The Mother of God died, as all people die by the necessity of their mortal human nature which is indivisibly bound up with the corruption of this world as the result of Adam’s fall.
As the Mother of God did not have any personal sins, not even in thought, then she became worthy to be deemed the Mother of Life and hence was saved only from the effects of Adam’s sin. She did not have anything personal to repent for but because she is in the image and likeness of God, she was and continuously is in perfect unity with the problems of all humanity.
That’s why her death is called “dormition” because, upon her virtue, she was transported from death to life into the heavenly kingdom of Christ in the fullness of her spiritual and bodily existence.
“Death” means separation; however, since she is sinless, she was not bounded to be separated from God and mankind and hence, we cannot say that she reposed.
She accepted death, though, because if her Fruit, Whom none may comprehend, on Whose account she was called a heaven, submitted of His own will to burial as a mortal, how should she, who gave Him birth without knowing a man, refuse it?
Based on Saint John of Damascus.
In the photos are moments from the feast of Dormition of Mother of God, at which a deacon was ordained. The Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta was present at the feast.
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