The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary – August 15, 2023Psalm 34; Sirach 24:7-8, 10-15a; Hebrews 4:1-10St. Luke 10:38-42
In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“Brethren, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let
us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.”[1]
The word “dormition” is simply a fancy way to say, “the falling asleep” and in
this case it is a euphemism for death. Other cultures, believers and
unbelievers alike, have compared death to sleep. For the unbeliever, this can
only ever be a euphemism, a nice way to say something unpleasant. For the
Christian, it is a euphemism, but it is also true on its face. When the
Christian dies, she enters rest. Her body is laid in the earth to finish the
decay wrought in the flesh by sin. There is no tension, pain, or stress
remaining in the flesh. It is at rest even as it is returned to dust.
Her soul is taken to the bosom of Christ, her true rest. Here,
the Christian knows rest like she’s never known before. All tears, worries,
cares, and anxieties are wiped away. All that she now knows is peace and joy.
All of you have the promise of this peace and rest at this
very moment. By virtue of your Holy Baptism, by being placed into the name of
Jesus, you have been given the promise of eternal rest with Christ. This
promise does come with a warning. The promise cannot be taken from you, but you
can forfeit it. You can give up your claim to the promise. This happens when
you stop paying attention to the promise and to the One who has given that
promise to you.
In the Gospel, we heard of Mary and Martha—Mary who chose to listen attentively to Jesus and Martha who busied herself with much serving.[2] I’m still not convinced this is the same Mary that bore our Lord, but she exhibits the same type of faith as the Blessed Virgin. Both understand the importance of the Word of God and how to place her own wants and desires beneath that of God. Both trust that what God has to say and what God is doing is to her benefit, even if neither comprehends it fully. ‘The dishes can wait, Jesus is speaking.’ ‘My plans for a fancy church wedding can wait, I am to be the mother of God.’
“Brothers, and all who have come to this
place at this hour of our mother Mary’s departure, you have done well to light
lamps that shine with the fire of this visible earth. But I wish that each of
you will also take hold of his immaterial lamp in the age that has no end; this
is the threefold lamp of the inner person, which is body and soul and spirit.
For if these three shine forth with the true fire, for which you are now
struggling, you will not be ashamed when you enter into the marriage-feast to rest
with the bridegroom. So it is with our mother Mary. For the light of her lamp
fills the world, and will not be quenched until the end of the ages, so that
all who wish to be saved may take courage from her. Do not think, then, that
Mary’s death is death! It is not death, but eternal life, because ‘the death of
the just will be proclaimed glorious before the Lord’ (Ps 115:15 [Psalm
116:15]). This, then, is glory, and the second death will have not power to do
them harm.”[3]
These words are spoken by St. Peter in one of the earliest
records we have of the death of St. Mary. They are a summary of the importance
and purpose for remembering her death. It is good if you have faith in this
life but if you allow the lamp of faith to falter in your dying hour, then that
faith is for nothing. Throughout this account of St. Mary’s death, she is
preparing to die. Even the mother of God is frightened over the prospect of
death. She knows that it will be Satan’s last chance to tempt her away from the
faith and he will be like a cornered and rabid dog, viciously seeking to tear
her away from her Son and Lord.
St. Paul gives the Hebrews a similar
warning: “Since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of
you seem to have come short of it.”[4]
This is not so much in the spirit of a finger wag, “You better start paying
more attention or else…” as it is a warning of danger. Know that death is real.
Know that Satan is real. Know that the demons are real. Do not fear them, for
Christ has conquered them for you. But do be cautious of them. Do know that
your own strength, your own efforts, are not enough to overcome them.
At the same time, know that your life
as a Christian is not to sit on the couch and just assume that Jesus does
everything so you can watch TV. This is the laxity that can damn. On the other
hand, there is the business which can damn. Martha is distracted by serving
such that she doesn’t have time to hear the Word of God.
What does St. Mary do when she is
concerned about the impending temptations associated with her death? She prays
to Christ. She prays, remembers the promises He has given her, reminds Him of
His promises, recites Scripture, then lays the outcome in the pierced hands of
Jesus.
If the mother of God, who saw multiple
angels in her lifetime, bore the Son of God, watched Him die, saw Him rise, and
likely watched Him ascend into heaven, had a moment of fear, doubt, or worry
concerning the temptations which arise before death, don’t be ashamed of your
own fears, doubts, and worries. The Lord regarded the lowliness of His
handmaiden, and He will do the same for you. He who is mighty has done great
things to her and He will do the same to you.
We do not gather tonight to worship St.
Mary. Scripture makes it clear that the promise of eternal rest does not lie in
created humans. “If Joshua had given them rest, then [God] would not afterward
have spoken of another day.”[5]
Even the early accounts of St. Mary’s death have people try to claim miracles
on her behalf, to which an angel says, “No one can perform miracles apart from
[Jesus’] hands. For He provides power to everything that is.”[6]
And when some relatives scoff that Mary is concerned about temptation, she
rebukes them and tells them to pay attention to their faith, lest their own
lamps go out and they miss the Bridegroom.[7]
We gather to give thanks to God that He
has shown mercy on us by the Incarnation of His Son. We give thanks that St.
Mary was the vessel chosen to bear the Christ child so that all mankind could
be saved. We give thanks that God has chosen to give to His church a mother,
not infallible, but as the figurehead of the Church.
We gather tonight that our faith would
be strengthened. If Mary could tremble at temptation and yet be given holy rest
in Christ, then so can we.
We gather tonight that we might learn
to imitate the faith of St. Mary, she who always displayed a proper orientation
toward the will of God, submitting her own will to His. We learn to imitate her
humility and her steadfastness, insisting that God keep His promises to her now
and at the hour of her death.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
[1]
Hebrews 4:1.
[2]
St. Luke 10:38-42.
[3]
John of Thessalonica, “The Dormition of Our Lady, the Mother of God and
Ever-Virgin Mary,” On the Dormition of Mary, Popular Patristics Series,
Vol 18, translated by Brian E. Daley, series editor John Behr (Crestwood, New
York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1997), 58.
[4]
Hebrews 4:1.
[5]
Hebrews 4:8.
[6]
John of Thessalonica, “The Dormition of Our Lady,” 50.
[7]
John of Thessalonica, “The Dormition of Our Lady,” 53.
