Patriarch Shio III: Dormition of Virgin Mary reminds us that death is transition to eternal life

Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Pitsunda and Tskhum-Apkhazeti Shio III said that the Dormition of the Virgin Mary reminds Christians of their own mortality and the transition to eternal life.

The Patriarch made the remarks during a sermon at the Patriarchal Cathedral of Sioni in Tbilisi on the occasion of the Mariamoba holiday, which commemorates the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.

“Dear fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers, I congratulate you on the glorious feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Most Holy Virgin Mary departed for the eternal world. According to tradition, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself came with the holy angels to receive her soul and take it to Heaven. The holy angels rejoiced, while people mourned, thinking that the Mother of God had left them. But the Mother of God has not abandoned us,” Patriarch Shio said.

He noted that, as stated in the troparion of the feast, the Virgin Mary preserved her virginity at the Nativity and did not abandon the world at her Dormition.

“The Mother of God became our eternal intercessor before God, the mother of all humanity and of each one of us. During her long earthly life, the Mother of God experienced many trials, sorrows and sufferings, but there were also many joys. The last of these joys was the announcement of her approaching death. Even this event took place with great peace and great joy,” Shio III said.

According to the Patriarch, the feast also encourages people to reflect on their own death.

“What does the day of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary make us think about? About our own death, which awaits each of us. For most of us, what is death? It is something frightening, a terrible and even meaningless event that we tend to avoid not only talking about, but even thinking about,” he said.

Patriarch Shio said this attitude stems from a failure to properly understand the meaning of death in Christianity.

“You know that the first human being became subject to death because of sin. This marked the beginning of a life filled with trials and toil. But the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who came into this world, made it possible that, if we desire it, all of this can become merely a name,” he said.

“Death for us is no longer death; only the name remains. As Saint John Chrysostom beautifully says, even its name has become empty. We no longer call death simply death, but departure, falling asleep and rest,” the Patriarch added.

Referring to the Gospel account of Lazarus, Shio III recalled Christ’s words: “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, and I am going to awaken him.”

He also cited Saint Paul the Apostle, who wrote: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep.”

“This is what death is. It is a transition to a better world, to eternity. As the Holy Fathers say, it is the third birth of a person into eternal life — a birth into eternal life. Just as a person is born physically into this world, and is born spiritually through the sacrament of baptism, after death a person is born for eternal life,” Shio III said.

The Patriarch stressed that people often fail to adequately prepare for this “third birth.”

“Unfortunately, we prepare very poorly for this third birth, or do not prepare at all. Because we do not understand this third birth, at the bedside of a dying person, instead of reverence before this great mystery and a prayerful state of mind, there is often anxiety, turmoil and fear. Very often, the person departing for the next world is also subjected to excessive medical interventions,” he said.

“Dear sisters and brothers, let us reflect on today’s feast. Let us reflect on this third birth and on those glorious moments, and consider how we will prepare for them. May the Mother of God be our helper, intercessor and protector during these glorious moments and seconds,” Shio III added.

The Patriarch also remembered the late Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, saying that this was the first Mariamoba celebrated without him.

“Today we remember Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, for whom this is the first Dormition of the Virgin Mary without him. We gather, we pray, and we miss his prayers, his service, his words and being together with him. Let us beseech the Most Holy Theotokos to assist his soul and grant him salvation,” he said.

“Once again, I congratulate you on the glorious feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. May God bless and strengthen you. May the Mother of God protect you and your families. Through the prayers and intercession of the Virgin Mary, may God bless, save, unite and strengthen all of Georgia. Amen,” Patriarch Shio III said.