FORGIVENESS IS BETTER THAN REVENGE
NO ONE HEALS HIMSELF BY WOUNDING ANOTHER
28.8.2022 00:00 100\186 #συνοδικός #synodikos SATURDAY
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• συνοδικός • August 28 / August 15 • συνοδικός •
2022 (7530)
THE DORMITION : 宿舍斋戒 : sùshè zhāijiè
dedicated in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos .
诞神女安息日 : DORMITION OF THE THEOTOKOS
OUR MOST HOLY LADY ЕVERVIRGIN MARY THE MOTHER OF GOD : 圣母安息节
Ἡ Κοίμησις τῆς Ὑπεραγίας Θεοτόκου
("Uspenie" "Koimesis" The "Falling-Asleep" or "Repose") The Dormition of the Mother of God (Greek: Κοίμησις Θεοτόκου, Koímēsis Theotokou often anglicized as Kimisis; Slavonic: Успение Пресвятыя Богородицы, Uspenie Presvetia Bogoroditsi; Georgian: მიძინება ყოვლადწმიდისა ღვთისმშობელისა) is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches which commemorates the "falling asleep" or death of Mary the Theotokos ("Mother of God", literally translated as God-bearer), and her bodily resurrection before being taken up into heaven. It is celebrated on 15 August (28 August N.S. for those following the Julian Calendar) as the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.
主在西奈山上所作的十诫中的第五条就是：“当孝敬父母”（出埃及记20：12），他用自己的例证展示出了一个人应当尊重他的父母。在被钉在十字架上忍受极端痛苦之时，主记住着他的母亲，并指示给宗徒约安，他对母亲说：“母亲，看你的儿子！”（约安福音／约／若19：26）。而后又对约安说：“看你的母亲！”（约安福音／约／若19：27）。他就是说这话的同时断气的。约安在耶路撒冷的锡安山上有他的家，诞神女就是在那里渡过她在世的最后时刻的。她用她的祷告、温文尔雅的劝告、温柔和耐心，大大地帮助她儿子的宗徒。起初，她的整个时间都在耶路撒冷渡过的，经常拜访使她回想起所发生的大事件，以及她儿子施行伟大奇迹的地方，尤其是各各他、伯利恒和橄榄山。诞神女进行了长途旅行，在安提约希亚，她拜访了圣伊格纳提（上帝的载体），同时，她还拜访了拉匝若（拉匝若死后第四天，主耶稣使他复活）和塞浦路斯的主教；她访问了圣山阿托斯，并为圣山祝福；在耶路撒冷迫害基督徒期间，诞神女同福音书的作者约安在艾弗所。在诞神女高龄之际，她经常在耶稣升天的地方－橄榄山上向主作祷告，以便主能够尽快带她离开这个世界。有一次，天使长伽弗里伊尔出现在她面前，告诉她，还有三天的时间她将安息。天使送给她一支棕榈枝，并告诉她，在她的葬礼上将携带这个棕榈枝。诞神女非常高兴地返回家中，并衷心希望能够再看一眼所有的基督的宗徒。主成全了她的意愿，众天使偕同所有圣徒在云中出现，同时也聚集在锡安山约安的家中。诞神女非常喜悦，她看到了众宗徒，并鼓励他们、劝告他们、抚慰他们，之后，诞神女便无痛苦、无病痛地安然将灵魂交在上帝的手中。宗徒们抬着装有诞神女遗体的棺柩，有香气不时从棺柩中散发出来，有众多基督徒相伴。他们将棺柩抬到革特西玛尼花园、抬到诞神女的父母－圣约雅敬和安娜的陵墓前。出于上帝的天意，云彩将他们从邪恶的犹太人面前遮掩起来。犹太人的祭司安托尼用手抓住了棺柩，打算破坏棺柩，就在此时，上帝的天使割断了他的双手。安托尼向宗徒们大声呼叫，请求他们的帮助。当他表白对主耶稣基督的信仰之后，他的双手痊愈了。宗徒多马没有在场，这也是出自上帝的天意，以便再次揭示出诞神女一个新的、且全荣耀的奥秘。第三天的时候，多马来了，并欲吻诞神女的遗体。但是当宗徒们打开棺柩的时候，他们发现只有包尸布在那里，尸体却不见了。那个晚上，诞神女在众天使的围护下出现在众宗徒面前，对他们说：“欢喜吧！我将永远与你们同在！”有关诞神女安息时的确切年龄不是很详知，但是大多数人认为她安息时的年龄为65 岁。
This feast has been called the “patronal feast day of Ukraine.” In fact, the three great monasteries/lavras of Ukraine are dedicated to the Holy Dormition: the Pochaiv Lavra in the west, the Kyiv Caves Lavra and the Svyatohirska (“Holy Mountain”) Lavra in the east. As during Holy Week, so too on this day a special Epitaphion/winding sheet in honour of the Most Holy Mother of God is brought out for public veneration. In accordance with what is a unique Ukrainian church tradition, the miraculous icon of the Dormition in the Kyiv Caves Lavra hangs above the main iconostasis and is lowered on major festal days. The miraculous icon of the Pochaiv Mother of God likewise hangs over the Royal Doors of the iconostasis and is lowered for public veneration.
One might notice the similarities between the traditional depictions of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Byzantine iconography and the account of the death of the Egyptian Desert Father, Sisoes the Great.In both Christ is seen coming to receive the soul of the dying saint surrounded by an aureola or cloud of blinding light and accompanied by the angels and prophets. In Byzantine iconography the other Christs shown surrounded by such a cloud of light are those also seen in icons of the Transfiguration, the Resurrection and the Last Judgment. One might further note that in some icons of the Dormition the Theotokos is depicted at the top of the icon in a similar aureola before the opening gates of heaven. This suggests that contemporary accounts of the deaths of the Desert Fathers accompanied by sudden burst of light came to influence the development of the iconography of the Dormition.
FEASTS and MIRACLES of OUR VIRGIN MARY THE HOLY THEOTOKOS
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• Icon of SOPHIA THE WISDOM OF GOD (989) in Novgorod
• A copy of the IVIRON THEOTOKOS (The Panagia Portaitissa) ICON of the Mother of God in MOZDOK (13th cent.)
