Tuesday, July 14, 2009

A Miracle of Elder Paisios the Athonite


A few days ago marked the 15 year memorial of the renowned Elder Paisios the Athonite since his falling asleep (+ July 12, 1994). I never had the blessing to meet the Elder, but I have known many over the years that did know him very well. So much has been written on the Elder, that I could hardly think of anything unique to add to the existing corpus. I will therefore relate the first time I ever heard of the Elder about a miracle he performed for one of my friends.

A friend of mine named Nicholas told me how he visited Mount Athos in the early 1990's. While there he desired to visit Elder Paisios at his cell because of his reputation as a miracle-worker. One thing that was on his mind was his sister Christina who suffered from epilepsy. When he arrived he was told the Elder was away and would have to wait, so he waited until the Elder arrived and he was recieved into his cell. When they sat down Nicholas brought up his sister for the Elder to pray for her, but he never mentioned her epilepsy. The Elder then pointed to a particular region on his head in the brain area and said something like: "She has something here". Then flicking away his hand he said: "It's gone." From that moment she never had a seizure again, and this is regarded by the family to be a miracle of the Elder.

May the holy and blessed Geronda Paisios pray for us!

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"I teach them all the good I can, and recommend them to others from whom I think they will get some moral benefit. And the treasures that the wise men of old have left us in their writings I open and explore with my friends. If we come on any good thing, we extract it, and we set much store on being useful to one another." - Socrates
"In imitation of the method of the bee, I shall make my composition from those things which are conformable with the truth and from our enemies themselves gather the fruit of salvation. But I shall reject all that is worthless and falsely labeled as knowledge." - St. John the Damascene

All Saints Celebrated In January

Sisoes, the great ascetic, before the tomb of Alexander, King of the Greeks, who was once covered in glory. Astonished, he mourns for the vicissitudes of time and the transience of glory, and tearfully declaims thus: "The mere sight of you, tomb, dismays me and causes my heart to shed tears, as I contemplate the debt we, all men, owe. How can I possibly stand it? Oh, death! Who can evade you?"

"Ascend, ascend, brethren, ascend with eagerness and resolve in your hearts, listening to him who says: ‘Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of our God, Who maketh our feet like those of the deer, and setteth us on high places, that we may be victorious with His song.’" - St. John Climacos

"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." - Galatians 6:14

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:3