🌟 Holy glorious Apostle Luke, "the beloved physician" (Col 4:14), his writings reflect a profound understanding of healing, both physical and spiritual, portraying Christ as the Divine Physician who heals the whole person — body and soul. St. Luke’s identity as a physician contributes to the distinctive character of his Gospel, which emphasizes the healing ministry of Christ, healing organic illness and casting out demons (spiritual healing).
Metropolitan Vasily (photo) has medical education.
Metropolitan Vasily (photo) has medical education.
🌟☦️ Glory of the Mother of God exceeds our ability to understand. She is mentioned moderately in the NT due to Her humility. But the Holy Spirit foretold much about Her through the Prophets.
☦️ For someone who desires spiritual rebirth, the first step towards the light is to curtail the passions, that is to say, to guard the heart; for it is impossible otherwise to curtail the passions. The next stage is to devote oneself to psalmody; for when the passions have been curtailed and laid to rest through the heart's resistance against them, longing for intimate union with God inflames the intellect.
St Symeon the New Theologian
St Symeon the New Theologian
☦️🌟🙏 Today we celebrate a great feast for us, for Russians, because it is not universally celebrated or known. The feast lies in a certain mystery, and today the Church proclaims this mystery to us, lifts a veil into the invisible world, and says, "Do you see what's happening there?" There, the Mother of God constantly prays to Her Son for the salvation of the human race and for those who believe in the Son of God, because all the feasts of the Mother of God relate to Her earthly life. Conception, Nativity, Presentation in the Temple, Annunciation, Dormition... These are feasts that relate to Her actual earthly life, everything She lived. And the Protection of the Mother of God is a feast of Her posthumous glory. And this is because Andrei of Constantinople saw Her praying in the church and informed people of this. He
saw Her spread Her Omophorion and pray to Her Son that the Lord Jesus Christ would receive every person who prays to him and calls upon Her, the Mother of Jesus Christ, for help. It was a wondrous vision, but the question arises: aren't there many miraculous visions in life? Should we make a holiday out of every miraculous vision? There have been thousands of miraculous visions in the life of the Church, and there will be thousands more. Should we turn every vision into a holiday? No. So why did they turn this vision into a holiday? Because in this vision, the Church discerned a certain general principle of life.
It turns out that this isolated incident revealed a general principle of heavenly life and our earthly existence. That is, the prayers of the Mother of God are a constant protection and unceasing defense, an intercession for the human race before God. And on this feast, we unite all the instances when the Mother of God saves either an individual or entire nations. How many cities, how many individuals have received salvation, enlightenment, raising from sickbeds, rescue in war, deliverance from prison through the prayers of the Mother of God! All this is the Feast of the Protection. These millions of instances, past and future, are contained Here, on this Feast of the Protection, when the Mother of God prays to Her Son for all people, especially for those who believe in the One She bore.
Archpriest Andrew Tkachev
It turns out that this isolated incident revealed a general principle of heavenly life and our earthly existence. That is, the prayers of the Mother of God are a constant protection and unceasing defense, an intercession for the human race before God. And on this feast, we unite all the instances when the Mother of God saves either an individual or entire nations. How many cities, how many individuals have received salvation, enlightenment, raising from sickbeds, rescue in war, deliverance from prison through the prayers of the Mother of God! All this is the Feast of the Protection. These millions of instances, past and future, are contained Here, on this Feast of the Protection, when the Mother of God prays to Her Son for all people, especially for those who believe in the One She bore.
Archpriest Andrew Tkachev
🌟🙏 When God in His love condemned Adam to death after his transgression, he first experienced this death in his soul (Gen 3:19): his spiritual and deathless organs of perception, deprived of their celestial and spiritual enjoyment, were quenched and became as though dead. Later, after 930 years (Gen 5:5), came the death of the body. Similarly, now that God has reconciled mankind through the Cross and death of the Savior, He restores to the truly believing soul its enjoyment of spiritual light and mystery while it is still in the flesh, and once more enlightens its spiritual organs of perception with the divine light of grace. Later He will invest the body also with deathless and incorruptible glory.
St Makarios the Great
St Makarios the Great
🌟 Archangels and angels with John the Forerunner, John the Divine and the choir of all the saints, were present with Thee, their Queen, in the Church of the Blachernae and hearing Thy moving supplication for all the world, they cried out with wonder as follows:
Rejoice, O pre-eternal good will of God the Father Who has no beginning of days.
Rejoice, timeless and most pure who contained God the Son.
Rejoice, Thou chosen dwelling-place of God the all-holy Spirit.
Rejoice, Thou never-ceasing wonder of the angelic hosts on high.
Rejoice, Thou all-threatening terror of the dark forces of hell.
Rejoice, Thou whom the many-eyed cherubim meet in the air.
Rejoice, Thou to whom the six-winged Seraphim ascribe praises.
Rejoice, Thou whose most precious veil we born on earth thankfully venerate.
Rejoice, our Joy, protect us from every ill by Thy precious Veil.
Rejoice, O pre-eternal good will of God the Father Who has no beginning of days.
Rejoice, timeless and most pure who contained God the Son.
Rejoice, Thou chosen dwelling-place of God the all-holy Spirit.
Rejoice, Thou never-ceasing wonder of the angelic hosts on high.
Rejoice, Thou all-threatening terror of the dark forces of hell.
Rejoice, Thou whom the many-eyed cherubim meet in the air.
Rejoice, Thou to whom the six-winged Seraphim ascribe praises.
Rejoice, Thou whose most precious veil we born on earth thankfully venerate.
Rejoice, our Joy, protect us from every ill by Thy precious Veil.
🌟🙏 O Lady, Thou dost help us held fast by a storm of many afflictions: for Thou dost stand before the altar of the Lord, lifting Thine hands and praying that the Lord of glory look down on our unworthy prayer and hearken to the petitions of those who call upon Thy holy Name crying to Thy Son: Alleluia!
☦️ The Lord God heard Joshua, son of Nun, praying and He commanded the sun to stand still until he defeat the enemy. The Lord Jesus now hears Thy supplication, O chosen dwelling of the Holy Spirit. Therefore we sinners, putting our trust in Thy protection, make bold to say to Thee, Mother of God:
Rejoice, Thou who art lit by the Sun of the mind and who dost enlighten us with the light that never sets.
Rejoice, Thou who hast illumined the whole earth by the brightness of Thy most pure soul.
Rejoice, Thou who hast made glad the whole heavens by the purity of Thy body.
Rejoice, Protector and Provider of the holy monasteries of Christ.
Rejoice, Thou who art the strength and understanding of the pastors of the Church.
Rejoice, Guide of God-fearing monks and nuns.
Rejoice, untroubled rest of the pious aged.
Rejoice, secret gladness of pure virgins and widows.
Rejoice, our Joy, protect us from every ill by Thy precious Veil.
Rejoice, Thou who art lit by the Sun of the mind and who dost enlighten us with the light that never sets.
Rejoice, Thou who hast illumined the whole earth by the brightness of Thy most pure soul.
Rejoice, Thou who hast made glad the whole heavens by the purity of Thy body.
Rejoice, Protector and Provider of the holy monasteries of Christ.
Rejoice, Thou who art the strength and understanding of the pastors of the Church.
Rejoice, Guide of God-fearing monks and nuns.
Rejoice, untroubled rest of the pious aged.
Rejoice, secret gladness of pure virgins and widows.
Rejoice, our Joy, protect us from every ill by Thy precious Veil.
☦️🙏 When Moses who saw God lifted his arms while the battle with Amalek raged, Israel overcame and when he let his hands fall, Amalek was victorious and strengthened by those who hold up his arms, Israel defeated the enemy: and Thou, O Mother of God, having raised Thine hands in supplication, even though no man hold them up, dost always conquer the enemies of Christ and art an invincible shield for us who cry: Alleluia!