Tenth Discourse. A Brotherly Address to Our Valiant Troops on the Fields of Distant Manchuria

October 1, 1905

What a holy, divine and most joyful vision God once revealed to the enlightened by holiness hearts of two righteous ones—and by the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter is established—who saw in the vaults of the magnificent Vlacherna Church the Theotokos, Queen of heaven and earth, shining like the sun, with the angelic host and with the multitudes of all the saints, praying to God and stretching forth her radiant omophor over the multitude of worshiping people! What comfort, hope and joy did this vision inspire in the hearts of all who were in the church, when with the speed of lightning this joyful news flew about! What profound truth and actual help were revealed soon after the wondrous manifestation! For the city of Constantine the Great, besieged by the Saracens, was delivered from the enemy, not by sword and spear, but by divine power, and the enemies turned to flight, terrified by heavenly force, abandoning their entire camp to the besieged. Behold what a wondrous and saving protective covering of the Mother of God the Church now celebrates!

But it seems the people then were worthy of this heavenly protection and covering. I say worthy—because, according to the testimony of Church history, then there was universal, united and ardent prayer in the presence of the Tsar and Tsarina, the synod, the people and two great righteous ones—Andrew and his disciple.

We have been in circumstances no less difficult militarily, but we have not received heavenly all-powerful help because of our grave sins, surpassing all measure and description. And we everywhere suffered defeat or voluntarily surrendered ourselves with our ships, men and supplies on sea and on land (the fortress of Port Arthur), because we lacked faith, courage, loyalty to duty, but there was enough confidence in impunity and justification at trial! Some military commanders were guided by the conviction taken from a certain writer, Leo Tolstoy, of nonresistance to evil. These traitors betrayed both faith and Tsar and Fatherland, and if our fate had been in their hands alone, we would all have been surrendered with all our precious possessions.

Thank God, there remained loyal forces with their leaders, faithful to their duty. What heavenly help could be given when we had unbelief, unpreparedness, faint-heartedness, neglect of state property, and in some military men there was moral and disciplinary dissolution, proven in deed! We beat ourselves, and only the hot prayer of the Church gave us peace, not altogether shameful.

To earn heavenly help in difficult circumstances of the Fatherland, there is needed firm faith in divine assistance—and most importantly, repentance for the sins that have brought God’s wrath upon Russia—correction of morals, not an increase of vices during the very heat of war. Righteous heaven cannot be in communion with human wrongs. What communion can there be of light with darkness, of righteousness with lawlessness, of Christ with Satan? (2Cor 6:15). What evil still have not the Russians done, and those living in Russia? How have they not corrupted themselves with sins? They have done everything and will do everything that draws upon us the righteous wrath of God: both manifest unbelief and blasphemy, rejection of every true principle of faith, debauchery, drunkenness, all manner of amusements instead of clothing themselves in mourning for public repentance and sorrow for sins angering God, insubordination to authority. Incomprehensible autonomy, assuring everyone complete licentiousness and disobedience to authority; stubborn, harmful strikes for all, complete anarchy.

We have turned away from God: and God has turned away from us. We have rejected God’s will, we live according to our own will—and soon we will see where it leads or has already led. If you bite and devour one another, says God’s word, beware that you are not consumed by one another. (Gal 5:15).

What heavenly protection can we expect when we ourselves have turned away from God? If we do not repent and correct ourselves, we will be abandoned by God. See, your house is left to you empty (Mt 23:38), says the Lord. But may this not be. There are still righteous and chosen ones in Russia, as there once were in the reigning city the holy Andrew with Epiphanius and others.

Amen.