As preached by Brother Luke
Holy Wisdom Church
In
the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
I remember when my mother died, one of
the letters of condolence that I received began: "Mothers are
special." Of course, everyone is special. Special to us and in God's eyes.
But mother's are in a rarefied category. And it is no surprise that the Mother
of God should be in a special category all by herself. But not out of touch
with us.
On this day of special remembrance of the
Theotokos, her passing into the life beyond this life, we should take time to
consider what she has meant to us as Christians and why her example of faith
can still teach important lessons today.
To begin with, she is one of us. She is
100% human. She doesn't just identify with our circumstances, she participates
in them throughout her life. So when believers pray to her for help she knows
the human condition. She also shows us faith and courage at a young age.
Sometimes we now say that young people today have to grow up fast. Imagine
facing the decision she had to face as a young girl? But she agreed to God's
plan and thereby made possible the incarnation, which opened the door to our
salvation.
As a mother she cared for her son for the
30 years he lived with his family. As all mother's would, she worried for his
welfare, notably when he seemed to be lost in Jerusalem. She listened to her
son and pondered in her heart what he said and what was said to her about him.
And when her son began his ministry, she was with him, notably at the Wedding
at Cana where she prods him to act to save the married couple embarrassment.
And she says to the servants: "Do whatever he tells you to do." A
message for us as well.
She was with those friends who followed
Jesus in his ministry. She stood with him through the trials he suffered, right
to the very end, including standing by him as he died on the cross. She is the
ultimate example of a person of faith, steadfast in fidelity to Jesus. And he
to her. Jesus commended her care to St John and then he received her into his
arms at her passing as the Dormition icon portrays. So we can learn from her
life of faithfulness to Jesus and his gospel message. Her passing forecasts the
destiny to which all believers are called. No wonder she has been an essential
part of Christian piety since the beginning.
Next time you visit our Transfiguration
Temple, take a few moments to contemplate the calendar icon on the south wall.
It is the one from Russia that has images of saints for every day of the year.
But you might also notice that surrounding the calendar of saints are 36 images
of the Theotokos, each one a recreation of a famous icon of the Theotokos. The
message is remarkable. The Theotokos has been a present help and supporter of all
the saints throughout history. Her manifestations in various times and places,
surrounds this cloud of Christian witnesses as it does all of us who inhabit
this world of time and space. And each image of the Theotokos, as is
traditional in Orthodox iconography, includes Christ. This is a double reminder
of the human and divine nature of Jesus. And the ultimate message of our faith
is at the top of the icon, an image of the resurrection of Christ. And none of
this Christian history happens without the Theotokos.
Most
Holy Theotokos, pray for us!
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