242. Слово в день Успения Пресвятыя Богородицы

(Said in the Assumption Assembly on August 15; printed in the Works of the Holy Father in 1849 and in the collection in 1861) For this we sigh; we desire to be clothed in our heavenly habitation (2 Cor. 5:2). Marvelous is the death on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; His three-day resurrection is marvelous: but it is not marvelous that they are marvelous; because they contain the unimaginable mystery of the incomprehensible wisdom of God; They miraculously resolve the question, which cannot be resolved without a miracle, of how to save the lost human race. How is it possible that the Son of God suffered and died? - Perhaps because such is the will of His Father, and such is His own will, for which nothing is impossible. Through the cup of His free, innocent Divine-human suffering, He exhausted and abolished the cup of eternal torment of humanity condemned for sin. By His death He penetrated into the closed region of universal human death, in order to dispel its darkness with the light of Divinity, in order to break its bonds by the power of Divinity. Not later than the third day from death He rose again, because He was to be the firstfruits of the dead who rise again, and not earlier than the third day, so that the work of our salvation would be sealed with the sign of the Most Holy Trinity, to Whom it entirely belongs. Obviously, not to the same extent as the death and resurrection of the Lord, but the death of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Her resurrection are also marvelous. How is it possible that the purest Cherubim and the most glorious Seraphim died? Cherubim and Seraphim are lower than Her, and therefore in a lower degree should be blessed: but they do not know death. How did she die who was the receptacle of the incarnate Son of God, and of course did not cease to be the dwelling place of the Divinity? Should the incorruptible recipient of the fire of the Divine have yielded to the power of earthly corruption? – Truly, one can believe that the Most Holy Virgin could, in the words of the Apostle, not “become unclothed, but be shed, so that the life of death may be consumed with the belly” (2 Cor. 5:4) - not lay off the clothes of her earthly body through death, but by an instant transformation put on a glorified body. And why wasn't it so? It must be thought that, out of Her constant humility and desire to imitate the humiliation of Her Divine Son, She herself wanted not to avoid the humiliated path of temporary death. And the all-arranging Providence, without preventing the deepening of humility, which should elevate the future glory, through the death of the Mother of the Belly, teaches us how a not small and not safe remnant of power preserves death in human nature even after the life-giving death of Christ. If the most pure Mother of the Belly did not escape death, albeit a quiet and short-lived one: then we, far from perfect purity, plunged into the impurity of thoughts, into the impurity of passions, into the impurity of deeds, into the impurity of life - in what danger we are of a fierce and eternal death! The glory of eternal life was already beginning to shine through the very death of the Blessed Virgin. In three days, a heavenly messenger appeared to call Her to eternity, and brought Her a sign of the paradise awaiting Her. The Council of the Apostles miraculously gathered to honor Her repose and burial. The worthy saw Her Divine Son himself, who with heavenly powers came to receive Her soul. Her lifeless body worked miracles. On the third day from death, in the likeness of Christ, Her complete resurrection was manifested. Her earthly body was gone in the tomb. She appeared to the Council of the Apostles in heavenly glory. This is the event that the Church Council now commemorates solemnly, however, under the humble name of the Dormition of the Mother of God, representing a more softened thought of death than the thought of triumph and glory. What does the Mother Church think about this? What does he want? Of course, he does not think of adding to the highest heavenly glory with insignificant earthly glory. She wants to place us in contemplation, as if on the boundary between life and death, between earth and heaven, between time and eternity. She wants to say to each of Her children: look beyond the grave; think on earth about heavenly things; in time remember eternity; learn this from the book of the life and dormition of the Mother of God. Indeed, in the book of Her earthly life, since this book is open to us, we find everywhere one dominant thought: the desire for the heavenly, eternal, divine. When the infant mind and infant feet were not yet strong to carry Her to heaven: Her desire there was expressed by the fact that She came to the earthly heaven - to the church of God, and settled here. An extraordinary early aspiration corresponded to an extraordinary early success: in her tender youth She was already so close to heaven that an Angel visited Her and fed Her with heavenly food. And not the usual vow of perpetual virginity in Her time, why did She take it otherwise, if not so that, not bound by earthly ties, the more freely she could strive for heaven? When, through the incarnation of the Son of God in Her, She Herself became the second heaven: from that time it was no longer possible to think that She would be attracted to anything earthly. Being the living throne of the incarnate Son of God, Whom she bore in her womb and in her arms, like the living thrones of heaven, of course She lived by Whom she bore. She composed in Her heart all the words of His mysteries and destinies; first