“the conclusion of the fast is more than an occasion for feasting
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“The Church’s fasts are distributed throughout the year so that each season has its own particular rule of abstinence. Thus, for spring there is the spring fast, Great Lent; for summer, the summer fast at Pentecost; for autumn, the autumn fast in the seventh month; and for winter, the winter fast.
“Tomorrow we transit from the Fast to the Feast of the Dormition, our solemn observance of her passage from death to eternal life
“the Feast of the Dormition, celebrated during the final month of the ecclesiastical year, reminds Christians both of the final days of earthly life and of the end of history
“the gathering, just days before the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, allowed those present to share not only in the Patriarch’s joy but also in his profound longing to return to his native island.
“Tomorrow we transit from the Fast to the Feast of the Dormition, our solemn observance of her passage from death to eternal life. Our cessation from fasting is more than an occasion for feasting. Our embrace of the Virgin’s crossing over into the infinite Kingdom of God is an acknowledgment of our own destiny. She traverses perfectly the Way, the Truth, and the Life, pointing us in the direction of eternity. She is the model for every one of us, for within her holy womb, she bore the Lord Incarnate, and in our lives, we are also called to bring forth the Lord Christ through our thoughts, our intentions, and our actions. May our celebrations of her Holy Dormition be a renewal of our own journey heavenward, with the Panagia as our guide, our protector, and our most loving Mother. Χρόνια Πολλά!