Divine Protection through the intercessions of the Theotokos via her safeguarding veil
Historical Event
On the 14th of October 1000AD the monastic brethren were gathered for the office of Matins (morning prayer) 4am in the monastery church at Blachernae in Constantinople to pray for divine intervention; an attack of the Rus battalion on the city was imminent. Thus, according to the monastery historian/writer Nestor: "Two of the brethren Andrew and Epiphanius were in awe during the canticle of the Magnificat/Prayer of Mary, at which the Theotokos came through the monastry church doors accompanied by the Apostles and Angelic Hosts.....She then prostrated herself before the Holy of holies/Altar, asking her Son (Jesus) to grant the requests made in prayer for the safety of the city......just as the deacon would carry the prayers of the people to the altar during the Divine Liturgy with the gesture of gently swooping his orarion/stole in a circular fashion and proceeds to the High Place - reserved for Christ the Bishop of his Church, so too the Theotokos gently streached forth her veil towards the church - a sign that the Lord granted them divine protection....at this the invaders fled for they were spooked via this supernatural occurrence; trembling before the divine presence felt over the city!
For us who may not be too familiar with visions, signs and wonders - in fact, these days we are told that this and any other spooky stuff is either a product of fertile imagination or we have had a glass to many! Thus, what does this great and venerable feast/commemoration mean for us? How do we make sense of it? Why should we celebrate it or perhaps even invest in its benefits? Shouldn't Jesus come first in all things pertaining to prayer???
From the Cross, Jesus does something extraordinary - he gives us that which is most precious to him in his humanity, the person who knew him better than anyone else, and who was there from his first steps; his MUM! This is indicated via the words addressed to his beloved disciple John: "Behold your Mother!" From that moment, John made sure he took care of her and brought her along after the Pentecost to Ephesus in their ministry to preach and teach the Gospel.
Unfortunately, there are many who believe in Christ but are not Apostolic - are not part of THE CHURCH! These have misunderstood the scriptures (Lk 11:27) especially when it comes to the Theotokos: Mariam/MARY; She is just a woman! She did her duty in bringing Him into the world! She has no power! we don't pray to her! We refuse to acknowledge her! She gets in the way!
In the above quotation - Gospel of the Apostle Luke, while Jesus was teaching the people, a woman in the crowd exclaimed: "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!" At that Jesus exhorts: "Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey it!"
With this in mind and returning to the above complaints/laments, these people who profess Christ, but are NOT part of his CHURCH - feel justified via their interpretation of the above passage and state as I have often heard: "You ORTHODOX are mad!" "What is all this pomp and ceremony about Mary?" "Christ himself cuts down any form of admiration for this woman with such a rebuttal in this particular passage!"
The Fathers of the Church who wrote, lived, and exhorted Holy Scripture which is constantly echoed within the Divine Services of the Church teach us Theology! Thus, to such people who desire to follow Christ, but have pulled away (non Apostolic believers) via willful ignorance and confusion of theological error due to their interpretations that are ill founded (outside of the Church) The Fathers of the Church would remind them that the Apostle Peter clearly states in his second Epistle (2Pet 1:20-21) - "No Prophecy of Scripture is by any means to be interpreted according to ones own thoughts.....for these things are not of man but pertain to the Holy Spirit!"
Thus, the Holy Fathers who were gilded by the Holy Spirit to exhort the faithful and especially reach out to these and the poor in spirit - who find it difficult to venerate She who robed the Lord in flesh, to these they gently remind: "Little ones, do not loose heart, for this Woman of no significance in your minds, is the very Ladder by which Emmanuel stooped down! Blessed is She who at the voice of the Archangel Gabriel HEARD the Word of God and KEPT it in her womb! Blessed is She who was ever OBEDIENT to her Son, that at the wedding feast INSTRUCTED the servants to: DO WHATEVER HE COMMANDS YOU! Blessed IS this WOMAN, who by her humility hosted the WORD in her womb and was filled with the GRACE of the HOLY SPIRIT; She - now above women and Order of Spirits is the Temple of the King of Creation; Being most pleased to be enthroned in the Ark of Her Womb!"
In the Old Covenant/Testament, the Presence of God dwelt in the Ark via three important items; (a) the tablets of the Law/10 Commandments - God's Word, (b) the Jar of Manna/food of providence - Bread of Angels, (c) the Pastoral Staff of Aaron/high priest - Bishop. Hence, in the Womb of the Virgin Mother: (a) the Word of God becomes Personified, (b) He is the Bread come down from Heaven - Eucharist, (c) He is the Bishop of His Church!
It is interesting to note that on the 99th page In his Book THE BURNING BUSH, Sergius Bulgakov an accomplished scholar read in theology in Russia states: "Mary is no longer a human being but the Mother of God, though she remains a human being not only in her nature but also in her hypostasis. She is not the Godman for whom it is not fitting to have a human hypostasis. But divine motherhood is inseparably connected with divine generation: where the Son is, from there the Mother cannot be removed. Divine motherhood belongs to divine incarnation, which having been realized once and for all in a temporal act, preserves its whole force, and in this sense eternally. For all times it is realized as the condition of a creature being divinized, as a leader of divinization."
Centuries back, Solomon prefigured this very attribute towards the Mother of God (Sol 6:4) in his Canticle/Song of songs as he acclaimed: "Who is She that appears like the dawn, as resplendent as the moon, dazzling as the sun, frightening like an army assembled for battle."
Hence, the Church from time memorial implored the help of Mariam All Holy, and therefore on this special day the whole Church assembles in Worship and remembers how God is wondrous in his Saints and ever hears the cry of his people as we pray: Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, save us Lord Jesus Christ!
Today the Virgin stands in the midst of the Church, and with choirs of saints she invisibly prays to God for us. Angels and clergy venerate her, Apostles and Prophets rejoice together, She prays constantly for us to the Most High who for our sake became one of us in the Temple of her Womb!
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