Fragments for Friday -- The Protecting Veil of the Mother of God

Source: orthodoxmonasteryicons.com

This feast became the heart of that experience of Mary as Mother, of the one who at the Cross was given to all humanity as Mother (Jn. 19:27), and who as Mother brings into her own heart all of our sorrows, all our sufferings, all unbearable pain of our earthly existence. "A sword will pierce through your soul also, that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed" (Lk. 2:35). These words, prophetically spoken to her by the righteous Elder Simeon on the day she brought the Child into the Temple to consecrate Him to God, have deeply penetrated the souls of the faithful. The mother of Jesus Christ, standing at the Cross of her Son and taking upon herself all of the terrible pain of compassion and co-suffering, became a gift to us, to humanity, a gift of maternal love, maternal care, maternal compassion ...

Fr. Alexander Schmemann

Thursday's Theological Thoughts

Source: ancientfaith.com

On October 1, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Great Horologion describes the Feast in this manner:

The Feast of the Protection commemorates the appearance of the most holy Theotokos in the Church of Blachernae in Constantinople in the early sixth century, as recorded in the life of St. Andrew the Fool for Christ's sake. While the multitudes of the faithful were gathered in church, Epiphanius, the friend of St. Andrew, through the saint's prayers, beheld the Virgin Mary above the faithful and spreading out her veil over them, signifying her unceasing protection of all Christians. Because of this we keep a yearly feast of gratitude, imploring our Lady never to cease sheltering us in her mighty prayers.

As we chant in one of the hymns of the Feast:

Heaven and earth are sanctified,
the Church shines and all people make glad.
For behold, the Mother of God with the hosts of angels,
with preachers and evangelists, prophets and apostles,
has invisibly entered.
She prays to Christ for Christians
and entreats Him to have mercy on this city and people
who glorify the Feast of her Protecting Veil. (Stichera at Great Vespers)

We will celebrate the Feast of the Protection with the Divine Liturgy this morning. We also commemorate St. Romanos the Melode on October 1. As we all know, the icon of St. Romanos is on one of our deacon's doors.

Midweek Morning Meditation

Source: uncutmountainsupply.com

For Jesus to be was to be God’s Son. This is now orthodox Christian theology, expressing the Christian conviction that the godhead is a Trinity of divine ‘persons’ among Whom Jesus is the second, the Son and Word of God become flesh… On the human level, Jesus seems filled with concern for the needs of the poor people whom He encountered. On the more mysterious, divine level, His sole concern seems to be to glorify His heavenly Father.

But His over-all disposition seems serious, sad, absorbed in a mighty struggle.

There must have been something compelling about the personality bearing all these traits. By the time of Jesus’ ascension to heaven… He had stamped many lives indelibly. Simon Peter and Mary Magdalene, the beloved disciples John and James – all His intimates felt that He had become the substance of their lives, the only treasure they cared about. The report of later Christian saints has been similar. The most intense Christians have felt that Jesus was their reason to be.

Denise Carmody

Tuesday's Tutorial

Source: wikipedia.org

“To all, I propose this rule; it does not deceive. In every dubious case as soon as the possibility of a choice is offered to you, remember Christ. Picture to yourself His living Person, as it really is, and entrust Him with the burden of your doubts. Let all human beings of good will, as individuals, as social factors, as leaders of others and peoples, apply this criterion, and they will really be able, in the name of truth, to show others the way towards God.”

Vladimir Solovyov (Russian philosopher +1900)

Monday Morning Meditation

Source: wikipedia.org

"It is impossible not to love Christ. if we saw Him now, we should not be able to take our eyes off of Him, we should "listen to Him in rapture;" we should flock around Him as did the multitudes in the Gospels. All that is required of us is not to resist. We must yield to Him, to the contemplation of His image - in the Gospels, in the saints, in the Church - and He will capture our hearts."

From A Diary of a Russian Priest, by Fr. Alexander Elchaninoff