The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America ^

[Kolokotronis]

Synaxarion:

Concerning the Dormition of the Theotokos, this is what the Church has received from ancient times from the tradition of the Fathers. When the time drew nigh that our Savior was well-pleased to take His Mother to Himself, He declared unto her through an Angel that three days hence, He would translate her from this temporal life to eternity and bliss. On hearing this, she went up with haste to the Mount of Olives, where she prayed continuously. Giving thanks to God, she returned to her house and prepared whatever was necessary for her burial. While these things were taking place, clouds caught up the Apostles from the ends of the earth, where each one happened to be preaching, and brought them at once to the house of the Mother of God, who informed them of the cause of their sudden gathering. As a mother, she consoled them in their affliction as was meet, and then raised her hands to Heaven and prayed for the peace of the world. She blessed the Apostles, and, reclining upon her bed with seemliness, gave up her all-holy spirit into the hands of her Son and God. With reverence and many lights, and chanting burial hymns, the Apostles took up that God-receiving body and brought it to the sepulchre, while the Angels from Heaven chanted with them, and sent forth her who is higher than the Cherubim. But one Jew, moved by malice, audaciously stretched forth his hand upon the bed and immediately received from divine judgment the wages of his audacity. Those daring hands were severed by an invisible blow. But when he repented and asked forgiveness, his hands were restored. When they had reached the place called Gethsemane, they buried there with honor the all-immaculate body of the Theotokos, which was the source of Life. But on the third day after the burial, when they were eating together, and raised up the artos (bread) in Jesus' Name, as was their custom, the Theotokos appeared in the air, saying "Rejoice" to them. From this they learned concerning the bodily translation of the Theotokos into the Heavens.

These things has the Church received from the traditions of the Fathers, who have composed many hymns out of reverence, to the glory of the Mother of our God.

Apolytikion in the First Tone

In birth, you preserved your virginity; in death, you did not abandon the world, O Theotokos. As mother of life, you departed to the source of life, delivering our souls from death by your intercessions.

Kontakion in the Second Tone

Neither the grave nor death could contain the Theotokos, the unshakable hope, ever vigilant in intercession and protection. As Mother of life, He who dwelt in the ever-virginal womb transposed her to life.

[narses]

On a natural level, what force equals that of momma bear? How much greater the Mother of God?

[fatima]

:)Hey where is that in the rules:)

[narses]

It certainly is not canonical, it may not even be absolutely accurate, but:

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”

Benjamin Franklin

[fatima]

Heheehehe

[narses]

:)

[Mr Rogers]

“On a natural level, what force equals that of momma bear? How much greater the Mother of God?”

Well, I knew a guy who stopped one with a 30-30, although it was from about 10 feet and he was knocked over by the corpse. So I guess a 30-30 rifle is a force greater than that of a momma bear.

What does that have to do with Mary? Was she packing a 375 H&H Magnum?

My problem with Mariology is that in Scripture, Jesus had multiple chances to exalt or praise his mother - and He always passed on it.

Mary disappears after Pentecost, so presumably this miraculous event took place before Acts was written. I have a hard time believing that Paul wouldn’t mention it when defending his Apostleship, or Luke mention it somewhere as evidence of the truth.

To me, it reads like one of the spurious gospels or ‘Acts’ of Apostle XZY.

As for Holy Tradition - is it “God-breathed” as Scripture is? If so, where is it written down so all may know exactly what God breathed, and didn’t?

The Church Fathers had a LOT of disagreements. It makes it tough for me to accept ‘tradition’ as God-breathed.

However, as long as it doesn’t CONTRADICT scripture, I don’t really care. Let God straighten His servants out on His schedule. OTOH, if someone wants to impose it on me for salvation, then we have a fight.

The Orthodox Church seems willing to let God deal with me on His schedule. That is something I respect. Scripture doesn’t tell me the fate of Mary. When scripture is silent, tradition is free to speak.

[Iscool]

When you get bored with re-inventing 1600 year old heresies (this particular one is called Nestorianism, and was rejected by the One True Church in AD 431) ...

No doubt the Nestorians rejected your religion long before 431 AD...I'll take the side of the Nestorians...

Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Rev 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

Oddly, this doesn't clear it up for you...

[Iscool]

Jesus, the 2nd part of the Trinity had no mother...

Not til He was born in the flesh...

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“Not til He was born in the flesh...”

If He was born in the flesh, then He had a mother. Couldn’t someone say He didn’t BECOME Jesus until He took on flesh in Mary’s womb? He was ALWAYS the Second Person of the Trinity, but He wasn’t always flesh. And when He took on flesh, He had a mother. Period.

[blinachka]

A wonderful Feast of the Dormition to you! Being on the Julian Calendar, we don't celebrate it until the 27th of August...

One of my very favourite hymns is from this Feast:

O ye Apostles, who have come together here from many places, bury my body here in the garden of Gethsemane, and thou, my Son and my God, recieve my spirit...

Mu grandfather actually did a beautiful arrangement of this hymn...

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“My problem with Mariology is that in Scripture, Jesus had multiple chances to exalt or praise his mother - and He always passed on it.”

Mary, herself, said all generations would afterward call her blessed. If that isn’t being exalted by God, what is? You might want to look at Luke 5:2 where Mary says God has exalted the lowly - like her. Jesus exalted Mary simply by being born of her too.

It’s amazing how little anti-Catholics know about the Bible.

[fatima]

You are comparing a bear to the Mother of God.

[fatima]

Matt Maher’s Litany of Saints
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG75daBWPdQ

[fatima]

Youth Rally with Pope Benedict XVI - Litany of the Saints

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SlGfHwyC-M&feature=related

[Kolokotronis]

I trust you will have a joyous feast. We had a family get together with the Irish side of the family and people came from all over the East coast. Although my immediate family missed it as we were at Divine Liturgy, my Jesuit cousin said the Mass for the Assumption for the Latins in the family. All in all it was a wonderful day.

” Mu grandfather actually did a beautiful arrangement of this hymn...”

Do you have a link to an audio file?

[Kolokotronis]

So you will understand where we are coming from, here is a 13th Icon of Panagia Platytera from Yaroslavl. An almost identical 13th century one is in the Church of the Holy Apostles in my maternal village down in Greece:

The word "Platytera" is from the phrase "Platytera ton ouranon", "Broader that the heavens", meaning that her womb contained within it the Creator of the Universe, the "Being Who created being" as we say, which is graphically taught by this icon showing Christ within the Theotokos. Christ is True God and True Man. If one contemplates the Creator of Existence as having been quite literally contained within her, her exalted status among Orthodox and Latin Christians really isn't surprising. As for me, whenever I see this icon, especially standing in the church in my maternal village where my ancestors have worshiped God for 1000 years or so, I identify and relate to Panagia as my very own mother.

[A.A. Cunningham]

If this event was true, it would be in the gospels or Acts.

Only if you have deluded yourself into believing that Scripture is a comprehensive record of everything that occurred, which it isn't.

"Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of His disciples, which are not written in this book. " John 20:30

"But there are also many other things which Jesus did; which, if they were written every one, the world itself, I think, would not be able to contain the books that should be written." John 21:25

[A.A. Cunningham]

Jesus, the 2nd part of the Trinity had no mother...

Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.

"And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Luke 1:43

[Iscool]

Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.

"And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Luke 1:43

I'm not ignorant of the verse you cite so your accusation doesn't fly...

However, ignorance of context is just plain ignorance...

You want to show us where Mary was present as the mother of God before the world was created??? What??? You can't??? Oooh, it's just a fable, I mean tradition, in your religion...Don't need any scripture for that, do we...

[narses]

Did not Our Lord obey His Mother?