Church Bulletin - August 17, 2003 - Ninth Sunday of Matthew

Ninth Sunday of Matthew - August 17, 2003
[ Click here for the Bible readings: 1 Cor 3:9-17; Mt 14:22-34]

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"YOU WERE TRANSLATED UNTO LIFE, SINCE YOU ARE THE MOTHER OF LIFE"

After our Lord ascended into heaven, what happened to His Mother? We know that she was entrusted by Him to the care of the Apostle John. The Book of Acts documents her presence in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles on the first Pentecost. Anything else concerning her final years is totally drawn from the sources of Sacred Tradition. It is believed that she spend much time in and around Jerusalem, praying at the sites associated with the important events in the earthy life of her Divine Son. She, too, was an "apostle," sharing her personal experiences with early Christian converts, who would come from distant lands to visit her.

The time of her death was ultimately announced to her by the Archangel Gabriel, the same celestial being who had proclaimed to her that she would give birth to Christ many years before. Knowing that she had three days before being called by God, the Theotokos was able to gather the Apostles together in Jerusalem to bid them farewell. Only Thomas was absent when she peacefully passed away. When Thomas arrived three days later, he was taken to the Virgin's tomb by his fellow disciples. When the grave was opened, the Blessed Mother was not there! Later that evening, she appeared to them all, surrounded by angels. Her words are a message to mankind throughout all eternity: "REJOICE, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS." It is fitting that the Mother of God was the first to share in the glory of Her Son's Resurrection.

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
1260 Davis Street - Church
986 Chapman Street - Office
San Jose, California 95126