Today we celebrate the Protection of the Theotokos and also two of the Church’s great singers and melodists, St. Roman and St. John Cucuzeles. There is a deep connection between our hymnography and the person of the Theotokos: her song, the Magnificat, is, in a sense, the first song of the Church. Likewise, she, more than any other, inspires the Christian people to sing; with few exceptions, our services throughout the year, day by day, are punctuated by the many beautiful theotokia in her honor. As we celebrate her loving maternal protection, which likewise accompanies us all the days of our life, let us recommit ourselves to singing her praises every day in song. In particular, the daily practice of reading her akathist, or at least her supplicatory canon, is recommended by many saints and elders.
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