By Fr. Nektarios Antonopoulos,
Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Sagmata in Thebes
A young girl was going for surgery to a hospital in Simferopol. Her situation was very serious, and the surgery was difficult and dangerous.
The physician that was operating on her called the mother of the patient and told her: "The surgery is very difficult and dangerous. I can't guarantee anything. I don't know if your girl will come out alive."
There was no other choice. The young girl was brought to the operating room.
Throughout the duration of the surgery, the mother was sitting in the yard of the hospital, and with tears in her eyes she prayed to St. Luke the Surgeon and to St. Panteleimon to help.
At one instant, before the mother's eyes, an astonishing event occurred: the wall of the hospital became invisible, like a pane of glass. The operating room appeared. In the hospital bed was her daughter, and around her were the surgeon and his helpers. Next to her was the surgical nurse who was holding the surgical instruments.
And more wondrously: next to the surgeon she saw the Holy Physicians to whom she was praying. To the left was St. Panteleimon with a lit lamp. To the right was St. Luke, who every so often would take the tools from the nurse and give them to the surgeon!
The mother was struck with astonishment and amazement. She felt that her prayer had been answered. When the operation was finished, the surgeon exited full of joy and enthusiasm.
He called the mother and told her: "Things went very well, unbelievably well!"
Then, the mother related to him the wondrous event that she experienced. The surgeon was stunned. He did his cross and confessed: "Now I understand. During the operation, when I would want some surgeon's tool, I didn't even get to tell the nurse. As soon as I thought that I wanted some tool, I had it in my hands."
