Met. Gerasimos Calls Faithful to Prayer, Unity During Dormition Fast
Reflection urges devotion to the Theotokos amid world’s trials.
SAN FRANCISCO — His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has called Orthodox Christians on the New Calendar to deepen their prayer, fasting, and unity during the Dormition Fast, a two-week period honoring the Mother of God that culminates with the August 15 feast of her Dormition.
“For these two weeks, we will fast and pray to prepare ourselves to honor the Dormition… of Mary, the Mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Met. Gerasimos said in his reflection, noting the ancient tradition of gathering “symbolically at Mary’s tomb” to ask for her blessing.
He emphasized the unity of the apostles at the Theotokos’ repose, urging the faithful to pray the Paraklesis services together:
“In our deeply divided world, when we pray in unity we offer a profound witness… We send a counter-cultural message of unity amid the many forces that seek to divide."
Quoting the feast’s kontakion — “The Theotokos is undying in intercession. Immovable is our hope in her for protection” — Met. Gerasimos encouraged the faithful to bring before the Mother of God the world’s urgent needs, from war to natural disasters and injustice.
His Eminence also highlighted the mystery of the Dormition, recalling the tradition of the Apostle Thomas arriving three days after Mary’s burial to find her body gone, and her shroud remaining. He connected the season with the August 6 Feast of the Transfiguration, which “offers a vision of the resurrection of all things in the kingdom of God” and points to the identity of Christ as “the crucified and resurrected one.”
“The Church gives us this summer season of feasts for our spiritual benefit,” he said. “... Use these two weeks to pray to the Mother of God, asking her for comfort and asking her to intercede on our behalf with her Son for the life of our world.”
A video and text of Met. Gerasimos' reflection can be found here.
Previously, UOJ reported that Orthodox Christians should be aware of an important ministry, the Dormition Fast Prayer Vigil to end abortion, offered by Orthodox Christians For Life during the Dormition Fast.
