“What a paradoxical miracle! * For the fountain of life * is consigned to a tomb, * and the grave now becomes a ladder to heaven above. * Be glad, O Gethsemane, * the holy shrine of the blessed Mother of God. * With Gabriel as our chief, * come, O believers, and let us cry out to her: * Lady full of grace, rejoice, * for the Lord is with you, * and through your intercessions * He bestows great mercy on the world.
Similar quotes
“the Virgin Mary is our help before God and only her name gladdens the soul. But also all heaven and all earth rejoice with her love. Wondrous and incomprehensible miracle. She lives in the heavens and sees unceasingly the glory of God, but she does not forget us poor, and embraces with her mercy all the earth and all the peoples
“At the centre of today’s feast stands a tomb, yet the Church does not call us to sorrow, but to joy. The Apostles are gathered around the body of the Mother of God, yet the feast’s hymns speak of life. A separation takes place, yet the Church proclaims a reunion.
“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.
“while death ordinarily brings sorrow, the Church celebrates the Dormition with joy because the Mother of God, having been translated to heaven, continues to intercede with her Son for all humanity
“Seeing the grace of the secret mysteries of God made manifest and clearly fulfilled in the Virgin, I rejoice; and I know not how to understand the strange and secret manner whereby the Undefiled has been revealed AS ALONE CHOSEN ABOVE ALL CREATION, VISIBLE AND SPIRITUAL. Therefore, wishing to praise Her, I am struck dumb with amazement in both mind and speech. Yet still I dare to proclaim and magnify Her: She is indeed the Heavenly Tabernacle
“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
“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!