• Icon of the Mother of God "ATSKURSK" (1st cent.)
This holy and wonderworking icon, by tradition, was wonderfully depicted on a board, in which the Mother of God put her figure, and was brought by the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-called to Iberia. Today it is in the Gaiane Cathedral, near Kutais. There the former Princess Saint Tamara had another Holy Icon of the Mother of God that today is called Gaiane.
• Icon of the Mother of God of TSILKANI (4th cent.)
It is found in the Tsilkani Temple of the Theotokos, in Kartli (Georgia), written on a board from the Bethlehem manger and is contemporary with St Nina, the enlightener of Georgia (January 14).
• Icon of the Mother of God of VLAKHERNA in the Quabtahev Monastery, in the middle of Kartli (Georgia)
• Icon of the Mother of God of VLADIMIR in Rostov (12th cent.)
It was written in the 12th century by the Venerable Alypius of the Monastery of the Caves and now is found in the Rostov Dormition cathedral.
• Icon of the Mother of God of GAIANE (13th cent.)
• Icon of the Mother of God of BAKHCHISARAY
• Icon of the Mother of God of Galich-Chukhlomsk "TENDERNESS" (Eleousa) (1350)
• Icon of the Mother of God of SURDEGI (1530)
• Icon of the Mother of God of TUPICHEVSK Monastery of Holy Spirit at Mogilev (17th cent.)
• ICON OF THE BLESSED MOTHER OF BETHLEHEM in the village of Metech in Georgia (1891)
• ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD OF BETHLEHEM worshiped in the Cathedral of Tbilisi in Georgia
• Icon of the Mother of God THE ENLIGHTENER OF MINDS
This unusual icon comes from the Russian town of Rybinsk, in Yaroslavl province. The Mother of God and the Divine Child are wrapped in what appears to be a priest’s phelonion, and Angels are depicted on either side, holding lighted candles. Beneath the Virgin’s feet and on her head Cherubim are depicted with outstretched wings.The model for this Icon is a statue in the town of Loreto in Italy, which is wrapped in a similar covering.
The “Enlightener of minds” Icon (Подательница ума) reflects the deep faith of Orthodox Christians in the power of the All Holy Virgin to intercede before God and His Son to bestow both temporal and spiritual blessings. Foremost among these is enlightenment of the mind and heart through Divine Truth.
For this reason, parents whose children are slow learners, either in matters of the Faith or in secular knowledge, often turn to the Most Holy Theotokos and her Divine Child, Who is the fount of the loftiest wisdom and knowledge, praying for their children’s minds be strengthened and that they may retain what they are taught. People also entreat the Mother of God to help them overcome delusion and mental illness.
The Enlightener of Minds icon is commemorated on August 15.
• Panagia PHANEROMENE at Lefkada Monastery οf Faneromeni (1136)
• Remembrance of the defense of the Saracen besiegers before Constantinople in the year 718 thanks to the intercession of Mary (718)
• The KIEVO-PECHERSK Icon of the Uspenie (Dormition) of the MostHoly Mother of God (1073)
• Icon of the Mother of God of OVINOV 1425)
This wonderworking icon is in the men's Monastery of St. Paisius (refer to the Kostroma Diocese). It received its name from the Boyar Ovinov, to whom it wonderfully appeared on the shore of Lake Galicia, near the city of Galicia in the princedom of Dmitri of the Don River. On the spot of its appearance Ovinov built the Temple of the Dormition of the Mother of God.
• Icon of the Mother of God of PSKOV-PECHERSK Cave Monastery (1472)
It is found in Pskov Monastery of the Caves (refer to the Pskov Diocese), in which it was wonderfully revealed in 1472. Again it is glorified by miracles in 1523. See October 7.
• Icon of the Mother of God "SEMIGORODNAYA" (1423)
This wonderworking icon representing the Dormition of the Mother of God was written by the Venerable Dionysius the Deaf in the 15 century. Brought by hermits from its monastery it was put into the parish church of the Semigorodny District, beyond the Dvinsk River. After the terrible plague that devastated the Vologda District in 15 century, the church stood in desolation for about 150 years. In 1593, through a special vision, the Starets Julian, from the family of Beloozero noblemen, found the icon and constructed a monastery on the spot where the holy icon was found. Now the icon is in the Tupichev Monastery, Mogilev Diocese. The icon is celebrated on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit.
• Icon of the Mother of God of PIUKHTITSA (16th c.)
• KREKHIV Icon of the Theotokos
• ZHYDACHIV Icon of the Theotokos
• Most Merciful ZAHAYETSKA icon of the Mother of God
• Panagia MALEVI
• Panagia of TRIPOLITSA in Tripoli
• Panagia VOULKANIOTISSA in Messinia
• Monastery of Panagia KOSMOSOTIRA (Salvation of the World) in Feres
• The Chapel of Panagia KRIFTI (The Hidden Panagia)
Παναγιά Κρυφτή
• Veneration of the Panagia on the Island of Santorini
• Panagia of MIKROKASTROU and the Dormition Monastery
• Panagia KAVOURADAINA in Leros
Panagia Kavouradaina is a picturesque chapel of Leros in Xirokampos, considered one of the island’s most beautiful. It is a whitewashed, domed chapel, somewhat difficult to reach, although there are stairs leading there, built inside a rock’s crack next to the coast. Further down, we find the location where, according to tradition, a fisherman was looking for crabs (“kavouri”) and found inside a crack (or inside a crab’s shell, according to a different version) a tiny, miraculous icon of the Theotokos. This accounts for the chapel’s name.
We have drawn information on how it was built from tradition.
1. One version is the following:
While a fisherman was collecting sea shells among the rocks, he was bitten by a crab. At that precise moment he saw the icon of the Virgin Mary on the rocks. He immediately prayed and soon the wound healed. Witnessing this miracle he picked up the icon and devoutly took it to the village church, telling his compatriots about the event. That same night he had a dream of a woman in black who said to him: “You must put me back in exactly the same spot where you found me”. The next morning after searching, the icon was once again found on the same part of the rocks as it had been the previous day. After this it was decided that a small church be built on the same spot as where the icon had been found.
