Archbishop Atanasie: Dormition Fast calls faithful to rediscover ‘the altar of the heart’

One of the deepest calls of the Dormition Fast is the rediscovery of the altar of the heart, wrote Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in his pastoral message published at the beginning of the fasting season.

“The altar is the place where God and man meet, where God gives Himself to humanity and where man offers his entire being to God. In this profound sense, the heart of the Mother of God is revealed as the first living altar of the New Covenant,” the archbishop explained.

“The Eastern Fathers describe the heart as the centre of the human person, the place where the mind is united with prayer and where God’s grace works mysteriously to transform life. St Macarius of Egypt calls it the palace of Christ, while St Dumitru Stăniloae teaches that true spiritual life begins when a person gathers their whole being into the heart and opens it to God’s presence. There prayer, peace, discernment and love are born; there the true renewal of the human person begins.”

The Mother of God—the harbour of the heart From this perspective, the Mother of God offers the most profound example of opening the heart to God: “Mary treasured all these things and pondered…