Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On this Feast of the Indiction which marks the beginning of the New Ecclesiastical Year, we are led by our beloved Ecumenical Patriarchate in observing the Day for the Protection of our Natural Environment.  The relationship of our commemoration and observance is significant due to the changing of the seasons, our agrarian heritage in relation to marking time, and the strong foundations of our worship and theology in the relationship of our Creator to His creation.  We affirm this in the hymns of this day as we sing, “In wisdom You have wrought all things and have established proper times and seasons for our lives” (Praises of Orthros), and “Author and head of all creation, under whose power lie all times and seasons, O compassionate Lord: crown the cycle of this year with Your generous blessings” (Exapostilarion of Orthros).

It is in the divine act of our creation that our relationship to the created order is revealed.  Through the power and grace of the Creator bringing all things into existence and in His creation of humankind in His image, we see our unique role as stewards of all that God has made.  As Adam and Eve were created and placed in the garden to “tend and keep it” (Genesis 2:15), we have the responsibility to care for and protect His creation.  As man and woman were directed by God to “be fruitful and multiply” and to “have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28), we have the authority to manage the created order prayerfully and respectfully to sustain life and to address human and environmental needs.  We must also affirm in our relationship with God that through His wisdom and our creative potential, we are able to sustain and protect the natural environment while addressing the environmental challenges and stresses of technological innovation, economic forces, population growth, and natural disasters.

Created in God’s image as stewards of the natural order, we are witnesses of the goodness of creation.  He saw that all He created was very good (Genesis 1:31), and He established and sanctified time through the order and process of creation (Genesis  2:3).  Our awareness of this inherent goodness in all that God has made is known first in our relationship with Him.  We also marvel at the beauty, complexity, and function of creation, recognizing divine origin, purpose, and goodness.   We proclaim the Gospel, guiding all to the revelation of God’s grace through Christ.  We offer a ministry of hope and transformation, as we help others find healing, assurance, and salvation in Him.  Through the prayers and liturgical life of the Church, we journey through each day, each week, the full cycle of the year and our lives toward the glorious fulfillment of time and eternal life in communion with God.

As we commemorate this Feast may we commit our time to the feasts and observances of the Church, to a daily life of prayer and communion with God, and to sustaining our spiritual lives through the disciplines of our faith.  May we also affirm that we are created and called as stewards of the created order.  From our relationship and communion with God, may we offer a witness of the goodness of His creation and the sanctity of life.

With paternal love in Christ,

†DEMETRIOS

Archbishop of America

August 15, 2015

Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos 

To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America.

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We commemorate today, on this blessed Feast of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary, the holy repose of the Mother of our Lord and seek her intercessions for deliverance, refuge, and salvation in Christ.  From her resting place among the Saints she continues to radiate the grace of God offering solace and strength to those in need.  Through her repose and her constant ministry on our behalf, the Theotokos shows the power of faith and the promise of life beyond death.

For this reason this is a Feast of celebration and joy.  It is also a Feast of hope and assurance.  In the Kontakion of this day we sing, “Neither the tomb nor death had power over the Theotokos, who is ever watchful in her prayers and in whose intercession lies unfailing hope.”  First, we are filled with hope on this day as we look to the beautiful example of a life dedicated to the will and love of God.  She has shown us the path to communion with Him.  Through her witness of complete faith and unwavering obedience the Virgin Mary guides us in trusting in the divine will and committing all of our ways unto the Lord.

Second, through her life and repose we see the miraculous power of God and the blessings of a life long relationship with Him.  This power made her the dwelling of the Son of God.  It is the divine power that sustained her throughout the life and ministry of our Lord and made her a paragon of virtue and a pillar of strength.  The power of God transformed her repose into a witness of holiness and a feast of joy for a life that draws all humanity to the Savior.

Our services for this Feast are a prayerful and much needed reminder of the hope that we find in the Theotokos.  In times of distress and need we find comfort and strength in the intercessions of one who knows our struggles and embodies the compassion of our Lord.  We also seek the intercessions, deliverance, and comfort of the Theotokos for all who are in need and struggling through tragedy, want, and despair.  For many of our brothers and sisters in Greece, this has and continues to be a time of hardship and uncertainty.  Too many are lacking basic necessities or face the possibility of great need in the months and years ahead.  On this day, a very special Feast for Orthodox Christians, we seek the intercessions of our Most Holy Lady.  In this time her comfort is needed.  Her aid is sought so that hope may be nurtured in the hearts of those seeking deliverance.

On this day as we commemorate her repose, may we ask for the intercessions of the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary for those in great need, especially the people of Greece.  May we follow her example of service to God and humankind.  And may our worship be a faithful witness of the power and life that she has shown through her life.

With paternal love in Christ,

†DEMETRIOS
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Archbishop of America

It would be a gross understatement to say that much has been written about the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. Yet very little has been written about the fast that precedes it. Every Orthodox Christian is aware and generally knows the reason behind the fasts for Pascha and Christmas. But while they may know of the Dormition Fast, it is notable that some do not observe the fast, and more than a few question why it is there, not understanding its purpose. Given the pervasive misunderstanding of the purpose of fasting itself, a refresher on its purpose is always a good idea. There is a perception that we should fast when we want something, as though the act of fasting somehow appeases God, and seeing us “suffer” gets Him to grant our request. Nothing can be further from the truth.

Fasting Pleases God?

It is not our fasting that pleases God, it is the fruits of our fast (provided we fast in the proper mind set, with alms and prayer, and do not merely diet) that please Him.

1) We fast, not to get what we want, but to prepare ourselves to receive what God wants to give us.

2) The purpose of fasting is to bring us more in line with another Mary, the sister of Lazarus, and away from their sister Martha, who in the famous passage was “anxious and troubled about many things.”

3) Fasting is intended to bring us to the realization of “the one thing needful.” It is to help us put God first and our own desires second, if not last. As such it serves to prepare us to be instruments of God’s will, as with Moses in his flight from Egypt and on Mt. Sinai, as well as our Lord’s fast in the wilderness. Fasting turns us away from ourselves and toward God.

4) Fasting during the Dormition Fast helps us become like the Theotokos, an obedient servant of God, who heard His word and kept it better than anyone else has or could.

So why do we fast before Dormition?

In a close-knit family, word that its matriarch is on her deathbed brings normal life to a halt. Otherwise important things (parties, TV, luxuries, personal desires) become unimportant; life comes to revolve around the dying matriarch. It is the same with the Orthodox family; word that our matriarch is on her deathbed, could not (or at least should not) have any different effect than the one just mentioned.

The Church, through the Paraklesis Service, gives us the opportunity to come to that deathbed and eulogize and entreat the woman who bore God, the vessel of our salvation and our chief advocate at His divine throne.

The Paraclesis Service

The Service of the Paraclesis to the Theotokos consists of hymns of supplication to obtain consolation and courage. It should be recited in times of temptation, discouragement or sickness. It is used more particularly during the two weeks before the Dormition, or Assumption, of the Theotokos, from August 1 to August 14. The theme of these Paraclesis Services centers around the petition. . “Most Holy Mother of God, save us”.

If you have a problem or if something is burdening your soul, if you feel spiritually uneasy and if you are not at peace with yourself and with those around you, then, you should come to the Church during the first fifteen days of August and ask for the intercessions of the Mother of God. Even if you are fortunate enough to be one of those very few who are at peace with themselves and with God, then those blessed ones should come to these services and thank God and His Blessed Mother for the blessings that they have bestowed upon you and your family.

Since these Paraclesis Services to the Theotokos are primarily petition for the welfare of the living, let the whole Church pray for you during the first fifteen days of August and especially on the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos on August 15th. Don’t let your laziness and your apathy cause you to miss this great blessing and inspiration that the Church can bestow upon you. Let the peace and holiness that only the Mother of God can give you enter into your life. “Let us lay aside all earthly cares,” and let us truly, during these fifteen days, participate in the fasting and prayer life of the Church so that we can “taste and see that the Lord is good” and so that we may fully experience the spiritual blessings that the Church offers to us at this holy time. “Blessed is he whom He shall find watching.” Come and pray to the Theotokos with us and with the Church and by her prayers and intercessions, may our souls be saved!

Observe the Dormition Fast
Fasting, in its full sense (abstaining from food ,evil thoughts, actions and desires) accomplishes this. Less time in leisure or other pursuits leaves more time for prayer and reflection on she who gave us Christ, and became the first and greatest Christian. In reflecting on her and her incomparable life, we see a model Christian life, embodying Christ’s retort to the woman who stated that Mary was blessed because she bore Him: blessed rather are those who hear His word and keep it. Mary did this better than anyone.

Fr. Thomas Hopko has noted, she heard the word of God and kept it so well, that she of all women in history was chosen not only to hear His Word but give birth to Him. So while we fast in contemplation of her life, we are simultaneously preparing ourselves to live a life in imitation of her. That is the purpose of the Dormition Fast.
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When the assumption of thine undefiled body was being prepared, the Apostles gazed on thy bed, viewing thee with trembling. Some contemplated thy body and were dazzled, but Peter cried out to thee in tears, saying, I see thee clearly, O Virgin, stretched out, O life of all, and I am astonished. O thou undefiled one, in whom the bliss of future life dwelt, beseech thy Son and God to preserve thy people unimpaired.