On October 1, St. Mary’s celebrated the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God with Divine Liturgy. This feast commemorates the miraculous intercession of the Virgin Mary during the pagan Rus attack on Constantinople in the 860s AD. The Blessed Mother has interceded for Christians in battle many times before and since then. As Orthodox Christians, we often have recourse to the Theotokos in our battles against foes of both flesh and spirit, remembering what Christ’s word on the cross: “Behold your mother!” (John 19:27).
