Metropolitan Nicolae sent a pastoral message about the Assumption of the Mother of God: It is the celebration of our hopetranslated

"The Dormition of the Mother of God is also the celebration of our hope," Metropolitan Nicolae of the two Americas said on Thursday in his pastoral address on the occasion of the holiday.

His Eminence explained that the Church does not look at this moment as one of despair, but as a testimony of the victory of life: "The Mother of God sleeps, but death cannot hold her".

"At the center of today's celebration is a tomb, but the Church does not call us to sorrow, but to joy. The apostles are gathered around the body of the Mother of God, but the songs of the celebration speak of life. There is a separation, but the Church announces a meeting."

The Most Reverend Father Nicholas recalled that, after the Resurrection of Christ, death can no longer be considered the ultimate end of existence: "Christ Himself called death sleep. Before resurrecting the daughter of Jairus, He says: She is not dead, but asleep."

"The Holy Fathers who spoke about the Dormition of the Mother of God did not try to hide the reality of death. On the contrary, it was precisely in her death that they saw the power of Christ's Resurrection revealed."

The holy and living ark His Eminence showed the unique place of the Mother...