ was preached, His Most Pure Mother was also glorified.
This material was prepared by the editorial team of obitel-minsk.ru
Source: Saint John (Maximovitch), Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco. "The Orthodox Veneration of the Mother of God." – Villemoisson; St. Petersburg: Published by the Missionary Fund of the Western European Diocese of the ROCOR and the Kazan Parish of the Resurrection Novodevichy Monastery, St. Petersburg, 1992.
