On August 15, the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates the Dormition of the Theotokos, which is beautifully depicted in the icon that corresponds to the feast.
Toward the end of her earthly life, the Virgin Mary knew her time was short, so Christ’s Apostles came to be with her. However, St. Thomas was late and missed her funeral. Three days after she had been buried, he asked to see her body to pay his last respects. But when the tomb was opened, her body was gone! Her Son had resurrected His mother, body and soul, and taken her into Heaven to be with Him.
The earliest surviving written records we have of the Dormition of the Theotokos date to the second or third century, although there is some speculation that Revelation 12 alludes to the Virgin Mary’s translation into Heaven (she is referred to as the “woman clothed with the sun”). Interestingly though, we do not read any Bible stories about the Virgin Mary on August 15. Instead, we read Luke 10:38-42; 11:27-28:
Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” […] And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
But why do we read this story about Martha and a different Mary?
Because, the most wondrous thing about the Virgin Mary is not that she carried God in her womb and nursed Him; rather, it’s that she heard the word of God and kept it. When the Archangel Gabriel announced that she would become Christ’s mother, she said: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” She lived the Gospel from start to finish, and she “kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).
And you know who else heard the word of God and kept it? Mary the sister of Martha, and the Saints throughout all the ages.
We can all become “other Mary’s” by choosing the good part of listening to Christ’s voice and treasuring His teachings. This is so important for us to hear, especially on feast days dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Mary, the mother of God, is also our mother, and we can grow up spiritually to become like her. We are called to bear Christ within us, just as she did, and her resurrection and glorification in Christ is also our destiny. Therefore, the Virgin Mary is a living icon of what every Christian believer is called to become.