Sundays in the Armenian Church are reserved for celebrating feasts associated with the events and miracles in the life of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. In fact, the Armenian name for Sunday, Giragi, comes from a Greek word meaning the “Day of the Lord.” An exception to this rule, however, is the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, which is celebrated on the Sunday closest to August 15. This year, we will celebrate this feast¯fourth of the five annual major feasts of the Armenian Church calendar¯on August 17. But why is the Feast of Mary so important that it takes over the “Day of the Lord”? Why does Mary hold such a central place in our church’s spirituality and liturgy?

Turning to the pages of the Bible, one can find several possible explanations for the question mentioned above. First, Mary was the mother of Jesus and, as such, celebrating her “assumption” can be seen as a celebration of Jesus. Also, according to the church traditions, our Lord descends from heaven to “assume” Mary back to heaven. Thus, the feast is celebrated as the “visit” of Jesus or His “apparition” on earth. Furthermore, the Bible clearly emphasizes Mary’s holiness distinguishing her from the rest of God’s creation. In fact, God through the angel calls her “blessed among women.”

If we want to push our discussion one step further, one can easily ask, but why this special status to Mary in the Bible? And here is what I would like to invite you to think about. Mary received this “blessed” status in the Bible and among the early Christian communities and through the centuries in the Armenian, Orthodox and Catholic Churches because she remained faithful to God. She believed in the God of the covenant of her ancestors and remained faithful to His commandments. Not only did she believe but she acted upon her faith. In a time where every logical conclusion would have strongly influenced her to reject God’s suggestion of becoming impregnated with Jesus by the Holy Spirit, she prayerfully submitted her life and destiny into the hands of God. Knowing well that the world may reject her and even stone her to death, she submitted her will to that of God when God made His will known to her.

In the spectrum of human history, from our creation to salvation, two women stand at the center of the two turning points. Eve, by using her will against that of God rejected God’s will and caused the fall and condemnation of the entire creation. Mary, on the other hand, by submitting her will to that of God, corrected the first sin and became the vehicle to channel God’s plan of salvation to this world.

Mary, therefore, played a crucial role in our salvation plan, way beyond her assigned limitations as the nurturing mother of the Savior. As we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, let us examine our decision-making process to see whether our choices and decisions are based on God’s teachings and are in agreement with His will, or whether we are using the God-given gift of free will against God’s teachings and will.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian