The Dormition of Our Lady, the Virgin Mary, the Theotokos .

On this day, Our Lady, the all pure, Virgin St . Mary, the Mother of God, departed . As she wasalways praying in the holy sepulchre, the Holy Spirit informed her that she was about to departfrom this temporal world . When the time of her departure arrived, the virgins of the Mount ofOlives came to her, with the apostles, who were still alive, and they surrounded her bed . The LordJesus Christ, to Whom is the glory, with a host of thousands and thousands of angels came to her190and comforted her and told her about the eternal joy that was prepared for her, and she rejoiced .The apostles and the virgins asked her to bless them . She stretched her hand and blessed them all,and she gave up her pure spirit in the hand of her Son and God, and He took her spirit to theheavenly mansions .The apostles prepared the body in a fitting manner and carried it to Gethsemane . Some of theJews blocked their way to prevent them from burying the body . One of the Jews seized the coffinwith his hands, which were separated instantly from his body and they remained attached to thecoffin . He regretted his evil deed and wept bitterly . Through the supplications of the saintlyapostles, his hands were reattached to his body, and he believed in the Lord Christ . When theyplaced the body in the tomb, the Lord hid it from them .St . Thomas the Apostle was not present at the time of St . Mary's departure . He wanted to go toJerusalem and a cloud carried him there . On his way, he saw the pure body of St . Mary carried bythe angels and ascended to heaven with it . One of the angels told him, "Make haste and kiss thepure body of St . Mary," and he did .When St . Thomas arrived where the disciples were, they told him about St . Mary's departure andhe said to them, "You know how I conducted myself at the resurrection of the Lord Christ, and Iwill not believe unless I see her body ." They went with him to the tomb, and uncovered the placeof the body but they did not find it, and everyone was perplexed and surprised . St . Thomas toldthem how he saw the holy body and the angels that were ascending with it . They heard the HolySpirit saying to them, "The Lord did not will to leave her body on earth ." The Lord had promisedhis pure apostles to let them see her in the flesh once again . They were waiting for this promise tobe fulfilled, until the 16th day of the month of Misra, when the promise was fulfilled and they sawher .The years of her life on earth were 60 years . She was 12 years old when she left the temple . Shespent 34 years in Joseph's house, until the Ascension of the Lord, and 14 years with St . John theEvangelist, according to the commandment of the Lord which he told her at the cross, "Behold,this is your son," and to St . John, "Behold, this is your mother ."Her intercession and blessings be with us . Amen .