How the Virgin Mary Died According To St Juan Damasceno, Father of the Church
By Bella Francis
The Assumption of the Virgin Mary (called the Dormition in the Christian East) has been celebrated as a solemn feast on August 15 since ancient times.
San Juan Damasceno, priest and Doctor of the Early Church Fathers is one of the strongest witnesses to the doctrine of the Dormition and bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the end of her earthly life. He had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and he wrote about her Immaculate Conception, Assumption, and how she is the Mother of God.
St. John Damascene wrote several discourses. The Assumption is especially notable, for it detailed account of the translation of the body of the Blessed Virgin into heaven, an account, he affirms is based on the most reliable and ancient tradition.
This discourse is cited by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950 in his definition of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother of God into heaven as a Dogma of faith .
San Juan Damasceno is also known as St. John Damascene . He was born in Damascus, Syria, around 675, at a time when the Mideast was rapidly changing. The power and culture of the Greeks and Romans had come to an end. The Muslims conquered Damascus in 635 and the city had been under Muslim rule for forty years.
St. John was born into an upper-class Christian family and he was raised in the faith. He was extremely well educated in theology, philosophy, and science under the guidance of a monk from Sicily who had been captured and brought as a prisoner to Syria. He gained fluency in Greek and Arabic. His father, although a Christian, was a high-ranking financial officer who raised taxes for the Muslim caliphs. St. John succeeded his father as finance minister or “grand vizier” to the caliph of Damascus. He was widely respected for his competence, fairness, and humility. His work ended abruptly in the year 700 when the Muslims shifted their policies toward Christians. He resigned, distributed his wealth, and became a monk at the monastery of St. Sabas in the desert on the outskirts of Jerusalem at the age of 25.
St. John spent his time in prayer and contemplation, study and writing. He was a prolific author and wrote on a wide range of topics addressing philosophy, heresies, and orthodox theology.
THIS IS HOW THE VIRGIN MARY DIED ACCORDING TO SAN JUAN DAMASCENO, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
“The Mother of God did not die of illness, because she did not have to receive the punishment of illness, because she had no original sin. She did not die of old age, because she did not have to grow old, since the punishment for the sin of the first parents did not come to her: She died of love, a deep desire to go to heaven to unite with her Son.
After Our Lord’s ascension into heaven, some 14 years later, the Virgin Mary summoned the apostles for her departure from this world into eternity. Her life on earth was complete after having spent time teaching the religion of the Savior to young and old, comforted so many sad people and helped so many sick and dying.
The Apostles loved her as the kindest of all mothers, and they hastened to travel to receive from her maternal lips her last counsel, and from her sacrosanct hands her last blessing. They arrived, and with copious tears, and on their knees, they kissed those holy hands that had so many times blessed them. For each one of them, the exalted Lady had words of comfort and hope. And then, like someone who falls asleep, she departed for eternity. The news spread throughout the city, and there was not a Christian who did not come to mourn her passing just as they would have grieved the loss of their own mother. Her burial looked more like an Easter procession than a funeral. Everyone sang the Hallelujah with the strongest hope that they now had a most powerful Protector in heaven, to intercede for each one of Jesus’ disciples. Very soft but strong aromas were felt in the air, and each one seemed to hear very soft harmonies of music. Thomas the Apostle, had not been able to arrive on time for the burial of the Blessed Mother. Thomas said to Peter “You cannot deny me the great favour of being able to go to the tomb of my most loving mother and give one last kiss to those holy hands that blessed me so many times. Peter agreed. As the disciples approached the Holy Sepulcher, and when they were close they began to feel again very aromas in the environment and harmonious music in the air. They opened the tomb and instead of seeing the body of the Virgin they only found a great quantity of very beautiful flowers. Jesus Christ had come, He had raised His Blessed Mother and taken her to heaven.
This was St. John Damascene’s theological interpretation of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Let us pray
Almighty ever living God, who assumed the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of Your Son, body and soul into heavenly glory, grant we pray that, always attentive to the things that are above, we may merit to be sharers of her glory. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son, who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever, Amen.
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