On August 28, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The very word "dormition" means "sleep." This is how the Church calls the death of the Mother of God, reminding us that for a Christian, death is not a disappearance or a final separation, but a transition from earthly life to eternal life.
The Holy Scriptures do not tell about the last years of the Most Holy Theotokos. The events of Her Dormition are known to us from church Tradition. After the Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God lived mainly in Jerusalem. She stayed with the apostles, prayed, strengthened the first Christians, and testified about Her Divine Son.
One day, during prayer, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Blessed Virgin, the same heavenly messenger who had once brought Her the good news of the Savior's birth. Now he announced that in three days Her earthly life would end. However, this news did not frighten the Virgin. She accepted him with joy and humility, because the long-awaited meeting with the Lord, Whom She loved more than anything in the world, was approaching.
Before Her death, the Mother of God wished to say goodbye to the apostles. At that time, they were in different countries preaching the gospel, but the Lord miraculously gathered them in Jerusalem. Only the Apostle Thomas did not have time to arrive.
The disciples of Christ gathered in the house of the Apostle John the Theologian, to whom the Savior, dying on the Cross, entrusted the care of His Mother. There they witnessed the peaceful and blessed death of the Blessed Virgin. Church tradition tells us that Christ Himself, surrounded by angels, appeared to receive Her immaculate soul and lead her to heavenly mansions.
The apostles reverently carried the body of the Mother of God to the burial place in Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where Her parents, the righteous Joachim and Anna, and the righteous Joseph the Betrothed, rested. The funeral procession was accompanied by the singing of psalms and the light of many lamps.
Legend tells us that one of the opponents of the Christian faith tried to overturn the Virgin's bed, but was miraculously stopped. Realizing what he had done, he repented, confessed his faith in Christ, and was healed. This episode reminds us that even a grave sin can be forgiven if a person's repentance is sincere.
Three days later, the Apostle Thomas arrived in Jerusalem. He grieved that he did not have time to say goodbye to the Mother of God, and asked to open the tomb. When the apostles entered the burial cave, the body of the Blessed Virgin was no longer there. Only the funerary veils remained in the tomb, from which the fragrance emanated.
Church tradition testifies that on the same day the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to the apostles, surrounded by angels, and addressed them with words of consolation: "Rejoice! I am with you all the days." In this way, the disciples of Christ became convinced that death had not separated the Mother of God from the Church. She stays close to everyone who turns to Her with prayer, comforting the grieving and helping people on their way to Christ.
It is no coincidence that the Dormition is called "little Easter." The resurrection of Christ destroyed the power of death and opened the way for man to eternal life. The Lord himself likened death to sleep. Of Jairus' daughter, He said, "The virgin is not dead, but sleeps" (Matthew 9:23-24), and before Lazarus' resurrection, he told his disciples, "Lazarus, our friend, has fallen asleep, but I am going to wake him" (John 11:11).
The Feast of the Dormition combines quiet sorrow and light joy. The apostles said goodbye to the Mother of God, but this farewell did not become an eternal separation. Having completed her earthly journey, the Blessed Virgin entered into the fullness of life with Christ.
Her Dormition testifies to each of us: death does not have the last word. The resurrection of Christ became a victory over it for all those who unite their lives with the Lord, believe in Him and try to follow His commandments. Therefore, on the day of the Dormition, the Church not only remembers the death of the Mother of God, but also celebrates the victory of eternal life, a victory that was granted by Christ to all mankind.