Homily on the Day of the Celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Theotokos
By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov
By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Beloved brothers and sisters, today we solemnly and prayerfully remember and glorify the manifestation of the mercy of the Mother of God to the Orthodox Russian state, expressed in the miraculous deliverance of our dear Fatherland in 1612 from the invasion of foreigners.
Our ancestors, the Russian people, loved the Mother of God and nurtured a particularly profound faith in Her heavenly intercession for the Christian race, always turning to Her with fervent prayer in their sorrows and misfortunes. Although entire countries considered the Most Holy Virgin their Patroness and venerated Her, in our Fatherland the name of the Mother of God was surrounded with a special veneration — immeasurably greater than anywhere else, and on no other land did the Mother of God pour out so much of Her grace and mercy as on the Russian land. Practically every Russian city is sure to contain a source of the Mother of God's grace — Her miraculous icons, through which She desired to bestow upon people a heavenly pledge of Her love and serve as a consolation for suffering humanity. Our people loved to call the Mother of God by special names befitting Her heavenly patronage and mercy, and the Mother of God did not leave their faith in vain, but provided quick help to everyone who asked and to our Fatherland as a whole.
Particularly memorable is the deliverance of our land by the grace of the Mother of God from Polish rule in 1612. During that tragic time, when the royal line in Rus' was completely extinguished, unrest began to break out in our Fatherland, leading to complete anarchy. The Poles hastened to take advantage of this: they seized Moscow and, with it, half of the Russian kingdom. Fearing that they would forever remain under Polish rule, the Russian people rose up in defense of their homeland, placing their trust in their Heavenly Intercessor, to whom they turned with fervent prayer for aid in the struggle against the enemy. The troops took with them the icon of the Mother of God, known as the Kazan Icon, and, led by Her, approached Moscow. A fast was declared, and all the people and soldiers fasted for three days and prayed fervently before the miraculous icon of the Queen of Heaven for victory. And the Most Immaculate Mother heard their prayer and, through her intercession, asked her merciful Son and Lord for help and victory against the enemies of the Russian people. Appearing in a dream that night to the Greek Archbishop Arseny, who was languishing in captivity among the Poles, Saint Sergius of Radonezh told the Bishop that the Lord, through the prayers of His Mother and the Moscow Saints Peter, Alexis, Jonah, and Philip, would overthrow the invaders the very next day and return the capital city of Russia to the hands of the Russian people.
Encouraged by this news, our soldiers, armed with the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, took Moscow without difficulty on October 22 and liberated the Fatherland from foreign invaders. Thus, both the country and the Church were delivered from foreign enslavement. Reverent before their Heavenly Helper, the grateful army and all the citizens of the capital on the following Sunday performed a prayer service to the Most Holy Theotokos, who had saved the Russian state. Carrying the Kazan Icon, they walked in procession to the very Execution Ground, where they were met at the Kremlin gates by Saint Arseny with another relic — the miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which he had preserved in captivity. And so that the memory of the Most Holy Theotokos's saving intercession for our Fatherland would not fade with time, it was soon unanimously decreed that a solemn commemoration of her miracle be held annually on this day, October 22.
As we see, dear brothers and sisters, the primary reason for the country's salvation from destruction was the steadfast Orthodox faith of our ancestors. When all hope in human strength was lost, all the true sons of the Church and the Fatherland took upon themselves a three-day fast and prayed to the Mother of God before Her miraculous Kazan Icon. And their prayer was heard. Moreover, from ancient times, the Russian people have been distinguished by their simple, reverent faith and sincere, heartfelt love for the Lord Jesus Christ. In this faith of ours and in our love for the Son of the Ever-Virgin Mary lies the reason for Her special mercy toward us. What mother would remain indifferent to someone who shows, who reveals obvious signs of compassion and love for her children? Reverent faith and strong love for the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, undoubtedly bring special joy to His Most Pure Mother even in heaven. And from this it follows that Her intercession and help is poured out upon all who from ancient times have sacredly honored and confessed the Lord Jesus Christ, reverently worship Him and lovingly obey the Church He established on earth.
What obligation does the memory of the Mother of God's miraculous assistance to our Russian land oblige us to? The closer, the more merciful, and the more attentive the Mother of God is to us, the more careful we must be in our conduct and our faith. The more that is given, the more will be required of us. Who, if not the people of God, the Jewish people, has seen such obvious, such miraculous help from God? Their entire history, from beginning to end, is permeated with descriptions of God's wondrous, direct guidance. But at the same time, how much, how grievously they, this chosen people of God, have suffered for their repeated apostasy from the true God, for their frequent betrayals of the faith of their forefathers! Why? Because justice and God's majesty demand it: the Lord cannot leave unpunished even a single offense that offends the dignity of His holy Law. “Let us leave here,” was heard in the very Sanctuary of the Jewish Temple, and soon the abomination of desolation appeared on the holy place and will remain there, according to the word of the Lord, until the end of the age - after the Jewish people did not believe in the Only Begotten Son of God.
Let us, dear ones, give thanks to the Lord and His Most Pure Mother for such great blessings, manifested for the strengthening and exaltation of our Fatherland, led to its glory through severe trials solely by the right hand of God. Let us cherish, brothers and sisters, the holy union with the Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother, who chose our land as Her inheritance. The Lord Jesus Christ and His Mother are zealous in love for us. Let us remember who is our Intercessor, who is our help and hope, and let us not break our union with Her, but strengthen it with faith, our lives, and our trust.
Considering that Orthodox Christians are the property of Her Son and enjoy Her special protection, let us not forget that the true character of Orthodox Christians consists in following Christ in everything as the only Lawgiver and loving Him infinitely as our only Savior. We must firmly adhere to the path followed by our Orthodox ancestors, shown to us by Jesus Christ, and shown to us by the Holy Church. The Lord outlined this path for us in His Holy Gospel, and we must sacredly preserve and observe it. If we depart from this path, from this covenant with Christ, our Intercessor, the Queen of Heaven, will also depart from us, for She cannot be in alliance with the enemies of Her Son, who trample upon His teachings, His commandments, His covenantal Blood, just as Christ, Her Son, cannot be in alliance with Belial.
Let us pray today to the Queen of Heaven that She Herself will strengthen us on the path of salvation, for She is always ready to intercede for us, if only we would resort to Her intercession with warm and fervent prayer, with firm faith and hope. And then She will never abandon us in Her mercy, but will always preserve and save us from all evil. Let us offer Her fervent prayers from our hearts, and with tenderness let us call upon Her: Rejoice, fervent Intercessor of the Christian race! Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
