Those Who Believe Will Live

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God, her passage from earth to heaven. The Church tells us that after her peaceful dormition, her soul was received into the divine hands of her Son and carried up into heaven. Her body was laid to rest by the apostles in Gethsemane, and on the third day, she was raised and taken into glory.

In our Armenian tradition, we speak of the Ննջումն Ս. Աստուածածնի, the Dormition of the Mother of God. We also call those who pass away ննջեցեալ—“those who have fallen asleep.” These words hold deep meaning: for the Christian, death is no longer death as the world sees it. Christ has conquered death on the cross, and the grave could not contain Him.

And He promised us, “Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live” (John 11:25). In Mary, we see this promise fulfilled. She shares in the victory of her Son, and in her Assumption, we glimpse our own destiny. Just as Christ rose from the grave, just as His Mother was lifted into glory, so too will we who believe in Him be raised.

This truth changes how we live and how we face death. For those in Christ, death is no longer a wall of despair but a doorway into hope. Yes, the pain of separation is real, and grief weighs heavily on our hearts. But as Saint Paul declares: “Death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). The last word does not belong to the grave—it belongs to Christ. And His word is life.

So, when trials come, remember the hope revealed in the Assumption of Mary. When you stand at the bedside of a loved one, take hold of the promise of Christ: “Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.” When fear of sickness or aging troubles your heart, lean on this truth—death is not the end for the believer. It is the doorway into the eternal life God has prepared from the beginning of time.