The Polish Lancers, Napoleon, and Obedience

"Obedience to God is at the heart of the Holy Family"

French archbishop Francois Fenelon said this about obedience.

“It is not the multitude of hard duties, it is not constraint and contention that advance us in our Christian course. On the contrary, it is the yielding of our wills without restriction and without choice, to tread cheerfully every day in the path in which Providence leads us, to seek nothing, to be discouraged by nothing, to seek out duty in the present moment, to trust all else without reserve to the will and power of God.”

Andrzej Niegolewski was the youngest officer of a regiment of Polish Lancers who served Napoleon Bonaparte in his campaign across Europe. As they approached Madrid, the emperor's army was stalled by gun placements along a narrow mountain pass that led to the Spanish capital.

Napoleon gave the lancers the impossible task of taking the pass. One hundred and fifty mounted lancers charged up the narrow path facing withering fire from 16 cannons spread along the pass in four batteries. The command of the regiment changed three times as the officers were killed or wounded, unable to continue. Lastly it fell to Niegolewski.

Seven minutes after the initial charge, twenty surviving lancers took the last gun battery. Niegolewski lay wounded but alive and survived nine bayonet wounds and two gunshots.

For the Polish calvary, there was more at stake than simply one of Napoleon's many battles. They served the emperor obediently to prove the worth of the Polish people. Only a year earlier, Napoleon had liberated Warsaw from Prussian occupation.

From the very beginning our willingness to obey has been tested.

In the First Book of Samuel, Hannah desired to be a mother so that she could return that child to God. She returns to God the son she asked for, the son received from Him. Hannah points ahead not only to Mary’s sacrifice but also serves as a model for all Christian families who are often called to return one child, if not more, to God.

As children of God we are to be obedient to God the Father. The Holy Family exemplifies that for us. Joseph accepts the child as his own. He must do this to obey God’s will and for the child to be a true son of David. Mary has been told that a sword will pierce her heart, and she has already given her son back to the divine Father. And Jesus recognizes the will of the Divine Father to such a degree that he seems puzzled that Mary and Joseph did not know where to find him.

Obedience to God is at the heart of the Holy Family. It holds us together even more tightly than familial bonds. Jesus returns with Mary and Joseph and is obedient to them while he continues to grow in wisdom and favor. But obedience to God is primary.

The Holy Family shows us the answer to the question God has posed to us from the beginning. Do we trust in Him? Are we obedient to His will?

Pax Vobiscum

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

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Deacon Lawrence draws on ancient Christian tradition to create new contemporary art that seeks to connect the physical and the spiritual.. For more information on original art, prints and commissions, Please visit www.DeaconLawrence.org 

Lawrence Klimecki, MSA, is a deacon in the Diocese of Sacramento. He is a public speaker, writer, and artist, reflecting on the intersection of art and faith