Dear brothers and sisters! I heartily congratulate you on the feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos! We spent the entire Dormition Fast preparing for this bright feast—the solemn transition of the Most Holy Theotokos into eternity. Throughout her life, the Mother of God did not squander the riches of her soul, and therefore death became for her not a torment, but a long-awaited meeting with her Son—our Lord Jesus Christ, whom she loved more than anything in the world.