What does the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos mean. Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin according to the Orthodox calendar

- one of the twelve great (twelve) holidays of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is celebrated on August 28 (August 15, old style).

On this day, the Orthodox Church commemorates the death (Assumption) Mother of God- an event colored at the same time with sadness, because this is the day of the end life path Theotokos, and the joy of uniting her with her son Jesus Christ.

On the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos after Death on the Cross and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Sacred Tradition tells. The Most Pure Virgin was at that time in Jerusalem, later moved with the Apostle John the Theologian to Ephesus, where she visited the righteous Lazarus in Cyprus and Mount Athos, which she blessed as her inheritance. Shortly before her death, the Mother of God returned to Jerusalem, where she visited the places with which the most important events in the life of her divine Son are connected: Bethlehem, Golgotha, the Holy Sepulcher, Gethsemane, and the Olives. There she prayed fervently.

On one of these visits to Golgotha, the Archangel Gabriel appeared before her and announced her imminent migration from this life to the Heavenly life. As a pledge, the Archangel handed her a palm branch. With this message, the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with three virgins serving her - Zipporah, Evigey and Zoila. Then she summoned the righteous Joseph of Arimathea and the disciples of Jesus Christ, to whom she announced her imminent death.

The Mother of God bequeathed her meager property to the widows who served her and commanded to bury herself in Gethsemane, next to the graves of her righteous parents and righteous Joseph the Betrothed.

On the day of the Assumption of the Virgin, in a miraculous way in Jerusalem, almost all the apostles who had previously dispersed to different countries with the mission of preaching the Word of God. The apostle Paul was the last to arrive. Only the apostle Thomas was absent.

Suddenly a light shone, obscuring the lamps, the roof of the upper room opened, and Jesus Christ descended with many angels. The Most Holy Theotokos turned to him with a prayer of thanks and asked to bless all those who honor her memory. Then the Mother of God joyfully gave her soul into the hands of Christ, and immediately the angelic singing was heard.

With lighted lamps, with the singing of psalms, the apostles buried the Mother of God, as she commanded, in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the cave where the bodies of her parents were buried. After the funeral, the apostles remained at the cave for another three days and prayed.

On the third day, the apostle Thomas, who was late for the burial, reached Jerusalem. Wanting to say goodbye to the Blessed Virgin, he entered the cave and found it empty. The body of the Blessed Virgin was not there, only one burial shroud remained. The amazed apostles returned to the house and prayed to God to let them know what had become of the body of the Mother of God. In the evening of the same day, the Mother of God herself appeared to the apostles who had gathered for supper and said: "Rejoice! I am with you - all the days."

In honor of this event, on August 27, during the evening service in all churches, the Shroud with the image of the Mother of God is taken out of the altar and placed in the middle of the temple. The shroud is located in the middle of the temple until the burial, when it religious procession carried around the church.

The Orthodox Church calls the demise of the Mother of God the Assumption, and not death, because death, as the return of her body to the earth, and the return of her spirit to God, did not touch her. She only fell asleep in order to awaken at the same moment for eternal life and after three days with an incorruptible body move into a heavenly incorruptible dwelling.

A temple was built at the burial site of the Mother of God in Gethsemane in the 5th century. There is a legend that a basilica was built here earlier by the holy queen Helena. In 614 the temple was destroyed, but the tomb of the Mother of God survived. Most of the modern building dates back to the time of the Crusaders. This is an underground temple, into which 50 steps lead, with the side-chapels of Saints Joachim and Anna, parents of the Mother of God, and Joseph the Betrothed, located on the sides of the stairs. The temple has a cruciform shape: in the center is the tomb of the Virgin with two entrances. It is here, according to tradition, before the feast of the Dormition from Little Gethsemane near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, by the procession of the cross, the Orthodox carry the Shroud of the Most Holy Theotokos along the same path that the apostles once carried the body of the Mother of God to burial.

The veneration of the Virgin Mary in the early Christian era is evidenced by an inscription in one of the Nazareth churches of the 2nd century, as well as frescoes in the catacombs.

In the 5th century Anatoly of Constantinople, in the 8th century Saints John of Damascus and Cosmas of Maium, in the 9th Theophanes of Nicaea wrote the canons for the day of the Assumption, which the church now sings on this day. In the songs of the canon, the day of the Assumption is called famous, solemn and Divine feast... Besides,

The Dormition of the Mother of God in the Orthodox Church is praised with a special akathist in honor of this event.

In Russia, the Assumption has long been one of the most beloved holidays: since the time of Saint Prince Vladimir, Assumption churches began to be built everywhere - the first cathedral church in Kiev, the Tithe Church, was dedicated XIV century The Dormition churches were the main ones in Suzdal, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Zvenigorod and in Moscow, where the Kremlin's Assumption Cathedral became the main temple of the Russian Orthodox Church, in which all Russian tsars and emperors were crowned tsars, and during the time of the patriarchate patriarchs were enthroned.

In honor of the Assumption of the Virgin, many villages in Russia. The village of Uspensky is even near Karaganda in Kazakhstan.

Uspensky is one of the most common Russian surnames.

The feast of the harvested harvest was timed to coincide with the day of the Assumption of the Virgin in Russia. On this day, the farewell to summer took place - the meeting of autumn - the first autumn. Since the Dormition was considered the last summer day, the holiday ended with the fact that that evening in the huts for the first time they "blew up the fire" - they lit a torch, lamp or candle and sat down to dine in the light. With the Assumption, the preparation of various supplies for the winter began. As a sign of the death of the Mother of God in some villages, elderly women dressed in black clothes, thus commemorating the Mother of God.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

The word "Assumption" means the moment of death, death and ascension of both spirit and body to Heaven into the kingdom of God.

The history of the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary itself is given in the book "The Second word of praise on the Dormition of the Mother of God "John Damascene. He wrote that little facts are known about how the Mother of God died, but it is known that the singing of Angels was heard at the place where the coffin was located for three days, and when the voices died down and the coffin was opened, the body of the Blessed Virgin was not found.

The name of the holiday used to be different and changed several times:

1. "Blessed Memory". Under this name, the date appeared, which is celebrated from the 5th century to the present day.
2. "Feast of the death of the Mother of God." This name was in the 4th century. It was celebrated on August 15th.
3. Now it bears the name "Dormition of the Mother of God" and the date is set for August 28.

Before this day, the second most stringent (after the Great) is observed for two weeks. Assumption Fast.

Having rested, the Mother of God left the people to all the one and only commandment that everyone should fulfill what Christ said. So that people were only "listeners" to listen and fulfill what the Son of God bequeathed. She herself, all her life, “put” everything that Christ said to her soul, like “treasures” in a casket and said that everyone should live like this.

Celebration traditions in the church

The Dormition is characterized in the church by one day of the celebration itself and 8 days of the so-called post-feast day. On these days, the priests in the church dress in elegant blue-colored clothes.

On special place in the center of the temple, a Shroud is erected with the image of the face of the Mother of God, to which parishioners come to bow and pray.

The 2nd and 3rd days are marked in the temples by the fact that they carry out the rite of burial with the censing of the Shroud. Then the coming Christians are anointed with oil.

Worldly traditions and signs on this day

The celebration of the Assumption coincides with the very height of the harvest and most of the signs and traditions are associated with the harvest, but not only. There are several traditions that have come to our time from antiquity:

• August 28 is the day of breaking the fast after fasting in honor of the Assumption. Housewives usually prepare meals for the household and for those in need;
• on this day, since ancient times, it has been customary to complete the harvest and harvest for the winter;
• young guys woo this day.

On this day, men and women usually pray to the Holy Virgin Mary for family happiness, and girls ask to meet a guy, a good and kind groom. It is customary to thank Holy Mother of God for the harvested crop, peace in families, for everything that happened in a year. This Holy holiday it is customary to spend with family, with mothers in good conversations, help, in a calm pleasant mood.

The Orthodox have noticed that some natural phenomena on this holiday can indicate what kind of autumn or winter will be and what will happen in the future.

Here are some signs on the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos:

• rain foreshadows a dry autumn;
• the establishment of warm and mild weather from this day speaks of the coming frosty and little snow winter;
• if the girl did not meet love before the Assumption, then she will spend the coming winter alone;
• a lot of cobwebs indicate that next winter promises to be frosty and non-snowy;
• if you pickle cucumbers on this day for the winter, then they will not mold;
• fog on the Assumption indicates a possible good harvest of autumn mushrooms;
• if the water in a river or lake is agitated on a holiday, then autumn will be with rains, and winter with snow;
• to complete all your affairs by this day and have time to help loved ones and those in need was considered from ancient times to be a good omen for the whole next year;
• a leg injury, even the smallest that day, was considered a bad sign.

Interesting! Earlier, in ancient Russia from the 5th century, the year ended in August and the Assumption was the final holiday. Therefore, people gave great importance this day and all the signs were based on the fact that this day determined the next year, since the beginning of the year was from September 1.

People noticed what should not be done at the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in order for the year to be successful:

• you should not wear shoes that you just purchased or those that are uncomfortable so that the year is not unsuccessful and does not bring discomfort;
• on this day it is highly discouraged to scold and say curse words, offend loved ones;
• in order not to offend the Mother of God and mother earth, it is forbidden on this day to walk barefoot on the ground, stick sharp objects into the soil.

Although the church does not support fortune-telling, in any form, the girls on this day could make a fortune-telling on the groom and used the methods of fortune-telling in sand and water in order to see the future of the betrothed.

An important and solemn day in Orthodox world is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. For believers, this is truly a holiday, since the Mother of God was accepted into heaven.

For Orthodox people death is not the end of life, but the liberation of the soul from sins, resurrection, cleansing, therefore the Dormition is really a holiday and every believer should know its date. The Virgin Mary prayed that she would quickly see her son and be with him all the time. Her prayers were answered and one day she was taken up to heaven.

We offer you to find out the history of the holiday, its traditions and find out the answer to the question: what date is the Assumption in 2017.

The holiday is celebrated annually on 28 August and this year there will be no exception. The day is preceded by the Dormition Fast and lasts 14 days.

Assumption Fast begins on August 14, 2017 and ends on August 27, 2017. This fast was established before the great feasts of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Dormition of the Mother of God.

This is the shortest multi-day fast of the year. o By its severity, the Dormition Fast is equated to Holy Week Great Lent. But despite this, he is considered among the Orthodox and the lightest: both short and sweet.

The easiest one - because the Mother of God makes sure that the yoke of Christ is easy for us. And he cares about our body as well as about our soul.

The sweetest because this Fast begins with the consecration of honey, and then - the consecration of the fruits: so that through the sweetness that the Lord gives to the body, we taste and see how good the Lord is.

On August 14, the first day of the Dormition Lent, the Cross of Christ will be worn out for worship. As once in Old Testament a tree descended into the bitter waters of Marah at the word of the Lord, and they became sweet, so the bitterness of our life - from the touch of the Cross of Christ to it - may change into sweetness.

August 14 is the day of the Baptism of Rus. And baptism is just such an immersion in the water of the cross - the grace of Christ when the mystery of the Cross is revealed. And whoever recognizes her is ready to bring everything to the Lord - both his life and his death, in order to always be with Him. Therefore, the Holy Martyrs (on the Icons - they are always with the Cross in hand) go ahead of everyone in the host of the Saints. Our Russian Church, like no other, is glorified for the exploits of martyrdom. And in her there has always been a special veneration of the Mother of God, Her Holy Dormition, to which many Monasteries have been dedicated since ancient times. In the Dormition of the Mother of God, as in the Lord's Easter, death - what is considered the greatest sorrow - becomes the greatest joy.

There is a pious custom by the Dormition fasting daily to read the Akathist to the Dormition or to perform Paraclisis - the prayer singing of the Canon to the Most Holy Theotokos "The water has passed, as I dry ...".

On the Dormition Fast, we thank God that we are approaching the end of the summer, and we ask Him. to enable us to spend the autumn in peace and serenity. The Mother of God in the Assumption was saved from the destruction of the body and ascended with Her resurrected body into the Kingdom of God. Likewise, on the Feast of the Assumption, we tea the resurrection of the dead and our eternal stay with the Mother of God where the Risen Christ is.

Also, on August 14, a small consecration of water is performed in churches, therefore often the Honey Savior is called the Savior on the Water. Believers on this day last time they swam in rivers and lakes a year, thus washing off all sins. According to tradition, after the beginning of the Dormition Lent, they no longer bathed.

If you carefully study the history, you can understand that a lot was written and said words about the Virgin Mary in the period before the conception of Jesus Christ and before his crucifixion. When he was crucified on the cross, his mother did not leave him, held his hand and felt all his suffering. The Virgin Mary believed that only the body had died and that very soon she would meet her son.

Years passed, Mary lived in the care of John's family, but Mary was not at rest. She often came to the place where her son was tormented, visited the cave where he ascended and asked for death in order to meet with her son. And the Lord heard Mary and in a moment all the disciples of Jesus Christ gathered around her from all over the world, they suffered, feeling that the Virgin Mary would soon leave. Mary promised to pray and protect everyone.

