Photo: mitropolia-simbirsk.ru
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
Today we celebrate and pray before the wonderworking icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The very word, wonderworking,” means that this is an icon that works miracles. We know that the Most Holy Virgin works miracles, but she works them in answer to our faith and our prayers, and our feeling of reverence before the Most Holy Theotokos, our faith, our prayers, become especially strong when we gaze upon the Most Holy Theotokos through her visible image, which was marked in many centuries of iconography, an especially remarkable representative of which is the wondrous holy icon present now in this church of the Vladimir icon of the Mother of God, before which we fervently pray today.
When we say “wonderworking icon,” we are speaking of a miracle. And what is a miracle? The very word miracle (чудо), translated from Church Slavonic into Russian, means first and foremost wonder. It is something that lies outside the logic of human life. It is something that transcends the laws of physical existence. When such a phenomenon occurs, it amazes people. Therefore, a miracle is above all a cause for wonder, and of course, for reverence.
A wonderworking icon is precisely one before which, through prayer, great events take place—events that often cannot be explained either by the laws of physics or by human logic—events that touch both individual lives and the life of our whole people and our land. We know how, in the most difficult times of trial, when the very question of whether Rus’, of whether Russia, of whether the Russian state would survive was at stake, people came before the wonderworking icons of the Most Holy Virgin and fervently prayed for the deliverance of our homeland.
Photo: ria.ru
And this Vladimir Icon, perhaps the most ancient of all the wonderworking icons of our Church, has truly absorbed the fervent prayers of many generations. Thus, its miracles are nothing other than a response to the heartfelt prayers of countless generations. And we—though perhaps unworthy of the prayers of our forebears—are nourished spiritually by the grace which, through the prayers of those generations, of those strugglers in faith and piety, is even today bestowed upon us through this holy image—upon us, sinners and unworthy though we be, yet hoping to hear a saving answer to our prayers through the image of the Most Holy Theotokos.
It is truly a blessing that the difficult times in our country have passed—times when many wondrous wonderworking icons, created for the Church, were forcibly taken from her and turned merely into museum exhibits. These icons were made for the purpose of conveying the mercy of the Lord to people through these works, which were sanctified by the power of God. And since the majority of these sacred objects are indeed masterpieces of art, it is a great blessing that today there is a reasonable and balanced understanding of the wonderworking icon—as both a holy object and an outstanding work of visual art from ancient Rus’.
Today, before the holy icon of the Sovereign Lady Theotokos, we are offering many prayers. our country, Russia, is again undergoing great trials. Many have risen up against Holy Rus’, as happened in ancient times, seeking to destroy her people. Therefore, just as in past times of tribulation, when our pious forebears came to this holy icon, so today we too must intensify our prayers—prayers before wonderworking icons, prayers offered in our church communities, and our personal prayers. All these prayers must now contain an appeal to the Lord for His help: that the powerful enemies may not overcome Holy Rus’, that our sacred things may not be trampled, and that our people may not lose their freedom—including the freedom to follow the commandments of the Church, which are founded upon the Gospel teachings and the precepts of the Lord—teachings which today stand in direct contradiction to the public morals and political practices of certain powerful nations.
But in order to remain free, we must be strong—and strength always comes from strength of spirit. From the strength of spirit come all victories; from it arises the power to resist temptations, seductions, and all demonic assaults.
As we pray before this holy image, let us first and foremost pray for our Fatherland, for our country, that the Lord may preserve us as that island of freedom which we are today. And we are indeed such an island of freedom—not the kind that is proclaimed on paper and in official documents, yet in practice is accompanied by moral and ideological enslavement of people, but true freedom, which is granted to us by the Lord through His word and in response to our prayers.
God grant that Russia, as I have already said, may remain an island of freedom. This is greatly needed—not only by us, but by the entire world. Even now we are receiving numerous messages from people abroad who speak of this and who ask us not to stray from the path we are on, who pray that our Fatherland, our people, may have the strength to remain true to themselves and to bring truth to the world.
We believe that through the prayers of the Most Pure Queen of Heaven, who in times past protected our Fatherland from many fearful and deadly trials, he Lord will now also protect our homeland, the city of Moscow, and our Church. But for this to be so, we must, as we pray before the Lord and His Most Pure Mother, offer up our prayers with all our faith—especially when we stand before great wonderworking icons, through which the action of Divine grace has been revealed to our people.
Under the Protecting Veil of the Most Pure and Most Blessed Queen of Heaven, may the Lord preserve the land of Rus’, our city of Moscow, and our Holy Church. Amen.
