Irrigated fleece

To His Grace in God, His Grace Father Lazar Baranovich, by the mercy of God to the Orthodox Archbishop of Chernigov, Novgorod and All the North, Administrator of the Metropolis of Kiev, Pan Shepherd, Father and Benefactor of peace, health, salvation and long life from the right hand of the Supreme Bishop, the author wholeheartedly wishes peace, health, salvation and long life from the right hand of the Supreme Bishop.

I am the sheep of your flock, my Most Reverend Shepherd, I bring the fleece to Your Hierarchy. For what gift can a sheep bring if not a fleece? And to whom should the fleece be offered, if not to the shepherd?

As for the fleece, I offer a dual fleece: the Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin Mary and my little obedience, — both it and That fleece are truly the fleece. In the Akathist, the Church calls the Most-Pure Virgin a fleece: "Rejoice, O thou watered fleece, which Gideon, the Virgin, has seen first" (From the Akathist to the Mother of God). St. Ambrose calls obedience a fleece when he says about obedience to Mary: "Mary was likened to a fleece, she was favorable to obedience." The poor sheep diligently brings both to his Shepherd.

A fleece, Most-Pure Virgin Mary, befits Your Hierarchy, for during your pastorship this Fleece, a miraculous icon, was watered with tears.

Here may I be permitted to call Your Grace the second Gideon, for just as he saw with his own eyes the dew on the fleece in ancient times, so Your Grace beholds at his altar the icon of our Lady, miraculously sprinkled with tearful dew. And this golden fleece is much more precious than the fleece of Jason, which he brought from Colchis to Thessaly.

The Golden Fleece is the Most-Pure Virgin, brought from earth to heaven, "clothed with golden fringe, adorned" (cf. Psalm 44:14). Her icon, beautifully gilded, is also a Golden Fleece, when Your Eminence placed all his possessions under the feet of the Most-Pure Virgin to adorn Her icon. In addition to this, with his golden words, he gilded this Fleece, serving to praise the most holy name of the Virgin Mary.

Befitting Your Hierarchy is my wretched fleece — obedience: in obedience, as I commanded me, for the honor and glory of the Most Honorable Cherubim and the Most Glorious Seraphim, I have written this small book according to my strength.

Accept, then, my Most Reverend Pastor, this, though small, is nevertheless dear, for it is about our Dearest Lady that the Fleece is composed. Take them into your honest hands and stretch them out to your sheep for blessing.

The Fleece Irrigated Will Give You a Crown in the Sky (Retaliatory (consecration) blessing in verse by Archbishop Lazar Baranovich to Hieromonk Dimitri (in the original - in the Old Polish language).