SUNDAY IS THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY

On Sunday (8/12) we commemorate the Assumption into heaven of the Holy Mother-of-God, when St. Mary, having completed her life on earth, was taken up in body and soul--"assumed"--into Heaven. This was a special courtesy, performed by Christ many years after His Ascension, as a loving tribute to the mother who bore and raised Him.

In the Armenian Church, this feast day is also associated with the "Blessing of the Grapes," one of the most beloved ceremonies in the Armenian Church calendar. For our ancestors, grapes had to be harvested at a certain time of the year, so the grape season meant both labor and enjoyment of the fruits of their efforts. Through the grape blessing, the church gave it a further significance, one having to do with man's sacred obligations to God. Thus work, play and worship were all brought together in this ceremony.

Through the combination on a single day of the Assumption and the "Blessing of the Grapes," the Armenian Church reminds us that God understands and embraces the entirety of the human condition. The things that are important to us -- our work, our recreation, our connection to other human beings -- are important to Him as well; in some measure He is with us through all of these things, sharing our heartaches as well as our triumphs, our defeats as well as our victories. In becoming human, God reached out fully to us, His children. He did so not only to console us in our grief: He also wants to be with us in our happiest, most joyous moments. His presence in those times magnifies that joy, giving it power and meaning beyond itself.

For resources to teach your family about the Feast of the Assumption and the "Blessing of the Grapes," click here.

In New York City, the St. Vartan Cathedral will hold a Divine Liturgy, started at 10 a.m. and celebrated by Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian, followed by the "Blessing of Grapes."