St. Seraphim of Sarov Orthodox Church
872 N. 29th St. Boise, ID
an American parish of the Russian Orthodox Church
The Protection of the Virgin Mary


In these last, grievous times, when our sins have multiplied, the woes that beset us have likewise increased, in accordance with the words of Saint Paul: “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)  This agrees with the words of the Lord Himself: “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” (Matt. 24) At this time when we suffer the attacks of aliens, civil war, and plague, the most pure and most blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Lord, offers us as a defense her protection, that we might be freed from every misfortune.  She guards us from famine, pestilence, and earthquake; she shelters us from wars and disease; and she preserves us unharmed under her protection.

It was in the most glorious Church of the Theotokos which was in the district of Blachernae in the imperial city of Constantinople, during the reign of the pious Emperor Leo, that the protection of the Mother of God was made manifest.  There, as the All-night Vigil was being celebrated on a Sunday, the first day of the month of October, in the presence of a multitude of people, Saint Andrew, the fool for Christ’s sake, lifted up his eyes and beheld the Heavenly Queen, the Protectress of the whole world, the most pure Virgin Theotokos, standing upon the clouds praying, shining like the sun and sheltering the people with her precious omophorion.  Seeing this, Saint Andrew said to his disciple, the blessed Epiphanius, “Do you see, brother, the Queen and Lady of all praying for the whole world?” 

Epiphanius replied, “I do see her, holy father, and am stricken with fear.”

Just as Saint John the Theologian once saw a great sign in the heaven, “a woman clothed with the sun”,  so did Saint Andrew behold the Bride Unwedded clad in purple, like unto the sun, in the heavenly Church of Blachernae.  That sign which the Theologian beheld appeared when the destruction of all creation was revealed and was an image of our most compassionate Protectress. “And there were lightnings,” said the Apostle, “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)

Why did that wonder appear when heaven and earth were greatly troubled with lightnings and thunderings, voices, earthquake, and hail, and not while all the elements were yet calm?  That it might be shown how our most good Mediatress hastens to our aid in the hour of evil, When we are nigh unto perdition, and shelters us from the fleeting and deceptive glitter of the vanity of this world. From the voices of pride of life and vainglory, from the thunder of the enemy’s sudden assaults, from the quakings of the passions, and from the chastisement which hails down upon us from above on account of our sins.  For when we are encompassed by all these misfortunes, straightway like a great portent appears the ready helper of the race of Christians, who guards and protects us by her unseen intercession.  This sign the Lord has given unto them that fear Him, that they may flee from before the face of the bow; for in this life we are the mark for archers who loose their arrows upon us from every side.  Some are shot from the bows of foes that can be seen, who make haste to draw their bows and to boast against us in their pride; others are discharged by invisible adversaries, who hope to make us believe that we are unable to withstand their demonic volleys.  Some are released by our fallen nature which wars upon the spirit.  In order that we not be morally wounded by all these darts, we have been granted a standard beneath which we may flee from the face of the bow: the protection of the most pure and most blessed Virgin.  By her protection we are guarded as though by shields and preserved unharmed from the arrows of our enemies. … These shields are her all-powerful supplications for us to God, which, as was meet, she was heard to utter when her honorable protection was revealed.  As a mother she said these words, full of compassion and mercy, as she prayed with compunction to her Son and Creator: “O Heavenly King, accept Thou every man who glorifieth Thee and calleth upon Thy most holy name; do Thou sanctify this place and glorify them that glorify Thee and revere me, Thy mother!  Receive their every prayer, and vow, and deliver them from all sorrow and tribulation.” …

The most pure Theotokos appeared with angels, that she might give her angels charge over us, to keep us in all our ways.  She brought all the ranks of the saints with her, that they might make supplication for us together and bear our sinful prayers unto her Son and our God.  Two saints had pre-eminence among those who appeared in the Church of the Blachernae with the most pure Virgin: Saint John the Forerunner, of whom it is said that there has not arisen one greater than he, and Saint John the Theologian, whom Jesus loved and who rested upon Jesus’ breast.  Our intercessor came with these two, that they might make supplication with her on our behalf, inclining God more quickly to have mercy, for their prayer avails much.  The most pure Virgin stood between these two virgins like the throne of the Lord of Sabaoth between the seraphim and like Moses with his arms outstretched between Aaron and Or when the infernal Amalek was cast down with all his dark kingdom and his power.

Thus celebrating the Protection of the Most Holy Virgin Theotokos, we commemorate her most glorious appearance in the Church of the Blachernae to Saints Andrew and Epiphanius.  As we celebrate this feast, we thank our Protectress for the exceedingly great mercy which she has shown to the race of Christians, and we entreat her fervently that she have compassion and shelter us for we are in need of her protection, both now and forevermore. … Let us therefore cry to her with compunction, “Shelter us beneath thy protection, O our Protectress, most pure Virgin; hide us in the day of our troubles! All the days of our life are full of evil as Jacob once said, ‘Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been.’  Evil are the days when we behold evil and when we ourselves work much evil, storing up unto ourselves wrath against the day of wrath.  Wherefore we are in need of thy merciful protection every evil day, O most pure Virgin!  Shelter us throughout our life and especially on the cruel day when our soul is to be parted from the body.  Come thou unto our aid and protect us from the wicked spirits of the firmament beneath the heavens, and on the dread day of judgement grant us refuge. Amen.”