WEBVTT

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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and

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of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ.

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Glory to God. You have a nice sound system. Dear

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ones, today we celebrate the Feast of the Protection

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of the Most Holy Mother of God. And you all know,

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you all know the origins, of this feast that

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go back to the middle of the 10th century in

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the city of Constantinople, the capital of the

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Eastern Roman Empire. In those days, the city

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was being attacked by Scythians, the pagan ancestors

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of today's Russians, who sought to defeat and

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to capture it. The attack caught the city completely

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by surprise, and adequate preparations had not

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been made for her defense. The citizens naturally

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were terrified, but they hadn't lost their faith

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in God. And, of course, its heavenly patron.

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the most holy mother of God. So, the faithful

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gathered together with their emperor Leo the

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Wise for an all -night vigil in the famous church

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of La Gerne before the reliquary containing the

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robe of the Theotokos. Here, with fervent tears,

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they prayed. to the Mother of God for their deliverance

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from the amassed armies of the barbarians. Among

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those praying in the church was St. Andrew the

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Fool for Christ, who was, by the way, himself

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a Scythian. Standing next to him was his faithful

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disciple, Epiphanius. Both of them saw the miraculous

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appearance of the mother of God. She was in the

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air above all of the assembled people and praying

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for them to her son. As she prayed, she stretched

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out her hands in which she held her veil as if

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creating a covering over all of them. As a veil

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is a spiritual protection, a covering for women,

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so a veil became a symbol of the Virgin's protective

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power for the city of Constantinople. And what

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was the result? The ships and the troops that

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were ready to swarm the city vanished. And the

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threat was averted. Brothers and sisters, we

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are likewise gathered together in this magnificent

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cathedral, each one of us mindful of his or her

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own personal sins, fears, trials, or attacks.

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But each one of us also has the possibility To

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experience the closeness, the nearness of the

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mother of God. As we celebrate today her miracle

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from the past, we also celebrate the miracle

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of her visit to us today on her feast day. Do

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we see her? Do we maybe feel her presence? Maybe

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we don't perceive her presence as clearly as

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St. Andrew and St. Epiphanius did, but she is

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here. She is with us, and she is very close to

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us, individually and as gathered together as

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the church. She hears our prayers. She hears

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our sighs. She prays for our deliverance. And

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she spreads her protective veil even over us

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unworthy ones because of her profound love and

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care for the whole human race. So let's rejoice

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today and let's... Really celebrate the closeness

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and the nearness of the Mother of God each and

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every day, each and every moment. Let's lift

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up our voices and sing to her. Remember us, O

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Lady, Virgin Mother of God, that we might not

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perish by the increase of our sins. Protect us

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beneath thy protective veil from every evil.

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from grievous circumstances and from bloody war.

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Pray to thy Son and our God that our world finds

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lasting peace and our souls salvation. In the

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name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the

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Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ.