The Mother’s Compassion

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, God is one. Amen.

In the Vesperal Liturgy this evening we remember the Dormition of The Theotokos. I would like to share with you parts of the sermon on the Dormition preached by St. John Kronstadt, one of the great saints of late 19th century Russia [For the full sermon online see ]https://oca.org/fs/sermons/sermon-on-the-dormition-of-the-most-holy-theotokos].



St John began: “Let us be happy, beloved brothers and sisters that we belong to the Holy Orthodox Church, worthily and rightly glorifying the Most Holy Sovereign Theotokos on this eminent day out of all the days of the year…. Today the Holy Church solemnly glorifies the honourable Dormition or translation of the Mother of God from earth to heaven…. [This] translation of the Mother of God is a paradigm [that is, a model] of the translation in general of the souls of Christians to the other world.”

“We say that our dead have ‘fallen asleep’ or ‘passed away.’ What does this mean? This means that for the true Christian there is no death. Death was conquered by Christ on the cross. But there is a translation, a rearrangement of [the condition of all true Christians, because their souls go to] another place, in another age, in another world beyond the grave, eternal, without end, that is what is meant by ‘falling asleep.’…. This preparation for the meeting of the heavenly King before the dread judgment seat, after death, is essentially the person’s preparation throughout the whole of [their] life [on earth]. This preparation means a change in all [their] thoughts, and the moral change of all [their] being, so that the whole [person] would be pure and white as snow, washing clean everything that defiles [that is, takes away the holiness of] the body and the spirit, so that [they are clothed] with every virtue: repentance, meekness, humility, gentleness, simplicity, chastity, mercifulness, … spiritual contemplation,  burning love for God and neighbour.”

“Our preparation for meeting the heavenly King, and for the inheritance of eternal life in heaven, should consist of [this search for purification]. The heavenly King desires souls [clothed] with virtue [that cannot be changed], souls prepared so that the Very Lord [can live] in us. Do not marvel that the Very Lord Himself wants to live in us. In fact the human soul [has more space] than the heavens and the earth, for it exists in the image of God. And if one removes sins from the soul, the Lord of all will settle in [the soul] and fill it with Himself. [In the words of the Gospel of] John, chapter 14, verse 23, ‘We will come to Him and make our dwelling with Him,’ says the Lord about the souls who love Him.”

“And so, ye participants in the Christian feasts, and especially the present feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God … [cry out] to each and every one about preparing their souls to be the dwelling place of the Lord, about continual repentance, and about the incorruptible [presence] of Christian virtue. Let your death also be unashamed and peaceful, serving as [a solemn promise] of a good answer at the dread judgment seat of Christ. Amen,” concluded St John.

St John also wrote lovingly about the Mother of God in his book, My Life in Christ [published by Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville NY, 1994]. Some of his reflections there supplement his sermon. He stressed how, and I quote: “Orthodox Christians are like a family, the children of Jesus Christ, and in a good family the mother is always held in high respect…. You should remember that the Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ, the holy angels, and the saints are pure images of God—friends of God, as Abraham is called the friend of God” (pp. 304-305).

It is because of this oneness with “the pure image of God” St John urges that, and I quote: “[To] trust in the intercession [that is, the intervention] of the Mother of God, of the angels and saints [in our lives] is a form of Christian hope. They are powerful in intercession for us, both by the grace of Christ and [by] their own virtues. We do not pray to Them in vain; through their intercession we trust to obtain mercy, the forgiveness of sins, and salvation, as well as temporal blessings…., concluded St John.” (pp. 501-502).

When we seek the intervention of the Mother of God in our lives, our request to Her for help and intervention needs to be joined to how we are living our lives. St John reflects, and I quote: “Those who pray to the Mother of God must imitate Her humility, Her … purity, [Her] submission to the Will of God … and Her patience,” urged St John. That is quite a challenge: be humble, be pure, submit to the Will of God and be patient. That’s a recipe for living a life filled with prayer and purpose—be humble, be pure, discover and submit to the will of God and be patient.

Yes, it is quite a challenge to live such a holy and pure life, but it is possible. St John Kronstadt concludes with these words: “When you feel yourself to be a … wicked … sinner, and, therefore, do not feel worthy to draw near to Our Lady and pray to Her, then is the very time to pray [earnestly] to Her, just because you feel yourself such a sinner; do not lie in the mire [that is, the deep trouble] of sin, but come to Our Lady, stand before Her image in the hope that She Herself is there present, show Her without shame your sinful sores, have an [intense dislike] for [those sins], and ask Her to cleanse you from this spiritual leprosy, and you shall not be [disappointed]. The all-merciful One [the Mother of God] … will cleanse you, as the Lord Himself cleansed the ten lepers” (p. 415).

[Then, you will know that] “Our Lady, the Mother of God, is the most beautifully adorned temple of the Holy Trinity. She is, after God, the treasury of all blessings, of purity, [of] holiness, of all true wisdom, the source of [constant] spiritual power ….” (p. 232).

Let us love one another, that with one mind we may confess Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Trinity, One in essence and undivided. Amen.                      Father Emmanuel Kahn