Monday, September 23, 2013

October1: Pokhrov


Various sources such as The Primary Chronicle of St. Nestor, the writings of Russian historians such as Bulgakov and Vasiliev, and our own sacred tradition all tell us, that on Sunday, October 1, in the year 911, the Christian people of Constantinople were afraid.  Pagan terrorists from a far away nation, (some say they were from what is now Russia, and some say they were Muslims) threatened to invade and destroy the then Christian city.  Feeling that almost all hope was lost, Christians gathered in the Blachernae Church of the Mother of God, where relics of Our Lady such as her robe, veil and part of her belt were kept for veneration.  They had planned an all-night vigil to beg God to protect them.  
There was a man there known as St. Andrew, the Blessed Fool for Christ, due to his tendency to go to extremes in his devotion to Our Lord.   He was said to have been of Slavic origin, just like us, and was living in Constantinople because he was taken captive as a slave of a man who was a bodyguard in the city.  At about 4 o’clock in the morning, Andrew looked up to see the dome of the church seemingly disappear and a shining figure of Our Lady, surrounded by the angels and saints such as John the Baptist, John the Theologian and Nicholas of Myra, descend from heaven toward the altar, where she knelt in prayer.  She appeared to beg God tearfully on behalf of the citizens of Constantinople, asking her Divine Son to hear the prayers of all those who prayed for protection and begged her intercession.    
When she finished her prayers, Andrew saw her remove her veil, and spread it over all the people in the church as a protection.  He turned to his friend, a disciple of his named Epiphanius who later became a saint, and asked him if he saw the wondrous sight.  St. Epiphanius replied that he saw Our Lady indeed, and was amazed.  As long as Our Lady remained in the church, many were able to see her and the veil she extended over them.  When she left their presence, a peaceful calm remained and when morning came, it was clear that the enemy had retreated, and that they would be safe.  
How interesting is it that in 911 (note the date!) our ancestors in the faith were facing the same enemy that we Christians face eleven hundred years later?  Islam and Paganism threatened to invade and destroy them, just as they threaten our own society today.   How interesting is it that this particular miracle was chronicled and remembered by our Byzantine Church so that we could recognize these similarities and be inspired by them in our present time?  The answer to the prayers of those threatened Christians came in the form of a piece of heavenly clothing, belonging to Our Lady, and placed over them by Our Lady, herself!  How can we, Christians of this present time period call upon her to do the same for us?  The answer is very simple.
About three hundred years after the miracle apparition at Blachernae, on July 16, 1251, another man named St. Simon Stock was visited by Our Lady.  St. Simon was praying earnestly for her intercession, this time, on behalf of his Carmelite order which was suffering much distress and need.  When she came to him in a vision, she presented him with the brown scapular, the habit of all Carmelites, which symbolizes none other than Our Lady’s very own mantle.  It is meant that everyone who wears this piece of brown woolen cloth over their shoulders wears a piece of the mantle, or veil, of Mary, herself, symbolically clothing himself with her garment as a sign of devotion to her intercession.  Mary told St. Simon, “Take this Scapular.  It shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger, and a pledge of peace.  Whosoever dies wearing this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire.  Wear the Scapular devoutly and perseveringly.  It is my garment.  To be clothed in it means that you are continually thinking of me, and I, in turn, am always thinking of you and helping you to secure eternal life.”  As time passed, it became evident that the Carmelite order was growing in size and holiness.  By the end of the fourteenth century, the order included secular or third orders, who advocate the wearing of the scapular by all people who wish to devote themselves to Our Lady according to this Carmelite tradition, not only the monks and nuns of the Carmelite Order.  




If we wish to call upon Our Lady’s intercession as did the Christians of Constantinople, and want to ask for her protection as we face the forces of paganism and radical Islam, can we clothe ourselves in that very same veil that covered those early Christians like Andrew and Epiphanius by wearing the brown Carmelite Scapular? The answer is a resounding YES!!!  
Just as we see God’s wonderful creativity and poetic style in the compilation of our Holy Scriptures, we can see it in our Byzantine Church history as well.  The writings of the prophets in the Old Testament foreshadow the events that would follow centuries later in the life of Christ, so that when God’s people would see the events of salvation unfolding, they would recognize their significance and act accordingly.  We, in our present modern day, can look at the events of 911 in Constantinople and apply the lesson learned by our ancestors to the situations that threaten us in our own current time period.  All that was necessary for the Christians of that time to be saved from invasion and destruction by the enemy was that they seek Mary’s intercession, and simply seek shelter under the protection of her mantle.  If we are to survive our present battle with the evils of this world, we must vow to do the same.  

2 comments:

  1. I love it...you are a such a gift to me and my family!!! Your posts and knowledge bring so much warmth to our faith!!

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