By St. Dimitri of Rostov
During the last, difficult
times, when with the increase of our sins our perils have also
increased, in fulfillment of the words of the holy apostle Paul: In
perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own
countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils
in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren (2 Cor. 11:26), when in fulfillment of the words of the Lord Himself, nation
shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall
be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places
(Matt. 24:7), when we are pressed with invasions by foreign nations,
civil wars, and fatal diseases, the Most Holy and Most blessed Virgin
Mary, the Mother of the Lord, gives us her protection as our shield, in
order to free us from all disasters; in order to protect us from
famines, floods, and earthquakes, to save us from wars and diseases, and
preserve us unharmed under her protection. A sign of this protection
appeared in the royal city of Constantinople during the reign of the
pious King Leo the Wise in the glorious church of the Most Holy
Theotokos in Blachernae. There during the All-Night Vigil for Sunday, on
the first day of the month of October, in the fourth hour of the night,
in the presence of many people, St. Andrew the fool for Christ lifted
up his eyes and saw the Heavenly Queen, the Protectress of the whole
world, the Most Holy Virgin Theotokos, standing in the air and praying,
shining with the light of the sun and covering the people with her
honorable omophorion. Seeing this, St. Andrew said to his disciple
Blessed Ephiphanios:
Ephiphanios replied:
“I see, holy father, and I tremble.”
As
once St. John the Theologian saw a great sign in the heavens, a woman
clothed with the sun, so also did St. Andrew in the Blachernae church,
like the heavens, see the Unwedded Bride, clothed in the sun’s porphyry.
The sign beheld by St. John the Theologian was a prefigurement of our
Most Merciful Protectress, for the same sign appeared at the time when
the destruction of the whole creation was revealed to the mystic: And
there were … lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an
earthquake, and great hail. And there appeared a great wonder in heaven;
a woman clothed with the sun (Rev. 11:19; 12:1). Why did this sign
prefiguring the Most Holy Virgin not appear earlier than the
lightnings, thunderings, voices, earthquakes and hail, when all the
elements were still calm, but rather during the most terrifying troubles
in heaven and on earth? It was in order to show that our most blessed
Protectress hastens to us to help us in the most difficult times, when
destruction is come upon us, and she guards us from the deceptive sheen
of briefly sparkling worldly vanity, from the voices of the pride of
life and vainglory, from the thunderings of sudden enemy attacks, from
the storm of the passions, and from the hail falling from above that
threatens to punish us for our sins. For when all of these perils are
bearing down on us, at that moment, like a great sign the speedy Helper
of the Christian race appears, guarding and protecting us with her
invisible intercession. The Lord has given such a sign to those who fear Him that they may flee before the bow
(Ps. 59:6); for in this world we are placed as if targets for the
shooting. The arrows fly at us from all sides: some from the weapons of
visible enemies who quickly bend their bows and boast at us in their
pride; others are shot from the bows of invisible enemies, so that we
would sorrowfully admit that we cannot endure the demonic arrows; others
are from our flesh, which wars against the spirit; others are from the
bow of God’s righteous wrath and threats of punishment, of which St.
David spoke: Unless ye be converted, His glittering sword shall He
furbish; He hath bent His bow, and hath made it ready. And on it He hath
made ready the instruments of death, His arrows for them that rage
hotly hath He perfected (Ps. 7:13–14). That we would not be fatally
wounded by all these arrows and might escape danger, a sign has been
given to us—the protection of the Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin.
Covered as with a shield by her protecting veil, we remain unharmed by
the arrows. For our Protectress has a thousand shields to guard us, as
the Holy Spirit said to her: Thy neck, is as the tower of David,
which is built with bulwarks: a thousand bucklers hang upon it, all the
armour of valiant men (Songs 4:4).
Once
David created his beautiful and high tower between Sion, on a high
mountain, and Jerusalem below, called the daughter of Sion. And that
tower stood between them like a neck between the body and the head, for
its height surpasses Jerusalem and extends up to Sion. On that tower
were hung shields and all weapons needed for battle and the defense of
Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit compares the Most Pure Virgin to this tower
of David; for she, also a daughter of David, is a mediatress between
Christ, the Head of the Church, and the faithful, who comprise the body
of the Church. She surpasses the Church, because she is truly higher
than all its members, but she extends up to Christ as the one who gave
Him flesh. She is the mediatress on this day, when she stood in the air
between heaven and earth, between God and people, between the Initiator
of all ascetic labors—Christ, and the Church militant, like the tower of
David between Sion and Jerusalem, hung with mighty shields. These
shields signify her all-powerful prayers for us to God, heard by those
who were worthy during the vision of her honorable protection. She
prayed with compunction as a Mother to her Son and Creator, pronouncing
the following words filled with divine mercy and love:
“O
Heavenly King! Receive everyone who praises Thee and calls upon They
Most Holy Name in every place, and sanctify every place where my name is
remembered; glorify those who glorify Thee and honor me, Thy Mother,
with love; accept from them all prayers and pious vows, and deliver them
from every evil and affliction."