Instantly the room became too light, Christ appeared with the angels and symbolically took her soul to take to heaven. Maria died asleep. For her, it was a joyful event, she fell asleep, and from there and "dormition". Mary was taken to the tomb, and her husband also rested there. The apostles stayed near the tomb for three days and prayed. The Apostle Thomas did not have time to be buried and was very saddened by this. Then the other apostles allowed to bow to the Mother of God and opened the entrance to the tomb. Opening the coffin, they saw that Mary's body was not there. She, like her son, ascended to heaven. It is believed that Mary did not die, but fell asleep and woke up to eternal life. The apostles raised their heads to heaven and saw Mary smiling there, who once again promised to pray for everyone. It was a miracle, just like the virgin birth.

It is worth noting that the holiday itself was previously called not the Dormition, but "Blessed Memory", later it was called as "The Feast of the Death of the Mother of God."

Feast of the Assumption - signs, customs, traditions:

In Orthodoxy, the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin belongs to the twelve and has certain rules and traditions. On this day, as on other major church holidays you cannot work, although there are some points that we will talk about later.

Before that day comes, it is necessary to fast, attend church, receive communion, and repent. On the day of the Assumption, they pray to the Mother of God, ask for health, prosperity, family happiness. The girls asked the Virgin Mary to send them a good groom, a child. If the Assumption falls on Friday or Wednesday, then you can taste some fish. The conversation will be rescheduled for the next day. If the date of the holiday falls on some other days, that is, you can do whatever you want.

On this day, it is customary to gather with the whole family, spend time with mothers. It is not customary to grieve, swear, take offense at the Assumption, on the contrary, on this day they give each other happiness, goodness, smiles, and a good mood.

On this day, according to custom, the harvest ended, so the end of the successful harvest was celebrated on the Assumption. They thanked the Mother of God for a good harvest and prosperity in the house. Seeds and ears of wheat are brought to the Church for the Assumption to consecrate them. There was a tradition to dress up a sheaf in a dress and put it under the icon.

Previously, it was believed that it was with the Assumption that the Indian summer began, so they carefully watched the weather changes. If a rainbow appeared on August 28, then wait for a warm autumn. But if the weather is good on this day, then the Indian summer will not be very warm.

If you notice a lot of cobwebs in the house or shed, then this means that the winter will be free of snow and frosty.

We looked at the Assumption for water: if it is worried, then wait for autumn windy, and winter - snowy.

If you noticed frost already on August 28, then expect early frosts, the autumn will be short.

From the Assumption, they began harvesting various nuts and mushrooms for the winter. By the way, if it is foggy on the Assumption, then expect a good harvest of mushrooms.

Hostesses on the Assumption always salted cucumbers for the winter. It was believed that they would not be moldy and would be well preserved.

The girls had a sign that if you did not look after a groom on the Assumption, then you could sit for a boyfriend all winter. The guys tried to make an offer to the chosen girl as soon as possible in order to have time to get married.

The church does not support all kinds of fortune-telling, but on this day, young women read fortune-telling in sand and wax to see their future.

On this day, women lay down on the ground and rolled on it, asking them to regain strength and good spirits.

After the Assumption - on August 29, the Nut Savior is celebrated. They also call it bread. It is on this day that the nuts ripen completely and they can be harvested. In addition, on this day, bread and pies from the new harvest were baked.

What they don't do for the Assumption:

As with many church holidays, there are certain prohibitions on the day of the Assumption.

Firstly, on this day in no way quarrel with loved ones, especially with mothers.

It is believed that you cannot walk on the Assumption with bare feet. People have noticed that this can lead to disease. On this day, they put on comfortable shoes that could not rub or press on their feet.

According to different sources is and miscellaneous information about whether it is possible to work that day. Some sources say that it is categorically impossible, while others say that, on the contrary, they finish all important matters on this day. Especially, you can work if the activity is related to helping people.

They do not take piercing objects on this day - it was believed that this could lead to trouble. Thus, no knives, no scissors, no needles were used on the Assumption. And on this day, it was impossible to stick a knife into the ground.

It was considered a serious sin on this day to drop bread or crumbs of bread that was consecrated in the church.

It was believed that girls were not supposed to cut their hair on the Assumption, let alone throw it away. It was believed that such actions could cause the tears of the Mother of God.

In order not to attract various misfortunes and diseases to your home, you cannot kindle a fire on this day.

Interesting Facts about the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin:

Many icons, paintings, poems, songs are dedicated to the Feast of the Assumption. Temples are named in honor of this day, settlements, streets. By the way, Asuncion - the capital of Paraguay - is named precisely in honor of the Assumption of the Virgin, because the word is translated from Spanish as "Assumption".

Michelangelo da Caravaggio painted the painting "The Death of Mary" commissioned by the papal lawyer Laerzo Cerubini. It was intended for the family church of Santa Maria della Scala. The priests rejected the picture because of the inappropriate posture of the Virgin Mary, as well as because she was depicted as dead, and not as a woman who was miraculously lifted up to heaven, beautiful and peaceful. But Rubens saw in the picture one of best works Michelangelo.

The largest altarpiece in Venice is the work of Titian - "The Dormition of the Virgin". The picture consists of several levels, has bright colors, unusual postures and actions of the apostles and the Virgin Mary. This work immediately attracted the attention of many people, and Titian became very popular.

The classic icon dedicated to the Assumption looks like this: in the center of the canvas there is a bed covered with a purple veil, the body of the Mother of God lies on it, the apostles are around. Behind the couch is Jesus, who holds the holy soul of Mary in his hands. In addition, angels fly over the Virgin Mary and the Savior, witnessing this important event... It is believed that this is the simplest ancient depiction of the Assumption. Later, the creators of the icons began to expand the storyline.

Descriptions of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary are written in the form of apocrypha. In the Bible, however, such information is completely absent.

Catholic Church talks about the Assumption with an emphasis on the ascension of the Mother of God to heaven and her coronation as the Queen of Heaven.

At the burial place of the Virgin in Jerusalem, solemn events are held on the day of the Assumption.

What you can eat in the Assumption Lent:

According to the church charter, people who adhere to the Dormition Fast must follow the following food restrictions:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday during the Dormition Fast is dry eating.On dry eating days, you can eat the following foods: dry unleavened bread (rusks), raw vegetables, fruits and dried fruits, honey, nuts, water, salt is allowed from seasonings.

Fasting Tuesday and Thursday - hot food without oil.On these days, you can eat dishes cooked on fire and without eating. vegetable oil... Such dishes include vegetable and mushroom soups, tea, coffee, compotes, decoctions.

Saturday and Sunday during the Dormition Lent- it is allowed to eat vegetable oil and wine.

August 19, the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, it is allowed to eat Fish and seafood.

If the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary falls on Wednesday or Friday, then the breaking of the fast is postponed to the next day, and on August 28 it is allowed to eat fish and seafood.

Is it possible to have a wedding during the Dormition Lent?

As you know, August is the most favorable time for weddings. This month accounts for almost half of all marriages performed throughout the year. However, if you have a wedding planned for August, be sure to play it either before the 14th or after the 28th.

Wedding at the Assumption Lent, and even more so, a wedding is considered a great sin. After all, fasting is a time of prayer, repentance, abstinence not only from certain foods, but also from various pleasures, including marital intimacy. Old people say that young people who were married during fasting never live together for a long time.

The full name of the holiday is the Dormition of the Most Holy Lady of our Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

What does the word "Assumption" mean

"Assumption" is obsolete word... Translated into modern Russian it means "death, end."

What is the Assumption of the Virgin

The full name of the holiday is the Dormition of the Most Holy Lady of our Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. This is one of the twelve Orthodox holidays... The twelve feasts are dogmatically closely connected with the events of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God and are divided into Lord's (dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ) and Theotokos (dedicated to the Mother of God). The Dormition is a feast of the Theotokos.

The holiday that is celebrated in the Russian Orthodox Church August 28 New Style (August 15 Old Style), erected in memory of the death of the Mother of God. Christians are led to him by a two-week Dormition Fast, which is comparable in severity to Great Lent. It is interesting that the Dormition is the last twelveth feast of the Orthodox church year (ending on September 13 in the new style).

When the Assumption of the Virgin is celebrated

The feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on August 28 in a new style. He has 1 forefeast day and 9 afterfeast days. Forefeast - one or several days before a big holiday, the services of which already include prayers dedicated to the upcoming celebrated event. Accordingly, afterfeast is the same days after the holiday.

