By Bishop Gregorios of Mesaoria
Today the Church celebrates the Apodosis of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and commemorates St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon, France.
The Apodosis of the Dormition means the completion of the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos from August 15 until today.
This is the case when, through hymnology, we experience wholeheartedly great theological octaves and holy events of the Church that are directly related to the Theotokos’s offering for our salvation.
Christians experience the Ever Virgin Mary’s contribution, in her purity and complete obedience to the fulfillment of God’s will, to the redemption and salvation of the whole human race through the sacrifice of her Son and Son of God.
The faithful feel her blessing and support, as well as that she remains firm even after her departure from the earth as the mother of Life, that is, the Life-Giver Jesus Christ.
Saint Hierarch Irenaeus, whom we celebrate today, lived in the years of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. He was a successor of the Holy Apostles, a Bishop of the city of Lugdunum (present-day Lyon) in France and a disciple of St. Hieromartyr Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna.
Irenaeus is a great Father and Teacher of the Church. He wrote theological texts, mainly dogmatic and antiheretical, with which he pastoralized many Christians and saved them from the delusions of various sects.
He was beheaded by Emperor Severus in the year 202 AD, and therefore he received the amaranth wreath of martyrdom, remaining faithful to Orthodox faith and theology and at the same time an authentic Bishop, who was sacrificed for his rational flock.
The theological work of Irenaeus became the basis and source of all the later Fathers and Teachers of the Church. This treasure remains a constant value throughout the tradition of the Holy Orthodox Church.
Source: Church of Cyprus
