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Holy Protection of the Mother of God 10/14/2013
The Church has always glorified the Holy Mother of God as protectoress and guardian of Christians, who with her prayerful intercession provides God's mercy for us the sinners. The help of the Holy Mother of God to individual persons or to whole nations, in peace or in war, in the monastic deserts or in the overpopulated cities was made evident on numerous occasions. The event that the Church commemorates and celebrates today proves this everlasting protection of the Holy Mother of God of humankind. On 1 October 911, in the reign of the Emperor Leo the Wise (or the Philosopher), Vigil was held in the Church of Blachernae at Constantinople. The Church was crowded with people. At the back part of the Church stood Saint Andrew the Fool-for-Christ with his disciple Epiphanius. At the fourth hour of the night, the Holy Mother of God appeared, watching over the congregation as she covered the faithful with her Veil. She was attired in golden porphyry and all radiant with unthinkable shine, accompanied by apostles, saints, martyrs and virgins. Beholding this vision, Saint Andrew pointed with his hand and asked the blessed Epiphanius:" Do you behold, brother, the Empress and the Greatest Ladies of all, how she prays for the whole world?" Epiphanius replied:" I behold her and I tremble with fear!_ Following this vision of theirs was established this feast to remind us of this event and of the everlasting protection of the Mother of God, when we seek this protection of hers, this Veil of hers, every time we are in sorrow or trouble.
