The Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery held festive celebrations on the feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God. It was marked by hierarchical service held in the monastery’s Trinity Cathedral. Metropolitan Georgiy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas presided, and Archbishop Dimitry of Vitebsk and Orsha concelebrated, at the akathist served before the holy relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov and the late-morning Divine Liturgy.

The protection revealed by the Queen of Heaven in the Blachernae Church in Constantinople in 910 AD saved the city from destruction.

With Her wondrous vision, the Most Holy Mother of God shows Her protection over us as well, expecting us to pray and to have pure and meek faith together with readiness to do good and establish the truth.

The post-communion sermon was delivered by Very Rev. Fr. Oleg Struchkov of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery. In his sermon, father reminded us about the reflection by Venerable Nikon of Optyna about talents. Since birth, every man is gifted a certain talent from God that he is to use in the work of salvation of his soul. The elder of Optyna paid our attention to the fact that “talent” means favorable conditions to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven; they could be sickness, sorrow, or any disruption. To bury one’s talent means using it during the earthly life exclusively for gaining material prosperity.

The spiritual contemplations by elder Nikon can be perfectly extrapolated to the life of Venerable Romanus the Melodist whom the Holy Church remembers today. St. Romanus was born in the mid-fifth century in the Syrian town of Emesa. After moving to Constantinople, he became a church sacristan in the temple of Hagia Sophia. Romanus diligently assisted during services even though he had no special talent as a reader or a singer. But Patriarch Euthymius liked Romanus and made him part of his inner circle for the genuine faith and virtuous life.

The patriarch’s kind disposition towards Romanus stirred up animosity among several members of cathedral’s clergy who took to harassing him. During one of the services on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, they pushed Romanus onto the church ambo and made him sing. The Church was packed with faithful and the Patriarch was serving in the presence of the emperor and his entourage. Embarrassed and frightened, St. Romanus was publicly put to shame for his shaky voice and inaudible singing. Thoroughly despondent, he returned home and spent the night praying before the icon of the Mother of God pouring out his sorrow. The Mother of God appeared to him in a vision and gave him a scroll commanding to eat it. Thus a miracle has happened and Romanus received a beautiful melodic voice and a gift of writing poetry. Inspired, he immediately composed his famous Kontakion to the Nativity of Christ: “Today the Virgin gives birth to the Transcendent One and the earth offers a cave to the Unapproachable One! Angels with shepherds glorify Him! The wise men journey with a star! Since for our sake the Eternal God was born as a Little Child!”

The next day, St. Romanus arrived to the cathedral to the all-night Vigil on the eve of the Nativity of Christ. He was allowed to sing again from the ambo and this time, to everyone’s sheer delight, he beautifully sang a freshly composed hymn. The emperor and the Patriarch thanked St. Romanus while others called him the Sweet-Singer. Since then, St. Romanus adorned the services with his wondrous singing and inspired prayers. Fr. Oleg stressed that the life of St. Romanus was changed exactly because of his prayerful lamentations to the Most Holy Mother of God. He embraced the sorrow that befell him as a Christian and the talent he received from God gave the fruit of God’s grace and benevolence.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Hegumenia Sergia, the abbess of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery, thanked Metropolitan Georgiy and Archbishop Dimitry for the archpastoral prayers that graced the service on today’s feast. Matushka Sergia presented prosphoras and the icons of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God to the Vladykas wishing the Lord, through the prayers of the Queen of Heaven and all the saints of Divevevo, strengthened them in their archpastoral work and that the protection of the Mother of God always remained over them.

Archbishop Dimitry of Vitebsk and Orsha remarked that, once we find ourselves at the fourth lot of the Most Holy Mother of God, we never more so than feel God’s mercy and grace. Our hearts are overflowing with joy and the words from the Holy Gospels come true: “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).

The head of the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolia congratulated all those who prayed at the cathedral with the feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God. Vladyka Georgiy reminded that, from the earliest times, this feast has especially revered in the Russian lands. The faithful always make an effort to come to church on this day to thank the Most Holy Mother of God for peaceful life, new harvest, and above all, for Her intercession. People always knew how to thank God as they realized that gratitude is like a hand stretched out towards God to receive new bounties of mercy. Whereas a prayer to the Mother of God, the ruling archpastor has emphasized, is a protection veil over our families and the Motherland. Summing up, Metropolitan Georgiy wished that the Mother of God would never remove Her veil away interceding for us before God, bringing us help and consolation.