☦️🌟🙏 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!
🌟🙏 O Virgin, Maid of God, who hast shone forth the Dawn from the true Sun of righteousness, enlightening all with the wisdom of Thy God and Son and who leadest all to knowledge of the truth those who cry to Thee:
Rejoice, Thou who hast given birth to Christ in the flesh, Power of God and wisdom of God.
Rejoice, Thou who hast confounded the foolish wisdom of this world, and who hast guided those blinded by it on the way of truth.
Rejoice, Preserver of our holy faith and teacher of Orthodox dogma.
Rejoice, Uprooter of impious heresies and corrupting divisions.
Rejoice, Thou who well knowest secret and unforeseen difficulties and dost tell those whom it is proper about them.
Rejoice, thou who puttest to shame false seers and vain divining.
Rejoice, Thou who in the hour of perplexity dost put a good thought in our hearts.
Rejoice, Thou who dost turn us from perilous purposes and senseless desires.
Rejoice, our Joy, protect us from every ill by Thy precious Veil.
Rejoice, Thou who hast given birth to Christ in the flesh, Power of God and wisdom of God.
Rejoice, Thou who hast confounded the foolish wisdom of this world, and who hast guided those blinded by it on the way of truth.
Rejoice, Preserver of our holy faith and teacher of Orthodox dogma.
Rejoice, Uprooter of impious heresies and corrupting divisions.
Rejoice, Thou who well knowest secret and unforeseen difficulties and dost tell those whom it is proper about them.
Rejoice, thou who puttest to shame false seers and vain divining.
Rejoice, Thou who in the hour of perplexity dost put a good thought in our hearts.
Rejoice, Thou who dost turn us from perilous purposes and senseless desires.
Rejoice, our Joy, protect us from every ill by Thy precious Veil.
Our faith is like a tree, it's known by its fruit. The Master waters it and gives it His care, and it grows and yields fruit.
A man becomes entirely human when he comes to self-awareness and independence of mind, when he becomes the complete master and commander of his own ideas and deeds and holds certain ideas not because others have given these to him, but because he himself finds them to be true. A man, when he becomes a Christian, still remains a man, and therefore in his Christianity he must also be rational, only this rationality he should turn to the profit of holy faith. Let him become rationally convinced that the holy faith which he confesses is the only faithful path of salvation, and that all other paths which are not in agreement with it lead to perdition. It is no honor to a man to be a blind confessor; he must be a conscious confessor, so that acting in this way, he acts as he should.
Saint Theophan the Recluse
A man becomes entirely human when he comes to self-awareness and independence of mind, when he becomes the complete master and commander of his own ideas and deeds and holds certain ideas not because others have given these to him, but because he himself finds them to be true. A man, when he becomes a Christian, still remains a man, and therefore in his Christianity he must also be rational, only this rationality he should turn to the profit of holy faith. Let him become rationally convinced that the holy faith which he confesses is the only faithful path of salvation, and that all other paths which are not in agreement with it lead to perdition. It is no honor to a man to be a blind confessor; he must be a conscious confessor, so that acting in this way, he acts as he should.
Saint Theophan the Recluse
During times of trial and despondency, it is helpful to recall the advice of Saint Isaac the Syrian: “Always remember the harsh trials of those who grieve and those who are despised (i.e., in prisons, exile, etc.), so that you might be duly grateful for your small and insignificant trials and be able to endure them with joy.”
Abbot Nikon Vorobiev
From the Letters to Spiritual Children
Abbot Nikon Vorobiev
From the Letters to Spiritual Children