Photo: казанская-икона.рф
I. The Feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was established in memory of the discovery of an icon of the Mother of God in 1579. In the city of Kazan, which had been captured from the Tatars by Ivan the Terrible, the Mother of God appeared to a maiden named Matrona and commanded her to inform Archbishop Jeremiah to retrieve the icon from the ground at the place She had indicated. When the vision was repeated, the maiden told her mother about it. Her mother did not believe her at first, and did not want to go to the indicated place. But finally, frightened by a threat from the Mother of God, she went with her daughter to the archbishop and the governors. When they too did not want to believe the maiden’s story, the mother decided to search for the icon herself. But both she and others dug the ground at the indicated place in vain. Finally, the maiden began to dig—and the icon was found. Then the archbishop had a procession to the place of the discovery of the holy image and with great honor transferred the icon to the nearest church, where great miracles began to occur. Seeing these miracles, many Tatars converted to Christ. A copy of the icon and the story of its discovery were sent to Moscow, and Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich ordered a church and monastery of the Mother of God to be built at the place where the icon was found. The feast of the discovery is celebrated on July 8/21—the day Matrona and her mother went to the archbishop and the governors to announce the vision.
II. On the day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, all of Russia raises its prayers to the Queen of Heaven. We do not think that any true believer would dispute their duty of prayer to the Mother of God. Whoever believes in the Holy Orthodox Church and accepts its statutes, undoubtedly honors and celebrates the feasts established by it. And the Holy Church has instituted many feasts in honor of the Mother of God, due to our special reverence for Her and Her unique relationship with us. But why should we pray primarily to the Most Holy Theotokos? Every believer must know and understand this duty.
a) The Holy Church calls the Mother of God our intercessor and advocate before Her Son and our God, Jesus Christ. Why do we need Her intercession, when Christ our Savior has redeemed us from sin and accepts our prayers directly? Yes, we believers have boldness before the Lord, but only if “our hearts do not condemn us” (cf. 1 John 3:21), meaning if our conscience is not burdened with sins. However, Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? (Prov. 20:9). Who does not admit that not only after Baptism but even after repeated confessions, he often angers his Redeemer by violating His commandments? If this is so, then because we are transgressors before our Savior, we lose boldness before Him and need another, external intercessor before Him. We find such an intercessor in the Most Holy Mother of God. Not daring, due to our sins, to approach God ourselves, we ask for Her intercession, and She finds mercy with Her Son on our behalf with Her supplications, which are stronger than the intercession of all saints and angels—for She, as the Mother of God, is higher than all the saints, more honorable than the cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim. The Lord does not refuse the request on behalf of those for whom the Most Holy Theotokos intercedes before Her Son and God.
b) And the Mother of God lovingly intercedes before God for all who believe in Christ, if they resolve to abandon their sins and be true, zealous Christians. We say lovingly, because She is, so to speak, one of us. She knows our weaknesses, our temptations, and the difficulty of fighting them without higher help. She loves Christians with a motherly love. Will She not therefore help those who, though weak and sinful, repent and desire salvation despite all obstacles to salvation? As for the obstacles to salvation—only those who have not yet begun to seek salvation or to live a Christian life do not know about them. We always carry with us the enemy of Christian life—our flesh, which wars against the spirit and presses us to the earth. Another enemy is the one outside ourselves—we have the sinful world with its countless temptations. The other is our most bitter adversary, the devil, who as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). The latter rarely attacks those who do not care about a virtuous life (they are already heading towards destruction), but those who seek salvation and desire Christian perfection are in constant battle with him and his cunning wiles, which are innumerable. Where then shall we find the strength to succeed in this struggle against these obstacles? In the grace of God, and in prayer to the Mother of God. O, Most Holy Theotokos! “If Thou didst not interceded for us, who would have delivered us from so many dangers?”
III. Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord! The Most Holy Virgin Theotokos is the special protectress of pious Christians. To always have the invincible hope of salvation and an advocate in the Most Holy Virgin, live a holy life, hold firmly and unwaveringly to the holy Orthodox Faith, have hope in God, nourish love for your neighbors, and love God with all the strength of your soul. If you happen to sin and stray from God, hasten back to Him through repentance and true correction of your life. Then nothing will prevent the Mother of God from appearing as an intercessor in all troubles and sorrows. (Compiled from Sermons and Talks, by Metropolitan Leonty of Moscow, vol. II).
