Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.

In the Orthodox Church, the Epistle for the Solemnity of the Dormition is the great Christological Hymn found in St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Chapter 2.

It seems odd, at face value, because the Epistle makes no specific reference to Mary. If we look at the Gospel for the day, taken from Chapters 10 and 11 of St. Luke, it is the story of Martha and Mary receiving Jesus into their home. Martha is complaining about Mary.

Except for the coincidence of names in the Gospel, there is no mention of Mary, the mother of Jesus in the first part of the Gospel.

Listen again to the opening lines of the Epistle:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus

Jesus is God incarnate. He set aside the magnificence of the heavenly host to be born of lowly estate, of a Virgin, with a carpenter as His stepfather and protector.

By the words of the Gospel and by Holy Tradition we recall Mary being born to Joachim and Anna, also of humble estate. By the particular graces given to Mary she found, written on her heart, the call to humility. The call to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus, even before she knew Him as the child she bore.

That is the miracle. God has written His name upon our hearts. God calls us to be like His Son, Jesus, who:

emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death,
even death on a cross.

Jesus’ lesson in humility was part of Mary, and is part of us.

Mary was prepared to say yes to God because she knew that despite the risks, the possible divorce, her being labeled, and the probable stoning, God would take care of everything. Mary had complete trust and complete humility.

She didn’t rely on knowledge, practices, or any other human invention. She simply said yes to God.

In the second part of the Gospel, taken from Luke, Chapter 11, we read:

As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

By the particular graces given to Mary she found, written on her heart, the call to obedience. The call to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus, even before she knew Him as the child she bore. Mary listened to the Word of God and she obeyed.

Mary was a young girl, now with child. She has ‘enough problems’ as we would say. Yet her problems did not get in the way of her obedience. Upon hearing of her kinswoman Elizabeth she ran off to care for her. When Joseph said ‘we’re going to Bethlehem’ she went. When Joseph said ‘we’re going to Egypt’ she went. Not complaining, not focusing on her desires, she gave her life over to her Son, completely obedient to God’s will.

Jesus Christ was humble and obedient. Because of this humility and obedience:

God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

That is God’s promise to us. Not that every knee will bend at our name, but that the glory of the Godhead will be ever present for us to worship in the exaltation of heaven. That is our destiny; that is heaven —“ humility and obedience before God.

My brothers and sisters,

Mary was not only humble and obedient, by the particular graces she received, she remained pure. As with the call to humility and obedience, she was called to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus, purity and chastity.

The merit of Mary’s intercession, and the reason we celebrate her feasts, is completely tied to the threefold model of life she lived. Mary lived a life of complete love and dedication to God.

This model of life, perfect humility before God, perfect obedience to His will, and the grace to remain pure is the very reason for this Solemnity.

In beautiful iconography we see Jesus at His mother’s side. In His arms He holds her soul which He has taken from her at her death. The Apostles stand around her, ready to bear her to her tomb. Mary is entombed. In three days the tomb will be empty, her body having been taken to heaven, not by her power, but by her Son.

The tomb is empty specifically because of her life, lived in perfect accord with God’s will, written in her heart.

Mary need not be specifically mentioned in the Epistle or Gospel. Mentioning her name would be the mere recitation of a fact. Rather, the magnificence of her life is the fact that she lived it in accord with God’s will.

This is not just wonderful and marvelous; it is a call to you and to me. It is a call to remember, and to live in accord with the Word of God, written in our hearts.

Live the threefold model we are called to follow. Be perfectly humble before God, practice perfect obedience to His will, and remain pure in your relationships and in your dealings. Live the Christian life.

You have been given the grace, the message, a mother who intercedes for you, and Jesus who showed you the way —“ do not forget, and do not despise your destiny.