“She who received God into her body is now received by God into His Kingdom

“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!

Archbishop Elpidophoros of America ›

His Eminence Archbishop

Direct quote

“the Theotokos desires the salvation of all people and their participation in the eternal joy of the Kingdom of the Holy Trinity

Patriarch Daniel ›

Reported

“Although the Mother of God passes through death and is then taken up to heaven in body as well as in soul, she remains forever present in the world through her prayers

Patriarch Daniel ›

Patriarch

Direct quote

“Although the Mother of God was humble throughout her life, she was not absent. Just as the Ascension of the Lord did not mean, and did not remain, an absence from the midst of the Church, so too the passing of the Mother of God from this life into eternity did not result in an absence

“eschatological revelation of the destiny of human nature within the grace of God.

“Our faith is that, like the Mother of God, by being filled with Christ and receiving God within us, we pass from death to life.

“The Panagia thus reveals that the ultimate destiny of the human person is not merely moral improvement, but deification—the participation, by grace, in the life of God,