of all, she revealed His Divine power, as can be seen from the fact that she asked Him for the first miracle in Cana of Galilee; Earlier the Apostles understood that he who sees Him sees His Father; followed Him not only along the difficult paths of His God-preaching wanderings, but also along the terrible path of the cross, death and burial, drawing inexhaustible courage from boundless love. Finally, when by the resurrection and ascension of Christ Her only treasure returned to heaven: both from a maternal feeling, but especially from a gracious feeling, without a doubt, Her heart was constantly where Her treasure was. The rest of Her life on earth was one unwavering gaze from time to eternity, one extended sigh towards the heavenly air - towards heavenly life with Christ in God. And this is the direction in which the life of the Blessed Virgin reached such a limit at which “death was sacrificed in victory” (1 Cor. 15:54) resurrection and glory, so quickly and so solemnly. You may think whether I am asking too much if, following the direction of the life of the Blessed Virgin, I am indicating the direction for your life. Miriam, according to heavenly testimony, is “grace-filled” and “blessed among women” (Luke 1:28): can ordinary people follow Her, much less those burdened with sins? She, according to church contemplation, is above comparison with the Seraphim: how far is our baseness from following in Her footsteps? We will not allow these perplexities to ensure laziness: the truth easily resolves them. The Mother of God is called grace-filled, by excellence; but there is also for all of us a certain measure of grace, corresponding to our faith and need, sufficient for our salvation: “for the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11). The Mother of God is unparalleledly blessed in women and in the human race: but also us, as the Apostle says: God blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly things in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). Is it possible to follow in the footsteps of the Mother of God? – Not only can this be, but it must also be, according to the prophet’s prophecy: “the king will bring virgins after Her” (Ps. 44:15). A person can also imitate the God-man, who himself calls for this and encourages the achievement of a high goal: “whoever serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there my servant also will be” (John 12:26). Imitation does not require equality, or even close to equality. The small can imitate the great in what is available. The wondrous and miraculous are not available to everyone by choice: the true and good are available to everyone, although, however, to everyone in their own measure and degree, according to the degree of faith, according to the degree of purity of desire and zeal of achievement. And we do not tell you: be virgins, all of you, like the Blessed Virgin; talk to the Angels; rise above the Seraphim. We show you what is available: excited by the memory of Her life and Dormition, look beyond the tomb; think on earth about heavenly things; in time remember eternity. This is so characteristic of Christians that the Apostle speaks of this, not as something due and demanded, but as something existing and ordinary: “for this we groan; we desire to be clothed in our heavenly dwelling.” Many of us do not willingly look into the sky and into eternity, partly because on this path of vision we encounter death and the grave, partly because their vision is too immersed in earthly objects. How would you blame a person who, at the sight of approaching danger, instead of immediately examining what threatens and taking precautions, closed his eyes so as not to see the danger! Isn’t that what you’re doing yourself? Death is approaching you, and will certainly come: and you, instead of immediately examining what is dangerous in it and using the means open to you to make it safe, close your eyes so that its sad image does not bother you! They are afraid of death: but judge sensibly what is more terrible, death, which life preparing for it can make safe and blissful, or life not preparing for it, which makes death cruel? What would you think of a son who, living away from his father, is so busy with the affairs and pleasures of a foreign country that he does not think about returning to his father, and does not take advantage of opportunities to inquire about him and his home? - Without a doubt, you would say: apparently this son does not love his father. What, therefore, should we think about a person who is so busy with earthly worries and pleasures that he does not think about his return to the Heavenly Father and about His home - about heaven and eternity? – It must be said: it is clear that this man does not love God, or at least loves the world more than God. But it is true according to the word of the Apostle that “if anyone loves the world, the Father’s love is not in him” (1 John 2:15), and that he who does not “love” does not even “know God” (1 John 4:8). What remains for such a person? – What is the dignity in the present? What hope is there for the future? - Oh Mother of the Belly! With the light of Your life-giving dormition, awaken us from the deadly sleep of negligence about our eternal salvation. “We lift up our eyes to You, Who dwells in heaven” (Ps. 122:1): grant us “the firstfruits of the spirit”, so that, having passed through both the joys and sorrows of earth, we sigh sweetly to You, longing for sonship (Rom. 8:23), “let us desire to be clothed in our heavenly dwelling” (2 Cor. 5:2). “Turn away our eyes from seeing vanity; live us in Your way” (Ps. 119:37). Amen. You might be interested in: