The Mother of God, Our Mother – Fr. Pimen Vlad

Listen to a word from heart to heart by Father Pimen Vlad about the Mother of God on the occasion of the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.

Enjoy!

Here we are again, my dear ones! The noise here is a bit much; I’m somewhere in the forests of Romania, but close to the road because I left the car on the side of the road… and I couldn’t resist telling you a few things.

The Dormition of the Mother of God is in a few days. Even though I’m late, I hope Father Theologos can post this, just a few words, that I’m about to tell you. Although I haven’t had a chance to record a video until now, I will still say a few things about the Mother of God.

I cannot let time pass and not say something specific to the Mother of God at her great feast, at the Dormition of the Mother of God, of our beloved Mother that never abandons us, never leaves us, never forgets about us, never lies to us and loves us with a maternal, perfect love. That’s why, in any situation, let’s call out to the Theotokos with all our hearts, for she will never leave us. She never leaves us! She is the best, most loving mother, who always cared and cares for us and will continue to do so.

We see, now it’s her Dormition. Through all that she endured until the Dormition, we see all the suffering of a mother. Through what she went through, from the very beginning, at the Annunciation, when she uttered the greatest words, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord! Be it to me according to Your word.” From there, going further, until being entrusted to the care of Joseph, who was already very old, (not as some say). He was an elder with a holy life and she was entrusted to him by the ordinance of God.

Then came all the others: The birth of the Savior, the flight to Egypt, the whole journey, that suffering, riding on a donkey, the return, witnessing the Savior grow, seeing her Son beaten, tortured, spat upon, and ultimately crucified. How much suffering the Mother of God endured through it all! And after this she experienced the joy of the Resurrection, seeing the Savior risen as God. Later, she too went out to preach, after she was entrusted to the care of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John. We see that after a while the time came for her departure from this world.

The Savior appeared to her and told her He was coming to take her. She prayed, and the apostles, from far and wide, were brought back on clouds, except for the Holy Apostle Thomas, whom God used at certain times: We see that he assured us of the Savior’s resurrection by touching His rib, the wound, and His hands with his own finger. This was so that we would be assured the Savior is truly risen. For more assurance, so to speak. Similarly now, when the Apostles were brought on clouds, only Holy Apostle Thomas was absent, being in India at the time.

When the Mother of God lay on her bed, bidding farewell to all her loved ones around, she peacefully entrusted her soul to the Savior, who had come to take it. It is said that after that the apostles went in procession from the house of Holy Apostle and Evangelist John to Gethsemane to carry the body of the Mother of God. With reverence, with procession, they carried her with great honor. It was the body of the Mother of God! And not just the Mother of God, but the Mother of us all.

It is said that when they were going to the tomb where the body was to be laid, the enemy could not bear it and he incited two Jews of that time, some of those filled with hatred for the Savior and the Mother of God, and they rushed to overturn the cart bearing her body. The moment they touched it, the Holy Archangel Michael, who was standing there, cut their hands with his sword, and the arms from the elbows down remained hanging from the cart carrying the body of the Mother of God. Then, screaming in pain, they realized they had been punished by an unseen hand, for they could not see the archangel, and they began to ask for forgiveness. Then, the Mother of God, who is the Mother of Mercy, did not abandon them and through the Holy Apostles, their arms were brought close, and in that moment, the arms stuck together and they were healed. And the two believed in the Savior, became Christians, and were proclaiming the miracle. Do you see how the love of the Theotokos worked, how she didn’t let them be lost?

After that, she was taken to the tomb, laid in the tomb with honor, and after three days, the good God ordained for the Holy Apostle Thomas to come on the cloud too. It is said that just as he arrived, he saw the Mother of God being taken up into heaven by the Savior, and she cast her omophorion to him. And when he arrived he said “I want to see the body of the Mother of God and say goodbye.” He wanted to make sure that she had truly ascended to heaven with her body, as he had seen. When he opened the tomb with the Holy Apostles, the body was no longer there, as a confirmation that she went through death, but her body could not fall into decay because she had given birth to God. So then, she was taken up to heaven with her body. Her body became a spiritual body.

Do you see what wonderful things? We call it the Dormition of the Theotokos but actually, it’s her ascent to heaven. From there, she has more power, more boldness before God, and she helps us a lot more. That is why we should always ask for her help, cry out to her, and she will never leave us. I wanted to tell you these few words about the Mother of God so that you may put your hope in her, even if it was brief, from the side of the road, from here at the edge of a forest, from our beautiful forests of the Moldova region.

May the Mother of God help us and watch over us always! Lord, help us!

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