✠ Support the Mystagogy Resource Center ✠
For more than fifteen years, the Mystagogy Resource Center has provided thousands of free Orthodox Christian articles, translations, lives of saints, theological studies, and spiritual resources for readers throughout the world. Your support helps sustain and expand this one-man ministry and its ongoing work for the Church. Currently we are in hiatus from posting new material. Daily publishing will resume once our fundraising goal of $5,000 has been reached. Thank you for your generous support.
PayPal • Credit Card • Debit Card • Venmo

April 16, 2020

Saint Amphilochios Makris and the Call of the Despairing Widow


By Archimandrite Paul Nikitaras

It is worth adding an event that shows how Elder Amphilochios received mystical calls for the salvation of others that remind us of the great Apostle to the Nations, who heard the voice of a Macedonian call out to him: "Come over to Macedonia and help us" (Acts 16:9).

The ever-memorable Elder, while he was in his cell at his monastery in Patmos, heard a certain woman named Helen calling him from Icarus to hurry over and save her.

Without wasting time, he went down to the port of the island and as if by a miracle he found a ship that was leaving for Icarus.

He therefore arrived by sea at his destination and immediately began to ask around if there was a certain widow named Helen, and was informed that she lost her husband a few days prior.

He quickly asked what street led to the house of the widowed woman.

He didn't ask for his tired body to rest, but hurried without delay, with the voice of Helen still bothering him.

As he was walking, he saw a frantic woman running in despair.

He called out to her by her name and said: "Where are you going Helen? It is for you that I have come!"

The hurting woman approached him, sees the spiritual father, thinks about what she was about to do, and confessed how at that moment she was going to drown herself at sea.

The woman was saved, and the miracle took place, as she herself told me.

From the book Elder Amphilochios Makris of Patmos. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

 

Support the Mystagogy Resource Center

For more than fifteen years, the Mystagogy Resource Center has been a labor of love dedicated to making the riches of the Orthodox Christian tradition freely available to people throughout the world.

Thousands of articles, translations, lives of saints, theological reflections, historical resources, and daily materials have been published across this ministry’s websites, all offered free of charge for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the Orthodox faith.

This is a one-man ministry that requires countless hours of research, translation, writing, editing, and maintenance each day.

If this work has spiritually benefited, educated, encouraged, or inspired you in any way, I humbly ask you to consider supporting this ministry financially.

Generous annual and monthly benefactors make possible the continuation and expansion of this work for the future, for without such support this ministry cannot exist.

Every contribution, whether large or small, truly makes a difference and is deeply appreciated. May God bless you abundantly for your generosity and prayers.

❖ ❖ ❖
PayPal • Credit Card • Debit Card • Venmo
Become a Patron on Patreon