OCTOBER 28 - ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD "SHE WHO RIPENS THE GRAIN"

The icon of the Mother of God “She who ripens the grain” (also called "Multiplier of Wheat) was painted with the blessing of St. Ambrose of Optina. Elder Ambrose burned with childlike faith in the Mother of God. He especially honored all the feasts of the Mother of God and intensified his prayer on these days. With the icon “She Who Ripens The Grain”, Father Ambrose blessed the Shamordino Convent, which he founded near the Optina Monastery in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. “She Who Ripens The Grain” is an icon with an unusual iconography, previously unknown to the Christian world. Filled with deep spiritual content, the icon depicts  the Mother of God is depicted sitting upon the clouds, and Her hands are extended in blessing. Beneathe – is a compressed field, and on it amidst the grass and flowers stand and lay sheaves of rye.

 Her gaze, directed directly at us, is both merciful and stern at the same time. It is no coincidence that the Lady is depicted sitting on a cloud - a symbol of heavenly waters and, accordingly, fertility. This cloud irrigates the earth, producing a harvest of grain gathered into sheaves. In the icon, the Mother of God blesses the earth, which gives birth to the bread we need in everyday life to maintain our bodily strength. Elder Ambrose, calling the image “She Who Ripens the Grain” indicated by this that the Most Holy Theotokos is “the Helper of people in their labors to earn their daily bread.” For a Christian, “daily bread” is not only and not so much the bread that we eat, but also “the uneaten bread of the hungry,” since “man will not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” In their interpretation of the Lord's Prayer, the holy fathers reveal to us the true meaning of the petition with which we turn to the Heavenly Father: “Give us this day our daily bread.” By bread here we mean the bread that came down from heaven and gives life to the world. “Our bread” is that which the Lord prepared from the beginning in order to immortalize our nature. “Grant to us this day”—to us who are in this mortal life, so that feeding on the bread of Life will overcome the death caused by sin. And only in prayer does the soul find the Word of God, this daily bread, life-giving and satiating it. And therefore, the field that the Queen of Heaven blesses is the field of our spiritual life, bringing us closer to the Lord. We see Her with her arms outstretched crosswise over a field of grain, where each ear of grain is an image of each of us, ripening to our own measure of perfection. The Mother of God (in the theology of the icon this is the image of the Church - the Body of Christ) prays that the Word of God will spore in our souls, so that the grains of the meaning of truth and the likeness of God will ripen in us.

Elder Ambrose established the celebration of the icon on October 15/28, after the end of the harvest and harvesting, and it was on this day the following year that the elder’s body was buried. Love and trust in Elder Ambrose, boundless faith in the intercession of the Mother of God made the icon “She Who Ripens the Grain” truly popular. In front of this image, they pray for an increase in earthly and heavenly fruits, asking for blessings for their work.

Prayer before the Icon of the Mother of God "She Who Ripens the Grain"

O Most Holy Virgin Mary, Most Gracious Lady, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Benefactress of every Christian home and family, blessing to the laboring, inexhaustible wealth to the needy, Provider of the orphans and widows, and Provider of all people! Our Nourisher, who gave birth to the Nourisher of the Universe and Spurrier of our Bread, O Mother of God, send down Your Motherly blessing to our towns, villages and fields, and to every home that trusts in You. With reverent awe and broken heart we humbly pray to Thee: be to us, too, Thy sinful and unworthy servants, wise Homebuilder, who will make our life good. But keep every community, house and family in piety and orthodoxy, unanimity, obedience and contentment. Provide for the poor and indigent, support the aged, nurture the infants, and teach all to cry sincerely to the Lord: "Give us this day our daily bread". Preserve, O Most Pure Mother, Thy people from every need, disease, famine, destruction, hail, fire, from every evil circumstance and every disorder. Grant peace and great mercy to our abode, homes and families and to every Christian soul and to our whole country, that we may glorify Thee, our gracious Nourisher and Feeder, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.