On September 8, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Presentation of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The holiday commemorates the meeting of the miraculous icon in Moscow and the liberation of the city from the invasion of Tamerlane in 1395. The word "candlemas" means "meeting." Behind this title is the story of the common prayer of people who find themselves in the face of a terrible danger. 
At the end of the 14th century, Tamerlane's troops invaded the Russian lands and ravaged Yelets. Moscow was preparing for a possible attack. Grand Duke Vasily Dimitrievich marched with an army to the Oka, and with the blessing of St. Cyprian, Metropolitan of Moscow, the revered icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary was carried from Vladimir to Moscow. Along the road, people knelt down and addressed the Heavenly Intercessor: "Mother of God, save the Russian land!"
On August 26, according to the old style, Muscovites met the shrine on Kuchkovo Field. The clergy and townspeople came out to meet the procession, united in prayer and hope for God's mercy.
According to church tradition, at this time Tamerlane saw in a dream a majestic Wife in a glow, who commanded him to leave the Russian borders. Having awakened, the conqueror ordered the army to retreat. Moscow escaped ruin, and its salvation was perceived as an answer to prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos. An annual celebration was established in memory of this event, and the Sretensky Monastery was subsequently founded at the meeting place of the icon. 
The Vladimir image belongs to the iconographic type of "Tenderness". The infant Christ embraces His Mother, pressing His cheek to Her cheek. In this image, maternal tenderness is combined with sorrow: the Blessed Virgin knows about her Son's upcoming sufferings. The gaze of the Mother of God directed at the worshipper prompts us to entrust our pain, concern for our loved ones, and hope for help to Her. 
The memory of the Presentation of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God preserves for us the testimony of faith, which helped people to survive in the days of trials. In the face of a common threat, they gathered for prayer, asked for forgiveness of sins, and entrusted the fate of their Fatherland to God.
Honoring the Most Holy Theotokos today, we thank Her for Her intercession and ask for peace, the preservation of our land, the strengthening of faith and harmony between people. This prayer continues in everyday life — in a willingness to reconcile, to support those in need, to comfort the grieving, and to serve one's neighbor with love.