In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ.
Glory to God. You have a nice sound system. Dear
ones, today we celebrate the Feast of the Protection
of the Most Holy Mother of God. And you all know,
you all know the origins, of this feast that
go back to the middle of the 10th century in
the city of Constantinople, the capital of the
Eastern Roman Empire. In those days, the city
was being attacked by Scythians, the pagan ancestors
of today's Russians, who sought to defeat and
to capture it. The attack caught the city completely
by surprise, and adequate preparations had not
been made for her defense. The citizens naturally
were terrified, but they hadn't lost their faith
in God. And, of course, its heavenly patron.
the most holy mother of God. So, the faithful
gathered together with their emperor Leo the
Wise for an all -night vigil in the famous church
of La Gerne before the reliquary containing the
robe of the Theotokos. Here, with fervent tears,
they prayed. to the Mother of God for their deliverance
from the amassed armies of the barbarians. Among
those praying in the church was St. Andrew the
Fool for Christ, who was, by the way, himself
a Scythian. Standing next to him was his faithful
disciple, Epiphanius. Both of them saw the miraculous
appearance of the mother of God. She was in the
air above all of the assembled people and praying
for them to her son. As she prayed, she stretched
out her hands in which she held her veil as if
creating a covering over all of them. As a veil
is a spiritual protection, a covering for women,
so a veil became a symbol of the Virgin's protective
power for the city of Constantinople. And what
was the result? The ships and the troops that
were ready to swarm the city vanished. And the
threat was averted. Brothers and sisters, we
are likewise gathered together in this magnificent
cathedral, each one of us mindful of his or her
own personal sins, fears, trials, or attacks.
But each one of us also has the possibility To
experience the closeness, the nearness of the
mother of God. As we celebrate today her miracle
from the past, we also celebrate the miracle
of her visit to us today on her feast day. Do
we see her? Do we maybe feel her presence? Maybe
we don't perceive her presence as clearly as
St. Andrew and St. Epiphanius did, but she is
here. She is with us, and she is very close to
us, individually and as gathered together as
the church. She hears our prayers. She hears
our sighs. She prays for our deliverance. And
she spreads her protective veil even over us
unworthy ones because of her profound love and
care for the whole human race. So let's rejoice
today and let's... Really celebrate the closeness
and the nearness of the Mother of God each and
every day, each and every moment. Let's lift
up our voices and sing to her. Remember us, O
Lady, Virgin Mother of God, that we might not
perish by the increase of our sins. Protect us
beneath thy protective veil from every evil.
from grievous circumstances and from bloody war.
Pray to thy Son and our God that our world finds
lasting peace and our souls salvation. In the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ.