"From
time immemorial, the Church has celebrated the Most-holy Theotokos as the
patroness and protectress of the Christian people, who, by her intercessory
prayers, implores God's mercy for us sinners. The help of the Most-holy Mother of
God has been clearly shown numerous times, to individuals and to nations, in
peace and in war, in monastic deserts and in densely populated cities. The
event that the Church commemorates and celebrates today confirms the Theotokos'
consistent protection of Christian people. On October 1, 911, during the reign
of Emperor Leo the Wise, there was an All-night Vigil in the Blachernae Church
of the Mother of God in Constantinople. The church was full of people. St.
Andrew the Fool-for-Christ was standing in the rear of the church with his
disciple Epiphanius.
At four
o'clock in the morning, the Most-holy Theotokos appeared above the people,
holding her omophorion outstretched as a protective covering for the faithful.
She was clothed in gold-encrusted purple, and shone with an ineffable radiance,
surrounded by apostles, saints, martyrs and virgins. St. Andrew said to Blessed
Epiphanius: ``Do you see, brother, the Queen and Lady of all praying for the
whole world?'' Epiphanius replied: ``I see, Father, and am struck with
amazement!'' The Feast of the Protection was instituted to commemorate this
event, and to remind us that we can prayerfully receive the unceasing
protection of the Most-holy Theotokos in any time of difficulty."
***
"In
the Prologue, a
Russian book of the twelfth century, a description of the establishment of the
special Feast marking this event states, "For when we heard, we realized how
wondrous and merciful was the vision... and it transpired that Your holy
Protection should not remain without festal celebration, O Ever-Blessed
One!"
Therefore,
in the festal celebration of the Protection of the Mother of God, the Russian
Church sings, "With the choirs of the Angels, O Sovereign Lady, with the
venerable and glorious prophets, with the First-Ranked Apostles and with the
Hieromartyrs and Hierarchs, pray for us sinners, glorifying the Feast of your
Protection in the Russian Land." Moreover, it would seem that St Andrew,
contemplating the miraculous vision was a Slav, was taken captive, and became
the slave of the local inhabitant of Constantinople named Theognostus.
At
Novgorod in the twelfth century there was a monastery of the Protection of the
Most Holy Theotokos (the so-called Zverin monastery) In Moscow also under Tsar
Ivan the Terrible the cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God was
built at the church of the Holy Trinity (known as the church of St Basil the
Blessed).
On the
Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos we implore the defense and
assistance of the Queen of Heaven, "Remember us in your prayers, O Lady
Virgin Mother of God, that we not perish by the increase of our sins. Protect
us from every evil and from grievous woes, for in you do we hope, and
venerating the Feast of your Protection, we magnify you."
***
"The
role of faith in Virgin Mary in Epirus is also outstanding during the Second
World War. Her role was catalytic not only because she constituted the basis of
people’s faith, but also because, with her miraculous interventions, she proved
to have been the greatest ally of the Greek army on the snowy and rough
mountains of Epirus.
The
account given by Vassililki Bouri, niece of Spyridon Houliaras, who fought at
the borders, is characteristic. According to it, Spyridon Houliaras used to
narrate incidents of the war to his relatives before he died. The one that
affected him the most, however, was a miracle of Virgin Mary. While the
soldiers were fighting under really adverse conditions, Virgin Mary appeared in
front of them and as a protector “covered” them with her mantle and led them
towards their enemy, ready to confront them.
This
miracle is also corroborated by the accounts of other soldiers of that time who
fought on the mountains of Pindus. At the front, Greek soldiers saw the same
vision everywhere: at nights, they could see a tall, slim woman figure walking
with her kerchief resting on her shoulders. For the soldiers she was no other
than Virgin Mary, the defender general of Greeks.
***
Tasos
Rigopoulos, a soldier in 1940, reports from the front: I’m writing from an
eagle’s nest 400 metres higher than the top of Parnitha. Everything around me
is snowwhite. The reason I’m writing […] is to share with you what I’ve
experienced, what I saw with my own eyes; something that I’m afraid you won’t
believe if you hear it from others. A few moments before dashing against the
blockhouses of Morova we saw a tall woman dressed in black standing still some
13 metres away. The guard yelled: “Identify yourself”. There was no answer. He
yelled angrily once more. At that moment, as if struck by electricity, we all
whispered: “Panaghia!”. She hurled herself at the enemy as if she had eagle
wings. We followed her. We could constantly sense the bravery she was
transmitting to us. We fought hard for a whole week until we finally took the
Ivan-Morova blockhouses. […] She was always dashing forth. And when, victorious
at last, we were advancing to defenseless Koritsa, our Defender turned into
steam, smooth smoke, and vanished into thin air”.
“No
matter how faith is expressed during war, it is certain that it offers
assistance to the soldier who is tested. And the image of the protector makes
him hopeful and optimistic. …People from Arta, fighting at the front, were
afraid neither of mortars nor of enemy bullets, as long as they had the image
of Panaghia in front of them…”. Yiannis Tsarouchis, after having painted “The
Virgin of Victory” on the cap of a box of herring, having in mind a badly
painted picture of the Virgin that was going around the camp, he was on his way
to the commander of the battalion in order to present his work. The painting
had already acquired a fame of being miraculous and on his way to the commander
some soldiers from Arta “being in a state of religious excitement, demanded
that the miraculous icon spend at least one night at their camp. All the
soldiers were shouting: “The Virgin, the Virgin. Leave it here for one night”.
Suddenly, the alarm sounded. […] we lied down, according to the orders we had.
None of the soldiers from Arta did the same. “Hey! Comrade! How can you be
scared when you hold the Virgin in your hands?”, one said”.
The
importance of Virgin Mary’s miraculous interventions was acknowledged right
after the end of the Second World War. For this reason, the celebration of
Agias Skepis, which in 626 A.D., when Her miraculous intervention saved
Constantinople from the Avaroi (Turkish-Mongolian Nomads), was officially
established to be celebrated on October 1st, was transferred in 1952 on the
28th of October to remind them of her miraculous intervention during the most
difficult period for Greek people."
Apolytikion in the First Tone
O Virgin, we extol the great grace of thy
Protection, which thou didst spread out like a bright cloud beyond all
understanding; for thou dost invisibly protect thy people from the foe's every
assault. Since we have thee as our shelter and certain help, we cry to thee
with our whole soul: Glory to thy great deeds, O most pure Maid. Glory to thy
shelter most divine. Glory to thy care and providence for us, O spotless one.
Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
Let us the faithful hasten to the Theotokos
now and venerate her sacred veil, as we chant unto her, singing hymns to praise
and honour her, as is fitting; for she shelt'reth with her shelter and all her
faithful flock and preserveth them unharmed from all calamities, as they cry to
her: Rejoice, Protection most radiant.
Source: http://full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.com.by/2009/09/feast-of-holy-protection-of-theotokos.html
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