"Elder, people today don't revere the saints like they used to."
"In the olden days those who said they were unbelievers had God within them. I remember, when the Italians were in Konitsa, the forest caught fire, and it was reported that the Italians did it, in order for the residents of Konitsa to put it out and have them arrested.
When the people of Konitsa heard this, they fled and allowed the forest to burn. The Italians found the president, who was an unbeliever, and said to him:
'Where are the people?'
'At their jobs,' he responded.
'And why didn't they go put out the fire?' they asked.
'Ah, in these circumstances,' he said, 'we have Saint Nicholas' (the Metropolis of Konitsa has Saint Nicholas as their patron).
At that moment, while previously there was no cloud in the sky, clouds began to form and it began to pour with rain. When the Italians saw this miracle, they became frightened.
Source: From Γέροντος Παϊσίου Αγιορείτου, Λόγοι ΣΤ΄, Περί Προσευχής, έκδοση Ιερόν Ησυχαστήριον Ευαγγελιστής Ιωάννης ο Θεολόγος", Σουρωτή Θεσσαλονίκης, 2012, σ. 113. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
