Talk on the Dormition of the Theotokos, St. George, Redfern

Father Nektarios commenced his talk by going through the liturgical year and calendar, commenting that the ecclesiastical year commences on September 1st.

The ecclesiastical year revolves around 12 Great Feasts and is notable in two ways – firstly who the Feasts are dedicated to, and secondly, the tempo of the Feasts.

Of the 12 Great Feasts, eight of these are dedicated to Jesus Christ and four are dedicated to the Theotokos. Two of the Feasts dedicated to the Theotokos bookend the ecclesiastical year; the first Great Feast of the year is the Nativity of the Theotokos (September 8th), and the final Great Feast is the Dormition (or repose) of the Theotokos (August 15th).

The Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos commemorates the falling asleep and assumption of the body of the Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary holds a critical and special place in the Tradition of the Orthodox Church, being God Bearer and Intercessor for us with Jesus Christ. When the Lord lay dying on the cross, he saw his mother and St John the beloved, he said to the Virgin Mary “Woman, behold your son” (John 19:26-27). From this point, John took care of the Theotokos as his mother and confirmed that the Theotokos was with the holy apostles at Pentecost.

Three days before the Dormition, the Lord informed her of her falling asleep. She went to pray, at the Mount of Olives, full of joy as she wanted to see her son. She spread news of the dormition- she promised that even though she was leaving them she would continue to intercede on their behalf. As proof of this, she gave a palm branch as a symbol of incorruptibility and victory from the Angel. Many came to witness her Dormition, including Saints and bishops, including Saints John, Saint Paul and Saint Dionysius as were the Old Testament prophets. She was surrounded by archangel Michael and a chorus of angels, and the voices of Angels and people venerated her. Following her repose, the body was taken and lain in a tomb near Gethsemane. She was surrounded by disciples. St Thomas wasn’t there – when he came back three days after her repose he desired to see her body. He wanted to be blessed by her. But the body wasn’t there when they rolled back the stone covering the tomb. She was taken to heaven by the angels (who took her body) and by Jesus Christ (who took her soul).

The Icon of the Dormition of the Theotokos captures this moment beautifully. You can see the Theotokos lying in bed surrounded by disciples, prophets as well as bishops – the bishops can be seen wearing their vestments. St Peter is on the right side of the Lady whereas Saint Paul is bowed down at her feet. The Angels are above, and Jesus Christ can be seen to be carrying a baby – this is the soul of our Lady Theotokos.

The Feast of the Dormition is one of the eternal hope of resurrection and highlights the central role of the Theotokos in our Orthodox Faith. She is the Mother of all; embracing us, her children, and interceding on our behalf with Jesus Christ. The Feast starts on the 1st of August for two weeks; it is a strict fast on most days, with the only exception being fish, which can be eaten on the Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6th).

On a final note, one may ask what the meaning of ‘falling asleep’ is compared to ‘dying’? Falling asleep implies that you will awaken at a point in the future. We expect to wake up. As Christian’s we believe that we all fall asleep, not die. As the lord promised us, there is a second coming and resurrection.

Thank you Fr. Nektarios for your talk and we look forward to our next “guest talk” this coming month. May it be blessed always!

July 30th, 2024