2. A second version of how the church was built is the following:
Many years ago two fishermen from Kalymnos set out one day to go fishing. The bad weather however did not allow them to fish for long. When the wind started blowing and the weather got worse they decided to moor at Diapori. So that they would not waste a night’s fishing they decided to fish near the beach with a harpoon to catch an octopus or anything they found by the light of their fishing lamp. As they looked down to the seabed they discerned a big group of crabs. When they filled their fishing baskets with crabs, and they had prepared to leave, a miracle happened: A piece of wood rose to the surface at the exact spot where they were fishing, although the currents were pushing it behind their boat. They stopped, full of curiosity, and took it out of the water. When they cleaned it, they saw that it was the icon of the Panagia. They kissed the icon and crossed themselves. In the morning, when they arrived in Kalymnos, they both went home. One taking the basket with the crabs and the other the icon of the Panagia. He hung it in a corner of his house and left a small olive oil lamp alight next to it. On the third night while the fisherman was sleeping, he saw the Panagia in his sleep and she said to him: “Take me to Leros and build me a little church, where you found me. Don’t forget to do it!” When he woke up, the fisherman told his friend and they set off for Leros. They arrived at the rocks of Diapori. They tied up their boat and they went to find Lerian builders to build a church. When it was built they placed the icon of the Panagia on the wooden iconostasis. A few days later, they returned to Kalymnos satisfied that they had realized the Panagia’s wish. However, three days later the fisherman saw the Panagia in his sleep, whose eyes were full of pain and with an angry look on her face, saying to him: “My child, you set me up well in my corner. Go back again and build me the church where you found me. I’m waiting for you”. The Kalymnian was at a loss when he arrived in Leros and saw the church demolished. He tried to find the icon of the Panagia, unsuccessfully. Disappointed he took the road to Xirokampos. To his great surprise he saw the icon against the rocks a little further away from the demolished church. The fisherman thought that as the Panagia wanted that spot to be where her church was, there it must be built. This is how it happened and is still located there, up until today.
A feast for the icon is celebrated every year on the 8th of September and 15th of August.
• The Castle of the Panagia in Leros
On the hill Apityki (or Pityki) and at a height of 200 m. above sea level, almost in the center of the island of Leros, stands the medieval Castle of the Panagia, which took its name from the church of the Theotokos, which treasures the "Holy Palladium of Lerians" - the icon of the Panagia Odigitria, or Panagia of Kastro, which miraculously arrived on the island of Leros during the era of iconoclasm. In a bull of Emperor Alexios Komnenos (1056 - 1118) the Castle was founded with the name Panteli Castle and built upon the foundations of an ancient Acropolis, and in its current form it was later altered by the Knights of Saint John (who occupied it from 1309 - 1522, followed by the Turks). Emperor Alexios gave this Castle to Saint Christodoulos together with the Castle of Patmos. The tomb of Eldress Gavrilia (1897 - 1992) is within the Castle also.
Among the traditions of the people for the August 15th feast is for mother's who have dedicated their children to the Panagia of Kastro to dress their children all in black on August 14th, they make prosphoro for the Divine Liturgy, they walk up to the Castle by way of 499 stairs, and after the Great Vespers Service they remove the black clothing and offer them to the Theotokos.
• Panagia GOURLOMATA ("bulging eyes") of Leros
•The Monastery of Panagia PANACHRANTOS (The All Pure One) in Andros
• Chapel of Panagia THALASSINI ("of the sea") in Andros
The small chapel of Panagia Thalassini (lit. "of the sea") is located in the old harbor of Chora in Andros. According to local tradition, she is the protectress of sea travellers along with St. Nicholas. According to the rules of proper iconographic style, the Virgin Mary always wears a red robe on the outside which is used to display her humanity, while underneath she wears a blue or dark green robe which testifies to her giving birth to the God-man Jesus Christ. In the icon of Panagia Thalassini, however, we have her wearing blue on the outside. This may be of its association with the color of the sea. The Chapel celebrates on August 15th.
• Panagia MYRTIDIOTISSA ("Of the Myrtle Tree") of Kythera
• Panagia THALASSOMAHOUSA of Strofades Monastery
The historic icon of the Sacred Monastery of Strofades near Zakynthos was in olden times kept in Constantinople. During iconoclasm it was the custom of the pious to throw certain icons into the sea, leaving it in the hands of God to lead them where He wills, much like the infant Moses of old. To save this particular icon of the Mother of God from maniacal icon smashers, it was thrown into the sea. While in the sea, the icon stood upward and was guided to Strofades Monastery in the Ionian Sea near Zakynthos. The Abbot and the monks received the icon with great joy and supplications from the sea and placed it in the katholikon of the monastery. They named it "Thalassomahousa" (Slaughterer of the Sea) because the icon fought the waves of the sea to arrive at Strofades Monastery unharmed. Today the icon resides in the Metropolis of Zakynthos. It is celebrated yearly on August 15th.
• The Monastery of Panagia CHRYSOLEONTISSA (Golden Lioness) in Aegina
Within the Monastery one can see the "Handprint of the Panagia". According to one tradition, when the monks were bringing the icon of Panagia Chrysoleontissa from their old monastery to establish a new one, they stopped on the road to rest. At the spot where they placed the icon, it left an imprint which can still be seen today. Another tradition says that the Panagia herself climbed the mountain, and at the spot she decided to rest the imprint remained. An oil lamp burns at this spot day and night.
• The Monastery of Panagia SPILIANI ("of the Cave") in Nisiros
According to tradition, a local farmer discovered a small cave, around 1400 AD, with an icon of the Virgin Mary inside this cave, near the hot springs of Mandraki on the island of Nisiros. He took this icon to the Church of Panagia Potamitisas ("of the Rivers"). The next day, the icon was missing. They supposed it to be stolen but after a few days it was rediscovered by the locals in a cave on a 30m high rock. Again they took the icon to the church of Panagia Potamitisas but again the icon went missing and was rediscovered in this same cave on the rocks. This happened three times until the locals decided to transform the cave into a church and leave the icon in its preferred location. This cave has been called Panagia Spiliani ("of the Cave") and the monastery is built immediately above this cave. The locals of Nisiros (aka Nissyros, Nisyros, Nissiros) acknowledge this icon as the protectress of the island.
• The Chapel of Panagia MAKRINI in Samos
• The Monastery of Panagia of "TOSO NERO" ("So Much Water") in Sifnos
According to tradition in Sifnos, a family on the island is chosen which they call "Panigyrades" to hold the old icon of the Dormition of the Theotokos in their home for the year. When the time for the feast arrives they take care of all the expenses for the festival. A procession takes place throughout the streets of the island and some Panigyrades even hold a dinner for the people that follow the procession.
• Panagia YPSENI in Rhodes
• The Church of Panagia PREKLA in Skiathos
The name Prekla is probably derived from the Latin preclarus (most glorious). It is dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos and was built towards the end of the 16th or the beginning of the 17th century. The church was wonderfully decorated and there were beautiful icons, especially the icon of Panagia Prekla, the gold sculptured icon screen in front of the altar, the chandelier, the silver hanging oil lamps, and the standing bronze candle holders... In the past, before 1821, when the now deserted and ruined town was still inhabited, all the residents of the two parishes would go to the church during the first 15 days of August to hear the Supplications and chants.
• Panagia TRIKOUKIOTISSA
It is said that the name comes from Trikoukies (medlar trees that had three kernels). Another version says that is from the tree Kokkonia according to which the closest monastery of Kykkos was named by that too. Another tradition mentions that the monastery was supported during Turkish domination with the one third (trikoutsi) of the taxation of the Kouklia manors.
• The Monastery of Panagia TROODITISSA in Cyprus
• The Miraculous Panagia of JERUSALEM Icon
It is said that Elder Paisios the Athonite, who had seen in vision the Theotokos, once said of her appearance: "The Panagia looks a lot like the icon of the Panagia of Jerusalem. She is exactly the same. I have seen her many times and I don't know of any other icon resembling her so much." This should not be surprising, since the Panagia of Jerusalem icon has the reputation of being an icon "made-without-hands".
• Panagia SOUMELA
FEASTS of GROUPS OF SAINTS and CONFESSORS of DAY before the 20th century :
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• Feast of Carpre's daughters
• MACARIUS 马卡留斯/玛喀里 the Roman, abbot, Wonderworker of Novgorod (1550) and his disciple CHARITON 哈里同 of Novgorod (16th cent.)
“ It is not my sinful prayers,” he told them, “ but the grace of God which led you here.”
After feeding them, he spoke and prayed with them, then showed them the way out of the marsh. Saint Macarius was concerned that his peace would be disturbed, now that his dwelling place was known. His fears were justified, because many people sought him out to ask for his advice and prayers. The holy ascetic decided to move even farther into the wilderness, choosing an elevated place on the left bank of the Lezna. Even here, however, he was not able to conceal himself for very long. Sometimes a pillar of fire would rise up into the sky at night above his place of refuge. During the day, the grace of God was made manifest by a fragrant cloud of smoke. Drawn by these signs, the local inhabitants of the region were able to find him once more. Some of his visitors begged Saint Macarius to permit them to live near him and to be guided by his counsels. Seeing that this was the Lord’s will, he did not refuse them. He blessed them to build cells, and this was the foundation of his monastery. In 1540, they built a wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Saint Macarius was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Macarius of Novgorod, who later became Metropolitan of All Russia. The hierarch also appointed Saint Macarius as igumen of the monastery.
Saint Macarius was an example to the others, and was given the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking from God. He wore himself out with his labors and vigils, encouraging others not to become faint-hearted in their own struggles.
Saint Macarius the Roman was born at the end of the fifteenth century into a wealthy family of Rome. His parents raised him in piety and gave him an excellent education. He might have expected a successful career in public service, but he did not desire honors or earthly glory. Instead, he focused on how to save his soul. He lived in an age when the Christian West was shaken by the Protestant Reformation. While others around him were pursuing luxury and lascivious pleasures, he studied the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers. Saint Macarius was grieved to see so many darkened by sin and worldly vanity, and was disturbed by the rebellions and conflicts within the Western Church. With tears, he asked God to show him the path of salvation, and his prayer did not go unanswered. He came to realize that he would find the safe harbor of salvation in the Orthodox Church. Saint Macarius left Rome secretly, and set out for Russia without money, and wearing an old garment. After many sufferings on his journey, he arrived in Novgorod, where he rejoiced to see so many churches and monasteries. One of these monasteries had been founded three centuries before by his fellow countryman, Saint Anthony the Roman (August 3). Saint Macarius came to the banks of the River Svir, where Saint Alexander of Svir (April 17 and August 30) had founded the monastery of the Holy Trinity. Saint Alexander received Macarius into the Orthodox Church and tonsured him as a monk. Macarius, however longed for the solitary life. He moved to an island on the River Lezna, forty-five miles from Novgorod, where he engaged in ascetical struggles and unceasing prayer. The winters were very cold, and the summers were hot and humid. The marshy area was also a breeding ground for mosquitos, which tormented the saint. Saint Macarius survived on berries, roots, and herbs. Sometimes bears would come to him for food, and they allowed him to pet them.
Such a great lamp of the spiritual life could not remain hidden for long. One rainy night someone knocked on his door and asked him to open it. Several people, who seemed to be hunters, entered his cell. Astonished by his appearance, and the divine light shining from his face, the men asked for his blessing. They told him they had come to the forest to hunt, and only by the prayers of the saint did God permit them to find him.
After several years, he entrusted the monastery to one of his disciples, and returned to the island where he had first lived. There he fell asleep in the Lord on August 15, 1550. His disciples buried him outside on the left side of the Dormition church which he had founded.
The Hermitage of Saint Macarius was never a prosperous monastery with many monks, but it was distinguished by the high level of spiritual life. In the seventeenth century, many of the monasteries near Novgorod were plundered by Swedish invaders. The Hermitage of Saint Macarius was also burned in 1615, and some of the monks were put to the sword.
By the eighteenth century, the monastery had become a dependency of the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg. The Empress Catherine closed it in 1764, just as she had closed other monasteries, and it was designated as a parish church. Although pilgrims still came to venerate the saint’s relics and to celebrate his Feast Day, the buildings soon fell into ruin.
