Feast of the Protection Fr. Basil Rhodes

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.