“The Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God is full of spiritual meaning, especially because it is celebrated in the middle of the last month—August—of the Church year, which reminds us of the final times of each person’s life and of the end of history,” said His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel on Friday.
The great princely necropolises, such as Bistrița Monastery (Neamț County), where Ruler Alexandru cel Bun is buried, or Putna Monastery (Suceava County), where St. Stephen the Great rests, are dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God, His Beatitude recalled.
He also noted that “the icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God is placed above the exit of a church in the narthex, so that when the faithful leave, they remember the last days of their life on earth.”
The faithful are thus called to follow the example of the Mother of God who, after learning from St. Archangel Gabriel that she would soon depart this life, “rejoiced with great joy” and went up to pray on the Mount of Olives. She then set her household in order, gave her clothes to poor widows, and urged everyone: “Do not turn my joy into weeping!” the Patriarch of Romania recounted.
Images of the Mother of God in Holy Scripture
Patriarch Daniel attended the Divine Liturgy on Friday, August 15, 2025, celebrated in the historic Chapel of St. George the Great Martyr at the Patriarchal Residence.
“The Mother of God experienced physical death, through the separation of soul and body. Yet, in her case, there was no waiting for the universal resurrection, because the Lord Jesus Christ, her Son—who was conceived and born of her body—did not permit the corruption or decay of His Mother’s body, but took her to Himself in heaven,” His Beatitude continued.
“This translation of hers is not merely a spatial movement from earth to heaven, but also a spiritual and existential transformation—her passage to eternal, incorruptible life, and the glorification of her soul and body in the Kingdom of Heaven, in the peace, joy, and love of the Holy Trinity.”
In the first verse of chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation, this glorification is described “as the state in which the Mother of God is together with the Mystery of the Church, for she is the living icon of Christ’s Church, which bore Christ within and symbolizes Christ-bearing humanity,” the Patriarch said.
It is also written there that “the Mother of God has above her head the Sun, who is Christ, the Sun of Righteousness; at her feet is the Moon, representing the changing world that waxes and wanes; and around her are twelve stars, representing the twelve Apostles on whose confession the Church of Christ is built, with Him as its Head.”
“Therefore, the Mother of God’s translation to heaven is not a mere spatial movement but above all an entrance into another mode of existence—at the right hand of Christ.”
“And this translation and placement at Christ’s right hand was foretold before the Incarnation of Christ, in Psalm 45:9: ‘At Your right hand stood the queen, arrayed in gold, adorned in varied beauty,’” His Beatitude added.
Dormition and translation—not “resurrection” or “ascension”
The Patriarch of Romania explained why it is theologically and factually incorrect to describe the Dormition of the Mother of God as a “resurrection” or “ascension/assumption.”
In the Orthodox Church, only the terms “Dormition” and “translation to heaven” are used: the first indicates that her death—understood as the separation of soul and body—was real; the second affirms that her translation to heaven alongside her Son happened by His will.
“That is why this feast is not called the Resurrection of the Mother of God, nor the Ascension, as some mistakenly say, sometimes out of ignorance,” His Beatitude stressed.
“Because she did not ascend to heaven by her own power, she was not raised to Christ by her own strength, but was taken, translated to heaven by her Son, Jesus Christ, who desired His Mother to be with Him in the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven.”
A spiritual reality reflected in the feast’s icon
“Just as the Mother of God once held her Son as a Child on her left arm, close to her heart, and showed Him to the world, now the Son holds her soul in His hands and shows it to the angels in heaven,” said Patriarch Daniel.
“On earth she held Him close to her heart on her left arm, and with her right hand she showed Him to the world and said, ‘Do whatever He tells you’—at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. That is her most concise sermon.”
This is precisely and beautifully depicted in the Orthodox icon of the feast, His Beatitude added.
“Thus, the icon shows how greatly the Saviour Jesus Christ values and honours His Mother,” said the Patriarch of Romania.
The Mother of God has not abandoned us
Although she was translated to heaven by the love and spiritual power of her Son, the Mother of God remains present in the world through her prayers, Patriarch Daniel continued.
“The Mother of God does not abandon the world, because this world is the one her Son created, loved, and entered—being born of the Virgin Mary—in order to become the Saviour of the world, granting it forgiveness of sins and eternal life.”
“Because her Son desires the salvation of the world, the Mother of God also desires that all people be saved and rejoice in the eternal happiness of the Kingdom of the Holy Trinity,” His Beatitude concluded.
Patriarch Daniel attended the Divine Liturgy celebrated on Friday in the historic Chapel of St. George the Great Martyr at the Patriarchal Residence.
Photo credit: Basilica.ro Archive / Raluca Ene