Isn’t
this prayer a shield that defends the Church militant? Truly they are
invincible shields, with the help of which we can extinguish all fiery
darts.
St. Ambrose [of
Milan] said that the tower of David was built with a double aim: to
defend the city, and to adorn it. David, says St. Ambrose, built a tower
for the defense and adornment of the city. It was a defense because
from the tower the enemy could be seen from afar off and be driven away
from the city, and an adornment because it surpassed in height all the
tall buildings of Jerusalem. Therefore it is not in vain that the tower
is compared to our Protectress, who is for us a steadfast tower before
the face of our enemies—truly she defends us and adorns us. She defends
us when she drives far away from us visible and invisible enemies, when
she frees captives from their bonds, when she delivers those tormented
by unclean spirits, when she comforts the sorrowing and is the
intercessor for the offended and calm haven for those driven by storms;
when she feeds the hungry and visits the sick. She adorns us when she
covers the shameful nakedness of our lives before God with her supreme
merits, like precious garments, and abundant grace, like an
inexhaustible treasure that fills our poverty and makes us acceptable in
God’s eyes. She adorns us when she covers us who have no wedding
garment with her garments, and makes the shameful nakedness of our souls
as if unseen to the All-Seeing Eye—our nakedness that was prefigured in
ancient times by the unseen earth without form and void,
covered by waters (Gen. 1:2). The earth without form and void was a
prefiguration of the sinful soul that has lost its spiritual beauty, is
deprived of good works and alien to God’s grace. The waters that covered
the formless earth prefigured the merciful Theotokos, who inexhaustible
like the sea, and like rivers of abundant waters pours out upon all and
covers all. When the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters,
it also moved upon the face of the earth hidden under the waters and
unadorned, as if not seeing its formlessness. This mystically presaged
that the if the soul, also covered by the merciful protection of the
Virgin Theotokos, will not be adorned with virtues, it will nevertheless
not be deprived of the grace of the Holy Spirit, for the protection of
the Most Holy Theotokos covers its formlessness like the waters covered
the formless earth, and equally adorns it with the magnificence of her
grace, attracting to it the Holy Spirit. The Most Pure Virgin adorns us
when sinners become righteous, and the unclean become clean, as blessed
Anastasios the Sinaite says: “She makes sorcerers into apostles,
publicans into evangelists, and fornicators into those more worthy of
respect than virgins. Thus, St. Mary of Egypt, once a harlot, has now
become more honored that many virgins; she who was once darkened and
impure now shines like the sun in Christ’s Kingdom—at the intercessions
of the Most Pure Virgin Mary, who remains the protections and adornment
of all who have recourse to her. She adorns the whole spiritual
Jerusalem, or Church of Christ, which hymns even to the present day:
“Thou art the wondrous adornment of all the faithful, the fulfillment of
the prophecy, the glory of the apostles and the acclamation of the
martyrs, the praise of virginity, and most wondrous protection of the
whole world (service to the Protection of the Mother of God, third
sticheron on “Lord I have cried”).
On
the tower of David together with the shields were the arrows belonging
to the defenders of the nation; and the Most Pure Virgin, this animate
tower, also has strong arrows—that is, the prayers of the saints who
pray with her. For she did not appear alone standing in the air in the
church, but with the angelic hosts and a multitude of saints who
reverently surrounded her in white garments. All the saints’ prayers for
us are the arrows of the strong, powerful to drive away the hordes of
our enemy the devil. The Most Pure Lady Theotokos knows that our life on
earth is a war—the enemy wars against us with all his forces; he has
raised his hordes against us and surrounded us with his legions
according to the words of the Psalmist: For many dogs have encircled me, the congregation of evil doers hath surrounded me (Ps. 21:17); They have opened their mouth against me, as might a lion ravenous and roaring
(Ps. 21:14). That is why the Heavenly Queen, who wants to help us, has
raised all the heavenly powers against our enemy, called forth the
prophets and apostles, gathered the martyrs and virgins, united the
monastic saints and righteous ones, and appeared with them to give us
help, to encompass us with a mighty army, and grant us victory over our
enemies: By her are victories won, by her are enemies laid low
(Akathist, Ikos 2). She came with the angelic hosts, for she was
foreseen by Jacob as a ladder (Gen. 28:12-15), which was surrounded by a
multitude of angels. Recalling here Jacob’s ladder, one might wonder:
Why didn’t the angels remain on it without moving, but instead
continually ascended and descended upon it? Whoever has understood that
this ladder was the prefiguration of the Virgin Mary, according to the
words of the Church hymn: Rejoice, thou bridge that leads to heaven, and
ladder raised on high that Jacob saw (service of the Annunciation,
sticheron 1 on “Lord I have cried), will understand why the angels were
not motionless on the ladder. For in her prayers the unsleeping
Theotokos commands the angels to be with her in ceaselessly helping
people—ascending to God, taking up people’s prayers, and descending,
bringing help and benefactions down from God. The same ladder even now
brings down with herself a multitude of angels from the heavens,
bringing us protection from on high and defense. She came with the
angels in order to command them—to preserve us on all our ways; she
brought with herself a host of all the saints, so that in praying
together with them she might also with them bring our sinful prayers to
her Son and our God. Amidst all the saints who appeared in the church
with the Most Pure Virgin were two especially chosen ones: St. John the
Baptist, who was the greatest arisen among those born of women, (cf.
Matt. 11:11), and St. John the Theologian whom Jesus loved, for he
leaned on His breast at supper (Jn. 21:20). Our Prayerful Intercessor
raised them both as having great boldness before God, so that they
together would more quickly incline God to mercy, for the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much
(Js. 5:16). And the Most Pure Virgin stands between two virgins like a
shrine between two Cherubim, like the throne of the Lord of Sabaoth
between the Seraphim, and like Moses with his outstretched arms between
Aaron and Hur. Then the hellish Amalek fell along with the entire dark
kingdom and his forces (Ex. 17:11–14).
And
thus, we celebrate the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos Virgin,
remembering her most glorious appearance in the Blachernae church, seen
by Sts. Andrew and Epiphanios. We celebrate, giving thanks to our
Protectress for her great mercy shown to the Christian race, and we
earnestly pray to her that she would now and always prayerfully protect
us who seek her protection. We pray, because without her protection it
would be impossible for us, who continually anger God, to live. Sinning
over and over again, we are likewise subjected to many punishments
according to the words of the Psalmist: Many are the scourges of the sinner
(Ps. 31:10). We would have perished long ago for our iniquities if the
merciful Sovereign Lady had not interceded for us: “If we had not had
Thee ever interceding for us, who would have delivered us from so many
dangers, who would have kept us free until now?” The prophet Isaiah
advises the Jews to hide themselves for a little while, until the Lord’s
wrath has passed them by. But where can we hide from the wrath of the
Lord? In our sufferings we have found no cover to shield us but the only
Sovereign Lady of the world, who speaks of herself with the lips of the
Holy Spirit that she covered the earth as a cloud (Sirach
24:3). Truly we hide ourselves under the covering of the one who, like a
cloud, covered the earth. But why, O Most Honorable Virgin Theotokos,
do you liken yourself to such unworthy things as clouds? Haven’t you the
sun, the moon, and the stars to which you may liken yourself?
Especially since the wise one spoke of you with amazement: Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun…
(Songs 6:9)? What beauty does a cloud have that you do not disdain to
be likened to it? This mystery is clear: When clouds densely gather over
the earth and cover it, then all the animals are safe from the hunters,
for no one can catch them. Therefore also the Most Pure Virgin calls
herself a cloud—she hides us from the hunters. We sinners, according to
the reasoning of St. John Chrysostom, are in our inhumanness dumb
animals and beasts—we please our stomachs like bears, please our flesh
like hinnies, are vindictive like camels, predatory like wolves, flare
up in anger like snakes, sting like scorpions, are cunning like foxes,
and carry the poison of evil in ourselves like asps. Such beasts as we
are tracked by various hunters—the righteous wrath of God catches up
with us, punishing us for our ungodly initiatives, for the Lord is the God of vengeances; the God of vengeances hath spoken openly (Ps. 93:1). We are also hunted by our invisible enemy: He is become to me as a bear lying in wait: as a lion in secret places (Lam. 3:10). We are also threatened by our visible enemy. The
enemy said: I will pursue and overtake, I will divide the spoils, my
soul shall have its fill: I will draw my sword, my hand shall slay them
(Ex. 15:9). But we have boldness; we have a rational cloud who covers
us—the Most Pure Virgin Mary. We hope in her and to her we run; beneath
her protection not a hair of our heads shall perish, if only we would
call out to her with compunction: “Cover us with Thy protecting veil, O
Most Pure Virgin our Protectress: in an evil day protect us (Ps. 26:5).
But all the days of our lives are perilous, as once the patriarch Jacob
said: Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been
(Gen. 47:9). Especially perilous are those days of ours in which we see
evil, and we ourselves do much evil, treasuring up unto ourselves wrath against the day of wrath
(Rom. 2:5). All of these perilous days of ours have need of Thy
merciful protection, O Most Holy Virgin! Do thou protect us throughout
all our days, and especially in that terrible day when our souls will be
separated from our bodies. Come to us with thine aid and hide us from
the aerial spirits of wickedness under the heavens; and in the day of
the Terrible and Dread Judgment, conceal us in the secret recesses of
Thy Protecting Veil! Amen.