“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.”
One of my most valued possessions is a magnificent Russian icon of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It depicts what we in Western Christianity refer to as the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the Feast we celebrate this day. This icon is a lovely remembrance of my first visit to the Holy Land when I was a priest student pursuing my post-graduate studies in theology in Europe.
Unlike so many images of Mary in Western iconography where she is often depicted alone, Mary, in Eastern iconography would rarely if ever be portrayed without holding or caressing her beloved Son, Jesus. In the East, Mary’s highest title of honor is that of Theotokos or “God-bearer” which was conferred on her by the Council of Ephesus in 431. Hence, bearing Christ reflects the most profound theology about Mary in a visual form.
One of the rare exceptions to this imagery are icons of the Dormition or the ‘falling asleep’ of Mary. As the mother of the Lord, Mary, by a singular grace bestowed upon her by her Son, did not see death but ‘fell asleep’ in the Lord and was ‘assumed’ into heaven. This is lovingly and poignantly imaged in the East by Christ now holding and caressing his mother, united for all eternity in heaven.
The Solemnity of the Assumption reflects not only of Mary’s destiny in the unfolding of the History of Salvation in which she played a pivotal role but speaks a message of hope for all Christians. We are all pilgrims in a strange land as we journey, like Mary, to our true homeland in heaven with all the Holy Ones. Where Mary now is, we hope to follow.