Funeral for Lorna Holowaychuk

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

Today, while we conduct our funeral service for Lorna Holowaychuk, the Orthodox Church continues to celebrate the Dormition of the Mother of God, which for us is a great ‘feast’, or Mother of God’s Easter!

I think that it may be of interest for you to hear a few words about this feast? What it teaches us? The Mother of God teaches us on this day how we should live our earthly lives. She teaches us how to die, so that after death we continue living, not as before, but better; so that death becomes a «ladder from earth to Heaven», so that dying we may be born to blessful Eternity!

For us, as for children, everything is new and unknown, always not only interesting but often frightening. Future changes always frighten not only children, but also adults. Usually, in order to help the children conquer their fear, parents while holding their hands go in front. Likewise today the Mother of God at the time of Her Dormition shows us how we should react towards death.

This is why, on the day of Her Dormition, in a miraculous fashion, all the Apostles gathered in the house of John the Theologian on Mt. Sion. On the feast of Dormition many faithful Orthodox gather in our temples. The Mother of God shows the Apostles and us how to die. With trembling they look as Her soul leaves, and how Her Son takes in His Hands Her Soul. They see, how for Her, death becomes the birth and beginning of a new life. Later, after the Dormition of the Mother of God, the Apostles and their followers are the first christians to face death without fear. They die bravely because they have been joined to Christ before the end of their earthly lives. One who is living with Christ, dying with Him, does not really die, but continues to live with His Saviour for ever!

For the Mother of God, Her passing is really a feast; she was met and joined with Her Son. What can be more valuable for a mother than to be with her children? As this Dormition is a feast for the Mother of God, so we can rejoyce with Her…

Holy and Pure Virgin Mary was only about 50 to 55 years old, and how much sorrow She had to endure… This is precisely why She helps all those whom with faith and love towards Her Son ask for Her intercession.

Let us try to live and serve God, so that our dormition becomes our return to God, and is for us a very important meeting with our Creator. Let us learn, from the Birth Giver of God, to live in such a way, that our old age and especially our death, is a victory of life over death like ‘Pascha’, and not the gradual extingwishing of life.

May God grant us to end our earthly life as the ‘Theotokos’ did—that is to meet Christ who is the Source of Life—so that it becomes the beginning of a new life! There is no greater happiness! I hope that Lorna, behind the door of earthly life, with the same joy as the Birthgiver of God, is awaiting to meet our Lord Jesus Christ.

May our Blessed Lord God give you, my dear brothers and sisters, and especially to our esteemed Lucy, spiritual support, Heavenly comfort, strengthening of faith and hope on His kind caring for us. May the all Merciful Lord accept with peace Lorna’s soul and give rest to where the righteous repose, where she will have no sickness, pain or sorrow, but eternal life and joy!

Memory Eternal! May God repose her soul among the Saint and Angels! Amen!

St. Barbara’s Cathedral. Sept. 4, 2018