In the mid-nineteenth century, some benefactors restored the two churches and the miraculous healing spring which the saint himself had dug. About this time an old priest was living there, and he celebrated the church services until his death. In 1894, the monastery began to function once more under the noted missionary Hieromonk Arsenius, who introduced the Athonite Typikon. The monastery was destroyed by the Soviets in 1932.
Saint Macarius the Roman is commemorated on August 15 (the date of his repose), and also on January 19 (his nameday).
NEW MARTYRS AND CONFESSORS in the 20th century
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• HIERON 海龙 founder of the new Athos (1912)
• Venerable Elder GEORG 海龙 Lazar (Mosul Gheorghe) of Varatec in Romania (1916)
• Repose of Abbess RUFINA 鲁菲娜 of Harbin and Shanghai (1937)
• Martyr PAVLO 帕弗罗 Szwajko and Hieromartyr presbyter IOANN 约安纳 of Graboviec (Chelm and Podlasie in Poland) (1943)
• Elder JOSEPH 约瑟夫 the Hesychast of the New Skete on Mount Athos (1959)
• Hieromartyr ANDREY 安德烈 Voliansky, priest
MARTYRS AND CONFESSORS before the 20th century
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• ALIPIUS (Alypius) Bishop of Tagaste in North Africa (430)
• Sainted ALTFRID Bishop of Hildesheim (874)
Benedictine monk at Corvey Abbey. Bishop of Hildesheim, Germany in 851. Founded Essen Abbey. Adviser to the East Frankish King Louis the German. Known for his devotion to the Mother of God.
• Venerable ANTHONIUS (in the scheme: Arsenius) of Murom, friend of Seraphim of Sarov (1851)
• ARDUINUS (1009) a priest in Rimini in Italy who lived as a hermit and ended his days in the monastery of San Gudenzio
• Sainted AUDENTIUS Bishop of Toledo (396)
• Hosiosmartyr CHRISTOS 赫里斯托 of Ioannina, Hieromonk (1770)
• GERASIMOS the New Ascetic of Kefallonia (1579)
St Gerasimos the New Ascetic of Kefalloniais known as a renowned healer of the demon possessed. The demon possessed and the mentally ill flock to his holy shrine which contain his incorrupt relics on a daily basis to receive healing. He became a grace-filled exorcist because of his great discipline for fasting and prayer.
• Translation of Relics (836) of Venerable LANDELIN (Lando) abbot in Crespin (from Lobbes) (686) in the monastery Flechtdorf in Diemelsee near Kassel, Germany
• Mac Cartin (Ard, Aid, Aed, Maccarthannus) Bishop of Clogher in Ireland (506) disciple of Patrick of Ireland
• Martyr NAPOLEON (Neopolus) of Alexandria (300)
Saint Napoleon was so horribly maimed during his torture that he died while being carried back to his dungeon at Alexandria, Egypt, during the reign of Diocletian.
• SARAN
• Sainted SIMPLICIANUS Bishop of Milan (401)
Raised in a Christian family. Teacher and catechist. Priest. Instrumental in the conversion of both Saint Alipius of Tagaste and Saint Augustine of Hippo, who remembered his fondly, wrote about him with deep gratitude, calling him the “spiritual father of my soul”, and would submit his own writings to him to review and comment. Archbishop of Milan, Italy for about three to four years, being chosen when he was already in his 70’s. Friend of, advisor to and correspondent with Saint Ambrose of Milan. Also corresponded extensively with Pope Anastasius I and bishops in Africa and Gaul, but none of the writings have survived. Simpliciano always wore a black leather belt; following a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Saint Monica, the belt became part of the habit of the Augustinians.
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Synaxarion of The DORMITION 圣母安息节 Shèngmǔ ānxí jié of The THEOTOKOS 西奥托科斯 Xī ào tuō kēsī
诞神女安息日 : DORMITION OF THE THEOTOKOS
OUR MOST HOLY LADY ЕVERVIRGIN MARY THE MOTHER OF GOD : 圣母安息节
Ἡ Κοίμησις τῆς Ὑπεραγίας Θεοτόκου
On the fifteenth of this month [August], we commemorate the revered Metastasis of our Most-Glorious Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.
Verses
That the world-saving Maiden died is no marvel,
Since, in the flesh, the world’s Maker died also.
God’s Mother lives forever, though she died on the fifteenth.
When our Lord Jesus Christ wanted to receive for Himself His own Mother, three days beforehand He revealed through an Angel (it is said it was the Archangel Gabriel) her Metastasis* from earth to heaven. The Angel came to her and said: "Thus says your Son: 'It is time to receive My Mother to Myself. Wherefore do not be troubled by this, but receive My message with gladness, for you are passing over to life eternal.'" Having learned this, the Theotokos rejoiced with great joy. And therefore moved by her longing to pass over to her Son, she speedily and eagerly went up to the Mount of Olives to pray (the All-Hymned One had the habit of frequently going up to this mountain to pray). This was followed by an amazing wonder. For when the Theotokos went up there, the trees at the peak which were planted there on the mountain bent forward, as if they were animate and rational, and so they venerated her, giving to her that which is proper, revering and honoring the Lady of the world and Mistress.
Having sufficiently prayed the All-Immaculate One returned to her house, and O the wonder! straightway she was entirely shaken. Then the Mistress lit many lights, and thanked God, and invited over her relatives and neighbors. She swept her house and made ready her deathbed, and prepared everything necessary for her burial. After this she revealed to the other women the words of the Angel concerning her metastasis to heaven. And with this news which they received with faith, she showed them the joyous and victorious sign given to her by the Angel, namely a branch from a palm tree. When the invited women heard the sad news, they mourned, and with tears they washed their faces, along with piteous voices of lament. Ceasing from their mourning, they begged the Mistress to not leave them as orphans. The Theotokos assured them, that with her metastasis to the heavens, she will guard not only them but the entire world. Thus with these words of consolation, their extravagant sadness ceased.
The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary: After the Ascension of the Lord, the Mother of God remained in the care of the Apostle John the Theologian, and during his journeys She lived at the home of his parents, near the Mount of Olives. She was a source of consolation and edification both for the Apostles and for all the believers. Conversing with them, She told them about miraculous events: the Annunciation, the seedless and undefiled Conception of Christ born of Her, about His early childhood, and about His earthly life. Like the Apostles, She helped plant and strengthen the Christian Church by Her presence, Her discourse and Her prayers.
