This day is celebrated throughout Greece, Cyprus and the Greek communities around the world on 28 October each year. Ohi Day commemorates the rejection by Greek Prime Minister of Greece Mr. Ioannis Metaxas of the ultimatum made by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on 28 October 1940, the Hellenic counterattack against the invading Italian forces at the mountains of Pindus during the Greco-Italian War, and the Greek Resistance during the Axis occupation.

The feast-day of the Holy Protection of the Mother of God was established following a vision of our holy Father Andrew the Fool-for-Christ during the course of a Vigil in the Church of Vlachernae at Constantinople. At the Fourth Hour of the night while deep in prayer, the Saint lifted up his eyes to heaven and beheld the Holy Mother of God watching over the faithful as she covered the faithful with her holy Veil. Epiphanius, the disciple of Saint Andrew, who was also accounted worthy of looking upon this wonder (miracle) confirmed the truth of the vision.

This glorious and wonderworking Saint was born in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece, of well-born and devout parents. Begged of God by those childless parents, Demetrios was their only son and was, because of this, most carefully cherished and educated. His father was the military commander of Thessaloniki, and, when he died, the Roman pagan emperor made Demetrios commander in his place.

It is indicative that Christ, speaking about the "limits" of love, which is the love for our enemies, characterizes them as "perfection and puts forth as a model the love of the Heavenly Father: "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you: that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven" (Saint Matthew 5:44). The "mind" of love which includes one's enemies is the mind "according to the likeness" of the heavenly Father. It is not offered forcibly or out of necessity, but freely.

We can understand the term "freedom" either relatively or in a absolute sense. Absolute freedom places man's "ego" in the center of the universe. The exercise of absolute freedom distances man from his very own nature, it alienates him, according to the Christian faith, is not an egoistic being but a communion of persons. This idea means that our neighbor is a partaker and sharer of the very same nature in which we partake; he is relevant to us; he is not something separate from us, someone other. This means that he constitutes together with us and all our fellow men the one humanity, the one mankind, the one man with myriads of hypostases, i.e., persons.

This new "mind", this new way of thinking, presupposes that the believer will forsake his autonomy and accept his insufficiency and inability to achieve the meaning of life, i.e., that he will repent "metanoia": change his way of thinking. An autonomous man is also he who seeks to justify his life with good deeds or by any type of "technical" process, outside the realm of God's Grace in Christ Jesus. The Orthodox "mind" or way of thinking is free from all concepts of self-justification (Romans 3:20; Gal. 5:4). This true believer locks his sinfulness and insufficiency in the face and looks to Christ with complete trust. It is for this reason that "the publicans and harlots enter the Kingdom of God before those who are convinced of their righteousness and depend upon it" (St. Matthew 21:31).