Address of the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Before the Beginning of the Dormition Fast

Dear brothers and sisters!

The feast of the Procession of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord ushers us into the sacred days of the Dormition Fast. Having venerated the Life-Giving Tree and been strengthened by the grace proceeding from it, we begin the ascetic labor of intensified prayer and abstinence. The two-week period of fasting before the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God was established by the Church in imitation of the Ever-Virgin Mary Herself. According to Tradition, having learned of the time of Her passage from the earthly world to the Heavenly realm, the Most Holy Theotokos began preparing for this event through fasting and intensified prayer.

Despite the strictness of its dietary restrictions, the Dormition Fast is a time of joy, for we recall the sign of the ultimate victory of life over non-being revealed in the repose of the Mother of God. She was the first whom the Lord granted to share with Him the glory of the Resurrection. As Holy Scripture testifies: “Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him” (Rom. 6:9); likewise, the Mother of the Savior, the Theotokos who is unsleeping in Her intercessions, was not held by the grave or death.

For the time of fasting truly to bring us consolation and renewal and become a worthy preparation for our encounter with Christ and His Most Pure Mother, we must follow the counsel of the Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church. They all speak unanimously of the importance of the spiritual aspect of fasting – the diligent observance of one’s daily rule of prayer, the reading of Holy Scripture, frequent attendance at the church of God, and obligatory participation in the saving Mysteries of Repentance and Communion. Through receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, we participate in the work of salvation accomplished by the Lord, and, approaching the Life-Giving and Dread Mysteries, we receive the great gift of grace, through which our sins are forgiven and our inner state is transformed.

The Dormition Fast is a time for expressing our special gratitude to the Queen of Heaven for all Her abundant benefactions. It is therefore fitting during these days to offer intensified prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos and glorify Her through the reading of canons and akathists. Yet an equally important aspect of the fast should be the amendment of our lives and the performance of good deeds to the glory of the Mother of God. Venerable John of Damascus counsels: “Let us bless Her, who after God is truly the purest of all, through purity of soul and body. Let us serve Her through mercy and compassion toward those in need, for if there is nothing by which we can serve God except mercy, then His Mother will likewise rejoice in it.”

The ancient Athonite Patericon contains a highly instructive story about how ungrateful a person can sometimes be toward the Queen of Heaven. In one monastery there lived a monk. A period of trials, sorrows and hardships came upon him. One day, left alone in the church, broken by despair and tormented by thoughts, he approached an icon of the Mother of God and boldly and resentfully said: “Prove to me that You are my Mother!” And immediately from the Most Pure countenance of the Mother of God he heard Her quiet voice: “Foolish one, first prove to Me that you are My son, and I shall reveal to you My many and abundant mercies.” This story contains a very important lesson for all of us. We often turn to the Fervent Intercessor, asking Her to deliver us from troubles and misfortunes, heal our infirmities and illnesses, and help us in various circumstances of life. And at times our prayer can be quite demanding and bold. Yet we must never forget that we should become not merely persistent petitioners, but worthy children of the Mother of God. Not in word, but in deed, we should be Her obedient children, thanking the Sovereign Lady through our good deeds and pious lives for the abundant benefactions bestowed upon us.

Among the spiritual lessons offered by the fast dedicated to the Mother of God is care for preserving peace within the family and strengthening love between spouses, children and parents. During the coming holy days, let us strive first of all to mend our relationships with our relatives and loved ones, forgive long-standing grievances, root out indifference, and cast aside quarrelsomeness, jealousy and irritation. A strong Christian family is both a little Church and a source of God’s blessings for those around it, as well as a wonderful means of preaching the Gospel. “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another” (Jn. 13:35), says the Lord. Righteous Archpriest John of Kronstadt taught: “If you live in mutual love, you will bring down upon yourselves the grace of God – and God will dwell in you and crown all your undertakings and deeds with blessed success: for where there is love, there is God, and where there is God, there is every good thing.”

Through the prayers of the Queen of Heaven, who in Her Dormition does not forsake the world, may the Lord grant us to pass through the coming joyful course of the fast to the benefit of ourselves and our neighbors and to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24).

Invoking God’s blessing,

HEAD OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF KAZAKHSTAN

METROPOLITAN OF ASTANA AND KAZAKHSTAN