Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Mass during the day

Now Mary has her dwelling in Heaven into which she was translated today from earth, for Heaven is a most fitting place for her. She stands at the right of the Almighty adorned in golden robes and arrayed in diverse colours (Ps. 44:9), as the Prophet-King David said of her. Beneath the golden robes, her divinely radiant body arrayed with diverse colours of every virtue. She alone in her body, glorified by God, now enjoys the celestial realm together with her Son. The earth, the grave, and death could not hold forever her life-originating and God-receiving body - a dwelling place more favored than Heaven and the habitation of the heavens.

Hence, the body which gave birth is glorified together with the One Who is born, with glory befitting God, and the "Ark of Holiness" (Ps. 131:8) is resurrected together with Christ, Who rose from the dead on the third day, as expressed in prophetic song. The strips of linen and the burial clothes afford the apostles a demonstration of the God Bearer's resurrection from the dead, since they remained alone in the tomb and at the apostles' scrutiny they were found there, even as it had been with the Master.

There was no need for her body to wait a little while in the earth, as was the case with her Son and God, and so it was taken up straightway from the tomb into a celestial habitation, from where she shines forth most brilliantly divine illuminations and graces, irradiating all the earth. For the faithful, this is something worthy of veneration, worthy of praise and song. In this manner she was in the beginning "a little lower than the angels" (Ps. 8:6), referring to her mortality, yet this only served to magnify the majesty of the Mother of God. Thus all things today fittingly gather and commune for the Feast.

References:
A Homily on the Dormition of Our Supremely Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary (St. Gregory Palamas)