The reverence of the Apostles for the Most Holy Virgin was extraordinary. After the receiving of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the Apostles remained at Jerusalem for about ten years attending to the salvation of the Jews, and wanting moreover to see the Mother of God and hear Her holy discourse. Many of the newly-enlightened in the Faith even came from faraway lands to Jerusalem, to see and to hear the All-Pure Mother of God.
During the persecution initiated by King Herod against the young Church of Christ (Acts 12:1-3), the Most Holy Virgin and the Apostle John the Theologian withdrew to Ephesus in the year 43. The preaching of the Gospel there had fallen by lot to the Apostle John the Theologian. The Mother of God was on Cyprus with Saint Lazarus the Four-Days-Dead, where he was bishop. She was also on Holy Mount Athos. Saint Stephen of the Holy Mountain says that the Mother of God prophetically spoke of it: “Let this place be my lot, given to me by my Son and my God. I will be the Patroness of this place and intercede with God for it.”
The respect of ancient Christians for the Mother of God was so great that they preserved what they could about Her life, what they could take note of concerning Her sayings and deeds, and they even passed down to us a description of Her outward appearance.
According to Tradition, based on the words of the Hieromartyrs Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3) and Ignatius the God-Bearer (December 20), Saint Ambrose of Milan (December 7) had occasion to write in his work “On Virgins” concerning the Mother of God: “She was a Virgin not only in body, but also in soul, humble of heart, circumspect in word, wise in mind, not overly given to speaking, a lover of reading and of work, and prudent in speech. Her rule of life was to offend no one, to intend good for everyone, to respect the aged, not envy others, avoid bragging, be healthy of mind, and to love virtue.
“When did She ever hurl the least insult in the face of Her parents? When was She at discord with Her kin? When did She ever puff up with pride before a modest person, or laugh at the weak, or shun the destitute? With Her there was nothing of glaring eyes, nothing of unseemly words, nor of improper conduct. She was modest in the movement of Her body, Her step was quiet, and Her voice straightforward; so that Her face was an expression of soul. She was the personification of purity.
“All Her days She was concerned with fasting: She slept only when necessary, and even then, when Her body was at rest, She was still alert in spirit, repeating in Her dreams what She had read, or the implementation of proposed intentions, or those planned yet anew. She was out of Her house only for church, and then only in the company of relatives. Otherwise, She seldom appeared outside Her house in the company of others, and She was Her own best overseer. Others could protect Her only in body, but She Herself guarded Her character.”
According to Tradition, that from the compiler of Church history Nikēphóros Callistus (fourteenth century), the Mother of God “was of average stature, or as others suggest, slightly more than average; Her hair golden in appearance; Her eyes bright with pupils like shiny olives; Her eyebrows strong in character and moderately dark, Her nose pronounced and Her mouth vibrant bespeaking sweet speech; Her face was neither round nor angular, but somewhat oblong; the palm of Her hands and fingers were longish...
In conversation with others She preserved decorum, neither becoming silly nor agitated, and indeed especially never angry; without artifice, and direct, She was not overly concerned about Herself, and far from pampering Herself, She was distinctly full of humility. Regarding the clothing which She wore, She was satisfied to have natural colors, which even now is evidenced by Her holy head-covering. Suffice it to say, a special grace attended all Her actions.” [Nikēphóros Callistus borrowed his description from Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus (May 12), from the “Letter to Theophilus Concerning Icons.”]
The circumstances of the Dormition of the Mother of God were known in the Orthodox Church from apostolic times. Already in the first century, the Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite wrote about Her “Falling-Asleep.” In the second century, the account of the bodily ascent of the Most Holy Virgin Mary to Heaven is found in the works of Meliton, Bishop of Sardis. In the fourth century, Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus refers to the tradition about the “Falling Asleep” of the Mother of God. In the fifth century, Saint Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, told the holy Byzantine Empress Pulcheria: “Although there is no account of the circumstances of Her death in Holy Scripture, we know about them from the most ancient and credible Tradition.” This tradition was gathered and expounded in the Church History of Nikēphóros Callistus during the fourteenth century.
At the time of Her blessed Falling Asleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary was again at Jerusalem. Her fame as the Mother of God had already spread throughout the land and had aroused many of the envious and the spiteful against Her. They wanted to make attempts on Her life; but God preserved Her from enemies.
Day and night She spent her time in prayer. The Most Holy Theotokos went often to the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and here She offered up fevent prayer. More than once, enemies of the Savior sought to hinder Her from visiting her holy place, and they asked the High Priest for a guard to watch over the Grave of the Lord. The Holy Virgin continued to pray right in front of them, yet unseen by anyone.
In one such visit to Golgotha, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her and announced Her approaching departure from this life to eternal life. In pledge of this, the Archangel gave Her a palm branch. With these heavenly tidings the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with the three girls attending Her (Sepphora, Abigail, and Jael). She summoned Righteous Joseph of Arimathea and other disciples of the Lord, and told them of Her impending Repose.
The Most Holy Virgin prayed also that the Lord would have the Apostle John come to Her. The Holy Spirit transported him from Ephesus, setting him in that very place where the Mother of God lay. After the prayer, the Most Holy Virgin offered incense, and John heard a voice from Heaven, closing Her prayer with the word “Amen.” The Mother of God took it that the voice meant the speedy arrival of the Apostles and the Disciples and the holy Bodiless Powers.
The faithful, whose number by then was impossible to count, gathered together, says Saint John of Damascus, like clouds and eagles, to listen to the Mother of God. Seeing one another, the Disciples rejoiced, but in their confusion they asked each other why the Lord had gathered them together in one place. Saint John the Theologian, greeting them with tears of joy, said that the time of the Virgin’s repose was at hand.
Going in to the Mother of God, they beheld Her lying upon the bed, and filled with spiritual joy. The Disciples greeted Her, and then they told her how they had been carried miraculously from their places of preaching. The Most Holy Virgin Mary glorified God, because He had heard Her prayer and fulfilled Her heart’s desire, and She began speaking about Her imminent end.
During this conversation the Apostle Paul also appeared in a miraculous manner together with his disciples Dionysius the Areopagite, Saint Hierotheus, Saint Timothy and others of the Seventy Apostles. The Holy Spirit had gathered them all together so that they might be granted the blessing of the All-Pure Virgin Mary, and more fittingly to see to the burial of the Mother of the Lord. She called each of them to Herself by name, She blessed them and extolled them for their faith and the hardships they endured in preaching the Gospel of Christ. To each She wished eternal bliss, and prayed with them for the peace and welfare of the whole world.
Then came the third hour (9 A.M.), when the Dormition of the Mother of God was to occur. A number of candles were burning. The holy Disciples surrounded her beautifully adorned bed, offering praise to God. She prayed in anticipation of Her demise and of the arrival of Her longed-for Son and Lord. Suddenly, the inexpressible Light of Divine Glory shone forth, before which the blazing candles paled in comparison. All who saw it took fright. Descending from Heaven was Christ, the King of Glory, surrounded by hosts of Angels and Archangels and other Heavenly Powers, together with the souls of the Forefathers and the Prophets, who had prophesied in ages past concerning the Most Holy Virgin Mary.
Seeing Her Son, the Mother of God exclaimed: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God My Savior, for He hath regarded the low estate of His Handmaiden” (Luke 1:46-48) and, rising from Her bed to meet the Lord, She bowed down to Him, and the Lord bid Her enter into Life Eternal. Without any bodily suffering, as though in a happy sleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary gave Her soul into the hands of Her Son and God.
Then began a joyous angelic song. Accompanying the pure soul of the God-betrothed and with reverent awe for the Queen of Heaven, the angels exclaimed: “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, blessed art Thou among women! For lo, the Queen, God’s Maiden comes, lift up the gates, and with the Ever-Existing One, take up the Mother of Light; for through Her salvation has come to all the human race. It is impossible to gaze upon Her, and it is impossible to render Her due honor” (Stikherion on “Lord, I Have Cried”). The Heavenly gates were raised, and meeting the soul of the Most Holy Mother of God, the Cherubim and the Seraphim glorified Her with joy. The face of the Mother of God was radiant with the glory of Divine virginity, and from Her body there came a sweet fragrance.
Miraculous was the life of the All-Pure Virgin, and wondrous was Her Repose, as Holy Church sings: “In Thee, O Queen, the God of all hath given thee as thy portion the things that are above nature. Just as in the Birth-Giving He did preserve Thine virginity, so also in the grave He did preserve Thy body from decay” (Canon 1, Ode 6, Troparion 1)
Kissing the all-pure body with reverence and in awe, the Disciples in turn were blessed by it and filled with grace and spiritual joy. Through the great glorification of the Most Holy Theotokos, the almighty power of God healed the sick, who with faith and love touched the holy bed.
Bewailing their separation from the Mother of God, the Apostles prepared to bury Her all-pure body. The holy Apostles Peter, Paul, James and others of the Twelve Apostles carried the funeral bier upon their shoulders, and upon it lay the body of the Ever-Virgin Mary. Saint John the Theologian went at the head with the resplendent palm-branch from Paradise. The other saints and a multitude of the faithful accompanied the funeral bier with candles and censers, singing sacred songs. This solemn procession went from Sion through Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane.
With the start of the procession there suddenly appeared over the all-pure body of the Mother of God and all those accompanying Her a resplendent circular cloud, like a crown. There was heard the singing of the Heavenly Powers, glorifying the Mother of God, which echoed that of the worldly voices. This circle of Heavenly singers and radiance accompanied the procession to the very place of burial.
Unbelieving inhabitants of Jerusalem, taken aback by the extraordinarily grand funeral procession and vexed at the honor accorded the Mother of Jesus, complained of this to the High Priest and scribes. Burning with envy and vengefulness toward everything that reminded them of Christ, they sent out their own servants to disrupt the procession and to set the body of the Mother of God afire.
An angry crowd and soldiers set off against the Christians, but the circular cloud accompanying the procession descended and surrounded them like a wall. The pursuers heard the footsteps and the singing, but could not see any of those accompanying the procession. Indeed, many of them were struck blind.
The Jewish priest Athonios, out of spite and hatred for the Mother of Jesus of Nazareth, wanted to topple the funeral bier on which lay the body of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, but an angel of God invisibly cut off his hands, which had touched the bier. Seeing such a wonder, Athonios repented and with faith confessed the majesty of the Mother of God. He received healing and joined the crowd accompanying the body of the Mother of God, and he became a zealous follower of Christ.
When the procession reached the Garden of Gethsemane, then amidst the weeping and the wailing began the last kiss to the all-pure body. Only towards evening were the Apostles able to place it in the tomb and seal the entrance to the cave with a large stone.
For three days they did not depart from the place of burial, praying and chanting Psalms. Through the wise providence of God, the Apostle Thomas was not to be present at the burial of the Mother of God. Arriving late on the third day at Gethsemane, he lay down at the tomb and with bitter tears asked that he might be permitted to look once more upon the Mother of God and bid her farewell. The Apostles out of heartfelt pity for him decided to open the grave and permit him the comfort of venerating the holy relics of the Ever-Virgin Mary. Having opened the grave, they found in it only the grave wrappings and were thus convinced of the bodily ascent of the Most Holy Virgin Mary to Heaven.
On the evening of the same day, when the Apostles had gathered at a house to strengthen themselves with food, the Mother of God appeared to them and said: “Rejoice! I am with you all the days of your lives.” This so gladdened the Apostles and everyone with them, that they took a portion of the bread, set aside at the meal in memory of the Savior (“the Lord’s Portion”), and they exclaimed : “Most Holy Theotokos, save us”. (This marks the beginning of the rite of offering up the “Panagia” (“All-Holy”), a portion of bread in honor of the Mother of God, which is done at monasteries to the present day).
The sash of the Mother of God, and Her holy garb, preserved with reverence and distributed over the face of the earth in pieces, have worked miracles both in the past and at present. Her numerous icons everywhere pour forth signs and healings, and Her holy body, taken up to Heaven, bears witness to our own future life there. Her body was not left to the vicissitudes of the transitory world, but was incomparably exalted by its glorious ascent to Heaven.
The Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated with special solemnity at Gethsemane, the place of Her burial. Nowhere else is there such sorrow of heart at the separation from the Mother of God, and nowhere else such joy, because of Her intercession for the world.
The holy city of Jerusalem is separated from the Mount of Olives by the valley of Kedron on Josaphat. At the foot of the Mount of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane, where olive trees bear fruit even now.
The holy Ancestor-of-God Joachim had himself reposed at 80 years of age, several years after the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (November 21). Saint Anna, having been left a widow, moved from Nazareth to Jerusalem, and lived near the Temple. At Jerusalem she bought two pieces of property: the first at the gates of Gethsemane, and the second in the valley of Josaphat. At the second locale she built a tomb for the members of her family, and where also she herself was buried with Joachim. It was there in the Garden of Gethsemane that the Savior often prayed with His disciples.
The most-pure body of the Mother of God was buried in the family tomb. Christians honored the sepulchre of the Mother of God, and they built a church on this spot. Within the church was preserved the precious funeral cloth, which covered Her all-pure and fragrant body.
The holy Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem (420-458) testified before the emperor Marcian (450-457) as to the authenticity of the tradition about the miraculous ascent of the Mother of God to Heaven, and he sent to the empress, Saint Pulcheria (September 10), the grave wrappings of the Mother of God from Her tomb. Saint Pulcheria then placed these grave-wrappings within the Blachernae church.
Accounts have been preserved, that at the end of the seventh century a church had been built atop the underground church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, and that from its high bell-tower could be seen the dome of the Church of the Resurrection of the Lord. Traces of this church are no longer to be seen. And in the ninth century near the subterranean Gethsemane church a monastery was built, in which more than 30 monks struggled.
Great destruction was done the Church in the year 1009 by the despoiler of the holy places, Hakim. Radical changes, the traces of which remain at present, also took place under the crusaders in the year 1130. During the eleventh to twelfth centuries the piece of excavated stone, at which the Savior had prayed on the night of His betrayal disappeared from Jerusalem. This piece of stone had been in the Gethsemane basilica from the sixth century.
But in spite of the destruction and the changes, the overall original cruciform (cross-shaped) plan of the church has been preserved. At the entrance to the church along the sides of the iron gates stand four marble columns. To enter the church, it is necessary to go down a stairway of 48 steps. At the 23rd step on the right side is a chapel in honor of the holy Ancestors-of-God Joachim and Anna together with their graves, and on the left side opposite, the chapel of Saint Joseph the Betrothed with his grave. The right chapel belongs to the Orthodox Church, and the left to the Armenian Church (since 1814).
The church of the Dormition of the Theotokos has the following dimensions: in length it is 48 arshin, and in breadth 8 arshin [1 arshin = 28 inches]. At an earlier time the church had also windows beside the doors. The whole temple was adorned with a multitude of lampadas and offerings. Two small entrances lead into the burial-chamber of the Mother of God. One enters through the western doors, and exits at the northern doors. The burial-chamber of the All-Pure Virgin Mary is veiled with precious curtains. The burial place was hewn out of stone in the manner of the ancient Jewish graves and is very similar to the Sepulchre of the Lord. Beyond the burial-chamber is the altar of the church, in which Divine Liturgy is celebrated each day in the Greek language.
The olive woods on the eastern and northern sides of the temple was acquired from the Turks by the Orthodox during the seventh and eighth centuries. The Catholics acquired the olive woods on the east and south sides in 1803, and the Armenians on the west side in 1821.
On August 12, at Little Gethsemane, at the second hour of the night, the head of the Gethsemane church celebrates Divine Liturgy. With the end of Liturgy, at the fourth hour of the morning, he serves a short Molieben before the resplendent burial shroud, lifts it in his hands and solemnly carries it beyond the church to Gethsemane proper where the holy sepulchre of the Mother of God is situated. All the members of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, with the head of the Mission presiding, participate each year in the procession (called the “Litania”) with the holy burial shroud of the Mother of God.
The rite of the Burial of the Mother of God at Gethsemane begins customarily on the morning of August 14. A multitude of people with hierarchs and clergy at the head set off from the Jerusalem Patriarchate (nearby the Church of the Resurrection of Christ) in sorrowful procession. Along the narrow alley-ways of the Holy City the funeral procession makes its way to Gethsemane. Toward the front of the procession an icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is carried. Along the way, pilgrims meet the icon, kissing the image of the All-Pure Virgin Mary and lift children of various ages to the icon. After the clergy, in two rows walk the black-robed monks and nuns of the Holy City: Greeks, Roumanians, Arabs, Russians. The procession, going along for about two hours, concludes with Lamentations at the Gethsemane church. In front the altar, beyond the burial chamber of the Mother of God, is a raised-up spot, upon which rests the burial shroud of the Most Holy Mother of God among fragrant flowers and myrtle, with precious coverings.
“O marvelous wonder! The Fount of Life is placed in the grave, and the grave doth become the ladder to Heaven...” Here at the grave of the All-Pure Virgin, these words strike deep with their original sense and grief is dispelled by joy: “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, granting the world, through Thee, great mercy!”
Numerous pilgrims, having kissed the icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, following an ancient custom, then stoop down and go beneath it.
On the day of the Leave-taking of the feast (August 23), another solemn procession is made. On the return path, the holy burial shroud is carried by clergy led by the Archimandrite of Gethsemane.
There is an article in the “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate”, 1979, No. 3 regarding the rite of the litany and Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God in the Holy Land.
Today flowers are blessed in church, and people keep them in their homes. During times of family strife or illness, the flower petals are placed in the censer with the incense, and the whole house is censed. See the Prayer at the Sanctification of any Fragrant Herbage.
Troparion for The DORMITION — Tone 1
In giving birth you preserved your virginity, / in falling asleep you did not forsake the world, O Theotokos. / You were translated to life, O Mother of Life, / and by your prayers, you deliver our souls from death.
Kontakion for The DORMITION — Tone 2
Neither the tomb, nor death could hold the Theotokos, / who is constant in prayer and our firm hope in her intercessions. / For being the Mother of Life, / she was translated to life by the One who dwelt in her virginal womb.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
愿上帝怜恤我罪人
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
for the sake of the prayers
of Thy most pure Mother,
our holy and God-bearing fathers and all the saints, have mercy on us.
Amen.
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Blessed be God.
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