What can you eat for the Assumption of the Virgin

August 28, on the feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God, if it falls on Wednesday or Friday, you can eat fish. In this case, breaking the fast is postponed to the next day. But if the Assumption falls on other days of the week, then there is no fast. In 2016, the feast of the Assumption is not a fast day.

Events of the Assumption of the Virgin

Everything that we know about the death of the Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ is drawn from Church Tradition. In the canonical texts, we will not read anything about how and under what circumstances the Mother of God departed to the Lord and was buried. Tradition is one of the sources of our creed, together with the Holy Scriptures.

From the New Testament we learn that the Savior, crucified on the cross, asked his closest disciple - the Apostle John the Theologian - to take care of Mary: Seeing the mother and the disciple standing here, whom he loved, he says to His Mother: Wife! Behold, your son. Then he says to the disciple: behold, thy Mother! And from that time this disciple took her to him (John 19: 26-27). After the crucifixion of Christ, the Mother of God, together with the disciples of her Son, was in prayer and fasting. On the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles (Pentecost), she also received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In written records starting from the 4th century, we find references to how the Mother of God lived further. Most authors write that she was physically delighted (that is, taken) from earth to heaven. It happened like this. Three days before the death of the Mother of God, the Archangel Gabriel appeared and announced the upcoming Assumption. At that time she was in Jerusalem. Everything happened exactly as the Archangel said. After the death of the Most Pure Virgin, the apostles buried her body in Gethsemane, in the same place where the parents of the Mother of God and her husband, righteous Joseph, rested. The ceremony was attended by everyone except the Apostle Thomas. On the third day after the burial, Thomas wanted to see her coffin. The coffin was opened, but the body of the Mother of God was no longer in it - only her shroud.

History of the celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin

Reliable information about the history of the feast of the Assumption begins only from the end of the 6th century. Most church historians believe that the holiday was established under the Byzantine emperor of Mauritius, who ruled in 592-602. Most likely, before this time, the Assumption was in Constantinople a local, that is, not a general church holiday.

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh: Sermon on the Dormition of the Mother of God (28 August 1981)

We celebrate our patronal feast today; we all stand before the one and only throne that exists: the throne on which our God sits; but as said in Holy Scripture God rests in the saints: not only in holy places, but in the heart and mind of those purified by exploit and grace, in the life and in the very flesh of the saints.

And today we celebrate the day of the Assumption of the Most Holy All Saints - the Mother of God. She fell asleep in the sleep of the earth; but as She was alive to the very depths of Her nature, so She remained alive: a living soul that ascended to the throne of God, a living and resurrected body of Her, to whom She now stands and prays for us. Indeed, She is the throne of grace; the Living God dwelt in Her, in Her womb He was, as on the throne of His glory. And with what gratitude, with what amazement we think of Her: the Source of life, Life-Giving Source, as the Church calls Her, glorifying Her in one of the icons, - the Life-giving Source, the Mother of God, ends Her earthly life surrounded by the tremulous love of all.

But what does She leave us? There is only one commandment and one wonderful example. The commandment is the words that She said to the servants in Cana of Galilee: Whatever Christ said, do it ... And they did it; and the waters of ablution became the good wine of the kingdom of God. She leaves this commandment to each of us: understand, each of us, the word of Christ, listen to it and do not be only a listener, but fulfill it, and then everything earthly will become heavenly, eternal, transformed and glorified ...

And She left us an example: it is said about Her in the Gospel, that every word about Christ and, of course, every word of Christ, She put into Her heart as a treasure, as the most precious thing that She had ...

We will begin to learn to listen in the same way that they listen with all our love and all our reverence, to listen attentively to every word of the Savior. The Gospel says a lot; but the heart of each of us responds to one thing and then to another; and what my or your heart responded to is the word spoken by the Savior Christ to you and to me personally ... And we need to preserve this word as a path of life, as a point of contact between us and God, as a sign of our kinship and intimacy with Him.

And if we live this way, listen this way, put the word of Christ in our hearts like sowing a seed into a plowed land, then what Elizabeth said to the Mother of God when She came to her will be fulfilled over us: Blessed is she who believed, for everything will be fulfilled. what was said to you from the Lord ... May it be with us; let the Mother of God be our example; let us accept Her only commandment, and only then will the glorification of Her by us in this holy temple, which was given to Her in her dwelling, be true, because then we will worship God in Her and through Her, both in spirit and in truth. Amen. published