The fiery ascent of Prophet Elijah. photo by Fr. Brendan

During the month of August, our Church is blessed enough to have two of the twelve major feasts.

On August 6th we celebrate the feast of Transfiguration of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which is the manifestation of the Holy Trinity as well as the manifestation of His divinity, through a display of His uncreated divine energy.

It is on this day that the Lord took Peter, James and John to a high mountain, where He was transfigured before them. His face shown like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light (Matthew 17:2). Jesus' face shined like the sun and the whiteness of His garments demonstrated that Jesus is God, because God is Light.

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking to Him (Matthew 17:3). Moses represents the Law and all those who have died. Elijah represents the Prophets and all those who are alive in Christ since he himself did not experience death. Their presence shows that the Law and the Prophets, the living and the dead, all bear witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of the whole Old Testament.

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am pleased. Hear Him” (Matthew 17:5). This is the manifestation of the Holy Trinity. The Lord Jesus Christ is transfigured and the Holy Spirit is present in the bright cloud which overshadowed the mountain, and the Father speaks from heaven testifying to Jesus' divine sonship.

The disciples were greatly afraid and fell on their faces, but Jesus came and touched them and said: “Arise, do not be afraid” (Matthew 17:7).

This event took place not long before the passion and crucifixion of the Lord. It was His will indeed to manifest His divinity to these three Apostles to strengthen them in their faith, so that they would not be alarmed when they see Him crucified, and would know that he suffered willingly as the liturgical hymn sung in church on the feast day states, “You were transfigured on the mountain, Christ God, showing your disciples as much of you glory as they could hold. So that when they would see you crucified, they would know that you suffered willingly and would proclaim to the world that you are verily, the splendor of the Father.”

The Lord in his discernment knew that what was revealed to the disciples carried a heavy significance and with that in mind revealed to them only as much as they could fathom at the time. The significance here is that with such a revelation, they had just enough information to know that the Lord's upcoming passion will not only be the will of the Father but His will also. With that they will be able to bear witness after Christ's crucifixion to both the believers and non believers alike. If one wonders why the Lord chose those three Apostles, our Holy Fathers comment that it is because Peter would later on become the leader of the Apostles, James would be the first bishop of Jerusalem, and John would be the longest living of all the apostles.

The second feast is celebrated on August 15th. It is the Dormition (Falling Asleep) of the Theotokos.

The Theotokos lived the rest of her life with the Apostle John, the beloved of the Lord Jesus Christ, as He commanded on the cross: When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” and from that hour that disciple took her to his own home (John 19:26-27).

According to Holy Tradition, Mary was about seventy years old when she fell asleep in the Lord. In response to her prayers and her desire to know the time of her departure, Archangel Gabriel appeared to her announcing that she would be translated to her Son in three days. Then, a cloud encircled the home of Saint John, and at the command of God, angels had seized the Apostles that were scattered to the ends of the world and brought them on clouds to Jerusalem, with the exception of Thomas. The Apostles were placed before the door of the house where the Theotokos dwelt.

Seeing one another, the holy Apostles rejoiced, but at the same time they wondered at why the Lord gathered them together in this place. Saint John went to them and greeted them with joyful tears, and informed them of the speedy departure of the most holy Mother of God. Though they understood that it was the will of the Lord to gather them from the various parts of the world to be present at the blessed end of His immaculate and all pure Mother for the honorable burial of her body. The news of her imminent departure brought intense sorrow to their hearts, as she was to all of them the mother and comforter and the source of their consolation and strength.

The Theotokos rejoiced greatly at seeing them and thanked her Son and God who brought them for the consolation of her soul. She encouraged each one of them and gave them her blessings, and then shone in the room an ineffable light of divine glory, and they beheld the roof of the apartment open and the glory of the Lord descending from heaven. It was Christ the King of Glory with hosts of angels and archangels, and all the heavenly powers. And a stream of light came upon the Virgin because of the presence of her Son, and all the powers of the heavens fell down and adored Him.

The Lord then consoled His mother with words full of love and persuaded her not to fear the power of Satan which was already conquered by her. He called with love to pass fearlessly from earth to heaven. Feeling unspeakable joy at the sight of the radiant face of her Son and Lord, the Theotokos, filled with spiritual rupture out of love for Him, surrendered her pure soul into the hands of the Lord. And the Lord stretched forth His undefiled hands and received her holy and blameless soul. She felt no pain whatsoever, but it was as if she had fallen into a sweet sleep. Her face shone like the sun and a splendid and sweet perfume emitted from her most pure body.

On the third day after her burial, Thomas who was preaching the Gospel in the lands of India, was suddenly caught up in a cloud and transported to a place in the air above the tomb of the Virgin, where he saw the translation of her body into the heavens. Thereafter, he descended to find the other disciples keeping watch over the sepulcher of the Theotokos. He begged them to open the tomb that he also may look upon her remains and bid her farewell. Taking pity on him, the Apostles then rolled away the stone and opened the tomb. They were all struck by shock when they discovered that her remains had vanished, and only her burial clothes were therein emitting wonderful fragrance.

Thus they were convinced that the Mother of Life, although she had died, yet rose, like her Son, to eternal life; and that her body, having been raised, was lifted up to Heaven by Jesus, her Son and the Savior of our souls.

From that time, the tradition of the Holy Orthodox Church affirms the bodily assumption of the Holy Theotokos into heaven on the third day after her burial. We observe two things from this occurrence: that it was not fitting that the Mother of Life should remain in the tomb and partake of the corruption and we see that the Law-Giver proved a doer of the law that children should honor their parents. Hence, He bestowed upon his Mother the same honor as Himself. As He was raised on the third day in glory, thus He raised His Mother with glory on the third day and took her to Himself.

Our Church urges us to prepare for this great feast with fasting and abstaining from all animal food and dairy products as of the first day of August, and offers the service of paraklisis which is a service of supplication for the welfare of the living. It is addressed to the Most Holy Theotokos whose intercession is sought through the chanting of a supplicatory canon and other hymns.