Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: October 12

 

"The Flight of the French from Moscow on October 12, 1812" (originally illustrated by artist D. Scotti)

The Month of October

Day 12

43. Homily on the Occasion of the Cross Procession Around the Kremlin

(Commemorating the Expulsion of the French from Moscow, October 12)*

Today, a cross procession is held in Moscow around the Kremlin in memory of the French abandonment of Moscow in 1812. On this ever-memorable day, as we recall both the disastrous and the glorious period in the history of our homeland, the following words of Chrysostom, the Ecumenical Teacher, naturally come to mind:

“Let us not be discontented, but rejoice in our sorrows, for they are medicines beneficial to our wounds. Although bitter on the one hand, they are sweet on the other. Let us be grateful to God even for our afflictions, for He does not send them without reason, but accomplishes through them what is beneficial for our souls.” (Prologue, August 7)

These words naturally come to mind today because we believe that nothing could better demonstrate their truth than the events of that ever-memorable year of 1812, which we commemorate today. Indeed, consider first the beginning of the Patriotic War. We surrendered Smolensk to the enemy, and then, following the Battle of Borodino, we abandoned Moscow itself.

Consider what could seemingly have been more terrible than our situation at that time. It appeared that such a calamity had never before befallen any nation, and even today its memory invariably evokes a painful sense of unbearable shame and grief. What, then, must it have been like at the time? If we consider only the inhabitants of Moscow, we can say with certainty that most of them must have thought that their final hour had come, if not the last day of the world itself.

Indeed, what could have been more sorrowful than their fate? “Flee!” they were shouting from every direction. “Flee! Save yourselves, whoever can! The enemy is at your walls, and he will spare no one!” And so everything fell into confusion: people collided with one another, cried out, and fled. Meanwhile, Moscow itself, with its churches of God, went up in flames, as did the villages and hamlets surrounding it. Yes, the situation was terrible.

But what, nevertheless, came of it? “First,” says Alexander the Blessed, “with the shedding of Russian blood, the spirit of courage increased in Russia; with the burning of her cities, love for the fatherland was kindled; with the destruction and desecration of the churches of God, faith was strengthened within her, and an irreconcilable desire for vengeance arose. The army, the dignitaries, the nobility, the clergy, the merchants, and the people—in a word, all ranks and classes of the state—without sparing either their property or their lives, became one soul, a soul both courageous and devout, burning as much with love for the fatherland as with love for God.” (Manifesto)

Thus, this terrible situation strengthened above all four virtues in our ancestors: faith in God, love for God, love for the fatherland, and courage. With these virtues, no force could frighten us, and no obstacle seemed insurmountable. And so we defeated our enemies.

Their defeat was the second outcome of our terrible situation. Indeed, “one part of our enemies, having drenched the earth with blood, fell and covered the fields of Moscow, Kaluga, Smolensk, Belarus, and Lithuania. Another part was captured in numerous battles, together with many of their commanders and generals. The remainder, fleeing in haste and overtaken by frost and hunger, littered the road from Moscow to the borders of Russia with their bodies” (Manifesto). Their leader himself fled from us in disgrace.

Could anyone have imagined that this would ever happen? Could anyone have imagined it when even our soldiers, leaving Moscow, wept and sobbed like little children? And yet it happened.

Finally, something else emerged from our terrible situation: our shame was transformed into great glory. Having defeated our enemies, we entered their lands, our sovereign was honored above all the kings of the earth, and the nations oppressed by the proud conqueror were liberated by us.

Through us, the dawn of peace also shone over Europe. Kingdoms were restored, and the earth was renewed as though after a flood. At the same time, our homeland arose with the joyful conviction that God had chosen it as an instrument of His Providence and, through it, as an eloquent speaker of that great age expressed it, “brought the thunder of battles to an end, halted the streams of blood, restored their thrones to kings, freedom to nations, and established peace and tranquility everywhere.” (From Archbishop Augustine’s sermon on the peace with France.)

And so, where there had been weeping in the evening, joy reigned by morning. In the renewed Russian capital, within the sacred, columned walls of its ancient churches, the triumphant proclamation resounded: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace!”

Now, brethren, we believe you will agree with us that the truth of the words of Chrysostom quoted above is best demonstrated by the events of that ever-memorable year of 1812. That year showed with unmistakable clarity that sorrow truly is a medicine beneficial to our wounds, and that the Lord sends us afflictions not without reason, but accomplishes through them what is beneficial for our souls.

If this is so, then in our own lives, when we encounter sorrow and affliction, let us hold firmly to the words of the Ecumenical Teacher and remain steadfast in adversity, like a rock. Finally, let us never forget that, in God’s providence, everything is ordered with wisdom, including hardships and sorrows, and that everything serves our salvation and our blessedness. Amen.

Questions for Discussion 43:

1. According to Chrysostom, what should we do when we experience sorrow?

2. According to Chrysostom, what are sorrows?

3. What does God accomplish through afflictions, which He sends us not without reason?

4. According to Alexander the Blessed, what was strengthened through the destruction of the churches of God?

5. What four virtues were strengthened by Russia’s terrible situation during the war against the French in 1812?

Source: The Cheti-Minei: Homilies for Every Day of the Year (Book 1: September, October, November) by Archpriest Viktor Guryev. Publication of the Russian Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, 1896. Translated by John Sanidopoulos. 

Translator's Note: 

 

* October 12 is historically celebrated in Russia as a major date commemorating the victory over Napoleon’s forces, culminating in the consecration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

While Napoleon’s Grande Armée did not officially begin its physical evacuation from the city until October 7/19, 1812, October 12/24, 1839 was the day the iconic cathedral was fundamentally founded and its construction blessed to immortalize the expulsion of the French from Russian soil.

The historical timeline of the expulsion and its commemoration includes the following key milestones:

• September 2/14, 1812: Napoleon enters Moscow. Instead of finding a city ready to negotiate peace, the French find it abandoned, emptied of supplies, and intentionally set ablaze by Russian patriots.

• October 6/18, 1812: The Russian army defeats French Marshal Murat at the Battle of Tarutino, signaling a major shift in the initiative.

• October 7/19, 1812: Unable to secure a peace treaty and facing a harsh winter without supplies, Napoleon formally orders the retreat and the evacuation of Moscow begins.

• October 12/24, 1812: The brutal Battle of Maloyaroslavets forces Napoleon's army to abandon their planned southern retreat route and forces them back onto a completely devastated path out of the country.

Following the final expulsion of the French from Russia, Tsar Alexander I signed a manifesto declaring his intention to build a magnificent cathedral to thank Divine Providence and honor the sacrifices of the Russian people. On October 12, 1839, the ceremonial laying of the cornerstone and blessing of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior took place in Moscow, securing October 12 as a foundational date of national remembrance for the Patriotic War of 1812.