Ο Δημητριάδος Ιγνάτιος σε 60’’ - Εορτή Κοιμήσεως της Θεοτόκου - Pemptousia

“Many blessed years! The Panagia (Virgin Mary), like every mother, calls us to her home. She wants us to be near her, because it is a falling asleep (dormition) and not a death, and she wants us to live in joy and not in sorrow. She herself knows pain, and therefore she comforts everyone who suffers. She said a few words, just as she did in Cana, where she wanted the joy to continue and called her son to perform his first miracle, telling the servants with certainty: 'Do whatever He tells you.' This is why we, too, will listen to her, from her very self, today, because in her icons, she always shows us Christ. She does not want us to look at her. She looks at Him, and she wants us to turn our gaze toward Him as well, yet we feel her presence. We know that she is one of us, from the human race. That is why we feel she is our own, and she also knows how to pray for us. She has shown us through her stance that our hands should be hands of supplication and prayer, not fists for violence, nor should we let them fall down in despair. The Panagia gives courage, strength, and hope to all people. Come, let us celebrate her as she deserves! As we deserve, and this year, in fact, it is evident, we will all celebrate together. The Panagia unites us! Orthodoxy is our strength. Christ, whom the Panagia brought into the world for us, is our Savior and Redeemer.”