the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God

Dear friends, from the bottom of my heart I congratulate all of us on the feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God!🙌✨🩵✨

Also, on this day we celebrate the feast of Saint Romanos the Melodist (the Sweet-Singer) - patron of all church singers! 🎶🎼🎶

St. Romanos lived in the 6th century. And the vision of the Protection occurred in the 10th century. St. Romanos composed many kontakia (a brief hymn glorifying God, the Mother of God, or a saint).

Today I want to share with you a beautiful doxology by St. Romanos the Melodist on the Miracle of turning water into wine at Cana of Galilee!

Kontakion:

You, Who by Your might transformed water into wine, transform into joy the sorrow oppressing me because of my sins, through the intercession of the Virgin, O Christ God, Who created all things in wisdom.

Oikos 20:

When Christ, as a sign of His might, openly changed water into wine, all the people rejoiced, for they found the taste of the wine marvelous. – Now we all participate in the feast in the Church, where the Blood of Christ has been changed into the form of wine; and we drink from It with holy joy, praising the great Bridegroom – for He is the true Bridegroom, the Son of Mary, the Word, Existing before all time, Who took the form of a servant, He Who created all things in wisdom.

Oikos 21:

O You Who dwell in the highest, Holy One, Savior of all, preserve this Wine in us; You Who hold all things in Your power, keep It undefiled in us. Drive away from here all those who think evil, the useless ones who dilute Your Holy Wine with “water”: those who always dilute Your teaching with their “water” are condemned to hellfire. But deliver us, sinless One, from the weeping that will seize us if we hear a similar verdict, O merciful God – through the prayers of the Holy Virgin and Mother of God, You Who created all things in wisdom.