Feast of the Virgin, and the Veneration of the Bodies of the Saints
Feast of the Virgin, and the Veneration of the Bodies of the Saints
This holy ever-virgin Virgin, the Lord honored her pure body, and He raised it up to heaven with great reverence from the heavenly and the earthly beings.
And the Church celebrates the Assumption on the 16th of Misra (22 August).
And previously the Lord raised Elijah the prophet to heaven alive in a fiery chariot, and He raised Enoch to heaven alive, but they will return and will die.
And the apostle Paul ascended to the third heaven, but—whether in the body or outside the body—no one knows, God knows (2 Cor 12:2).
All these ascensions to heaven, whether in life or after death, are an earnest of our own ascent to heaven, where we will be with the Lord always, but in a new heaven, in the heavenly Jerusalem.
And this shows us that the bodies which honored God on earth, God will honor them—on earth or in heaven, or here and there at the same time. And the ascent of the body to heaven is a joyful reality, and in addition to this it is a symbol.
There are bodies which God did not permit to see corruption, and they remained as they were without decay… And there are bodies which turned to dust, and yet their bones retained a special honor, as happened with the bones of the dead Elisha, whose blessing raised a dead body that touched them (2 Kgs 13:21).
And there are bodies from which, at the moment of their death, fragrance like incense was emitted…
And other bodies, even while alive, before departing this world, were the cause of miracles and wonders for all who touched them; even their wounds were a source of blessing, healing illnesses, like the apostles Peter and Paul (Acts 5:15), (Acts 19:12).
And there are bodies of saints upon which churches were built, and believers still venerate their bones or relics with hymns and chants, candles and incense, and celebrate them in the liturgies, receiving their blessing…
And the body of the holy Virgin had a special honor…
The Holy Spirit descended upon her, and the power of the Most High overshadowed her, and within this body God the Word dwelt, and from it He took a body…
Therefore this body, in addition to its chastity and purity, had its sacred honor. And the whole earth was not worthy of this body, so the Lord raised it with honor to heaven.
And among the honors of the bodies of the saints is that, in the resurrection, they will receive another form of transfiguration, becoming spiritual, luminous bodies, freed from the weight of matter, and becoming like the angels of God in heaven…
And regarding the resurrection, the apostle speaks of “the redemption of our body” (Rom 8:23). These luminous bodies will unite with their souls, and God will honor both.
All the striving of the body on earth will be crowned there in heaven.
Therefore, “glorify God in your bodies and in your spirits” (1 Cor 6:20).
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