Akathist by Mykhayl

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(STAND)

PATRONESS… 31-50 (1275)

MEDITATION 3

(CHANTER:)
From her earthly designated status as heavenly queen-mother the all blessed Virgin comes * as their constant and personal advocate for her children, swaddling them in her protective omophorion (pallium). * Her loving devotion for her Son, and maternal fidelity for all of her children * brings awe even from the suspicious, instead of feelings of trepidation, as from a laborer over a task master’s rebuke.

CHANT 3

(CLERGY)
Attention! A reading from First Kings

(ALL:)
+Glory be to You O Lord glory be to You
Alleluia, alleluia!

(CLERGY:)
[The queen mother] “ went in to King Solomon to speak for her child. The king rose to greet her with a kiss. * Seating himself on his throne, another throne was set for the king’s mother, at his right hand. * Then she said “I have a small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” * He replied “What is it, Mother I will never refuse you”. (1 Kings 2:1)

(ALL:)
+ Glory be to You Our God glory be to You
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

(MAY SIT IF FATIGUED)

(ALL:)
31 Rejoice in awe as the all holy queen mother sets out to protect * her majestic of cities against those who would efface it.

Alerted by the pleas of besieged Constantinopolitans who chant the Romanus’ Akathist in the church of the imperial palace (Blachernae). * While hymned a heavenly force of guardian angel assemble for battle (860).

32 Rejoice amazed as the all holy Virgin’s personal earthly relic * her red claret robe is dipped into the waters of the imperial harbor.

Bringing the prideful Askold and his haughty Kyivan armada to their knees. * 200 (two hundred) adversary ships strong lay dead in the waters of the Bosporus (860).

33 Rejoice as our all holy mother raises her arms in a protective apparition * flanked by the Forerunner and Evangelist as did Moses against Ramesses on the banks of the Red Sea.

The visionary Saints Andrew the fool for Christ with Epiphanius his disciple, as two local Scythian slaves * they can testify to this apparition in the tongues of both the conquerors and of the conquered.

34 Rejoice in delight for the pagan Askold requests baptism asking for his Christian name * of our wonder working father among the saints Bishop Nicholas.

Glory be in accepting baptized from the missionaries sent by conquering Constantinople, * he found a neighbor in Saints Cyril and Methodius from Thessalonica (Macedonia) (861).

35 Rejoice despite bafflement that by the rabble’s calendar this happening is celebrated, * the conquered Kyivan Rus’ opens their October festivals with it.

By commending their defeat by their protecting Mother, life’s perplexities are exposed. * Everyone is not only their own best friend but also their own worst enemy (1037).

36 Rejoice as Basilians fleeing the Byzantine iconoclasts heretics burrow into the sandstone hills of Kyiv at Zverynetsky, * much as they had in the eparchy of Saint Basil at Cappadocia (780).

After the Mongolian assaults these monastics were sure they were in no need of riches if they were at peace. * So once again these black robes packed up their première Kyivan catacomb homes. (1240)

37 Rejoice recalling that as so many before, the monks refugee westward * to Pochayiv in the Red Volyn area of present day Ukraine.

Glory be our all holy Theotokos (Mother of God) shows herself embracing God, donning a crown while grasping a “bulava” (scepter), * within the sanctuary of the proverbial non – consuming pillar of fire (1250).

38 Rejoice in wonderment as our holy visionary brother Jobe * and the barefooted shepherd Ivan Bossey recognizes the “Madonna of Kieff” (Kyiv, 1233),

Glory be for from her foot imprint upon the barren rock a mystical rivulet elixir materializes as it did for Moses, * and as for Moses it will reoccur at Fatima, Hlyniany, Kyiv, Lourdes, Mediugorje, and Montichiari Mount Yavir (Hora Jawir), and Pochayiv.

39 Rejoice with surety as the black robes’ chants of the ancient Akafest hymn * to our all holy Theotokos heralds divine protection,

Glory be for many of these Moslem Janissary solders experiencing an epiphany this day, * converting back to the original Christian faith of their fathers (1675).

40 Rejoice as the attacking Turks retreat dumbstruck from the sheltered monastery * witnessing the apparition of the great woman of miracles.

Glory be as they beheld the repelling of their arrows by “the women chosen by God above all others” * as is written in the QUR’AN (Koran) concerning Maryam (St. Mary).

41 Rejoice proclaiming all these attributed wonders ascribed to this holy icon as repetition is the governess of knowledge, * embrace its history of orthodox monks embracing catholic popes embracing peasant shepherds embracing the golden nobility (Potocki lakhty).

Glory be for this Pochayiv Mother of God icon is crowned * for its centennial by the Roman Pontiff Clement XIV (14th / fourteenth, 1773).

http://mykhayl.wordpress.com/yet-a-historical-backdrop-1-povhayiv/

42 Rejoice awed in aestheticism for the majesty of the patriarchical cathedral * foretold by the apostolic patriarch Saint Andrew while journeying through Kyiv.

Glory be the numerous shiny steeples and glistening cupolas with starry domes * this cathedral combs the clouds like a whisked meringue.

43 Rejoice astonished as its “Oranta” (Orans) mosaic icon rises from a forefront of gold * three times life-size draped in robes of azure blue.

Glory be for hovering at the top of the Sophia Cathedral apse vault her hands are outstretched * in a protective appeal over all her children gathering below. (1037).

44 Rejoice with compassion for mother Kyiv. * Raped by her own brood from the north to usurping her orthodox entitlement.

Inspite of the theft of everything holy our ruby slippered all holy Virgin * still extended her opened arms to all petitioners (1169).

45 Rejoice yet again in orthodox empathy as those northern Vikings repeat yet another * unprovoked incestuous looting upon poor mother Kyiv (1203),

Again our ever watchful all blessed Virgin Mother appears sadden * knowing yet another double-cross will be replayed in the southern imperial capital.

46 Rejoice flanked in disbelief that Venation catholic crusaders appropriate untold treasures * from Byzantine’s magnificent Hagia Sophia patriarchical cathedral, (1204)

Lacking Kyiv’s immovable wall these pirates had to come courting for their copy, * for installation in the Prophets’ Cupola’s as the Orans (“Oranta”) of San Marco Basilica (1506).

47 Rejoice sympathetically for wretched Kyiv who receives a death-blow from the Mongolian horde. * Never the less our all holy Theotokos’ gaze is ever steadfast, even though she weeps,

Her orphaned Kyivan waifs refugee ever westerly * while their Grecian Metropolitan oddly follows the bandit’s treasure trail north (1240).

48 Rejoice though in shock as a new Antichrist Josyf (Stalin) * orders Kyivan communists to undermine their own historic monuments with explosives.

As wolves in sheep’s clothing these arsonists plant the guilt * so after they set off the explosives the invading Nazis will bear the blame (1941).

49 Rejoice alas many holy and historic monuments were destroyed. * Awarded the immovable wall of Sophia’s stood ever firm with our inspiring all holy Virgin Mother.

Glory be for being as dumb as a fox these locals were told by Uncle Jo (Stalin) to set the explosives * but he neglected to mention the igniting of fuses under the immovable wall’s holy Protectress’ icon.

50 Rejoice even in bewilderment as Nazi troops surrounded  Moscow Uncle Jo (Stalin) called for prayers in the Kremlin’s Dormition Temple. *  Its “Vladimir” icon was processed onto an airplane to encircled the city for its temporal salvation. (1941)

Even though Kyiv’s Theotokos icon now called Vladimir sits in Moscow’s Tretyakov art gallery, *  our all holy protectress “Oranta” (Orans) still gazes from Kyiv upon her children ever gathering under her ever watchful embrace.