God's help to crippled people in our time. Testimonies of the miraculous help of the Most Holy Theotokos "Deliverer from troubles

For our readers: the help of the saints of God today, with a detailed description from various sources.

The husband went fishing, the son went to his friends ... I decided to wash my hair and go to church. I think: while my head, I’ll put the potatoes on - they’ll be boiled in time for my departure. I put potatoes on the stove, washed and went to the temple. And only towards the end of the service did I remember about the saucepan on the stove. I ran out to the embankment, began to hail a taxi to quickly get home. Nobody stopped. Then I prayed to St. Nicholas, - and then a GAZelle stopped in front of me. I told the driver about my misfortune, asked him to go faster, asked his name. "Nikolay!" he replied. Well, that means the saint heard me! We rushed home, and then I saw that the potatoes were quietly boiling on the stove, and even in a few hours! - the water in the pan did not decrease at all. This struck me the most.

My husband and I collected mushrooms, but the rain drove us out of the forest. In the car, we found missing documents: rights, technical certificates, which were dropped in the forest. We searched for them for a long time, asked God, but did not find them. A week later, I advised my husband to kneel before the image of St. Nicholas and ask him for help. The husband agreed, only asked: "And after the prayer, what to do, to go to the forest again?" I answered: "As God willing." A minute later they called us and said that they found our documents safe and sound, despite the fact that it had been pouring rain for a week. Returned free of charge.

V. went to work with his comrades. They built summer cottages outside the city. They lived near the construction site in trailers, which were heated in winter with electric heating devices, often home-made. One day, the men left the electric stove on for the night, and washed clothes were hung around it. At night, when everyone was asleep, a fire broke out. The half-asleep workers jumped out of the wagon in horror. V. did not wake up immediately, but when he woke up, it was too late to run away, and there was nowhere to go. He was sitting in the middle of the trailer, and flames raged on all sides. Suddenly, among the fire and smoke, he saw St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The saint called him, and then abruptly pushed him out the window. V. received burns, but survived. The hands were especially affected, but they did not lose their ability to work. Soon V. recovered and changed his profession. Now he is a priest.

For many years I have suffered from insomnia, and in the last two or three years I have only slept with pills. And then I learned that the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. He will also be in Togliatti, where I live. I have been looking forward to this day with impatience and hope. When the image was brought to the temple in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, a procession of the cross took place. There were a lot of people: it seemed that the whole city had gathered. The soul was light and joyful, and the heart harbored hope for healing. And thanks to God's mercy it came. Now I sleep soundly. And every morning I thank our Savior, His Most Pure Mother and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Kaliningrad is a port city. Many people live there, whose destiny is connected with the sea. Therefore, a special craft is visible in the fact that the first city church was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the patron saint of sailors. The church has a side-altar in honor of All the Saints Who Shone forth in the Land of Russia, over the entrance to which from the side of the street hangs an icon of St. Nicholas. Late one evening, several guys were walking past the temple. They decided to remove the image of the saint, which is not very high above the ground. Having done this, one of them gouged out the eyes of the saint on the icon ... A few days later, to Fr. A woman ran to Marian, one of the priests of the temple and began to ask for forgiveness for her son. It turned out that this is the mother of a guy who went blind after the incident. What happened next is unknown.

I have an image of St. Nicholas, simple in execution, but difficult in its blessed power. I cut it out of the calendar, and it seemed to me - Lord, forgive me - not very successful: the face is too dark. But she just looked into the eyes of St. Nikolai Ugodnik felt uneasy: a stern look, looks straight into your soul, and you can't get away from this look. It's like in childhood: you stand in front of your parents and feel that they know about your offense, but they are waiting for you to admit it yourself, and it is impossible to evade in any way. So I hung this paper image in the holy corner. And soon I found out that my mother’s friend had lost her son. Fourth day away from home: left work and did not return. She threw herself into the holy corner. Who should we pray to? How to pray? And suddenly in my head - a completely clear thought: to pray for the prisoner. Usually in difficult times I turn to St. Blessed Xenia, but especially warm prayer was when I prayed to Saint Nicholas. With tears, in simple words, she prayed and asked the ambulance in sorrow to return the prisoner. I did not expect that everything would happen so quickly: after half an hour my mother called and said that our friend had been released. All beaten, he returned home. And then he said that suddenly the robbers stopped demanding money from him and brought him to the house.

It was on the market. A strong wind was blowing, and a 4-meter iron sheet was torn from the roof of one of the pavilions. The sellers, white with horror, watched the iron colossus flying right at me, and I walked and prayed to Nikolai the Ugodnik about something of my own, so carried away by the "conversation" with the saint that I did not immediately realize what was what. And suddenly this huge sheet curls up into a tube, just catching my shoulder, and stands up with a pole, rooted to the spot. The seller Nikolay, who witnessed the miracle (who was born on December 19 and was named strictly according to the calendar!), Quietly congratulated me: “Happy birthday! You almost died, we saw it ... So happy new birthday to you ... ". And it would be ungrateful not to tell about it.

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The Monk Nicholas is a real person of the 3rd century AD. This saint became famous for his dedication to serving the Almighty Lord and sincere kindness to others. For his great activity he was canonized by the church. They knew about the incredible accomplishments of the monk even during his lifetime.

Help of the Monk Nicholas

The modern miracles of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are distinguished by colossal power and are intended to save people in the most difficult or deadly situations. There is a lot of information from laymen and clergymen who saw with their own eyes divine accomplishments on behalf of this great monk.

During the period of the USSR, famous for anti-religious persecution of Christians, people were afraid to share stories about incredible incidents of divine nature. Soviet citizens saw how monasteries were closed and bells removed, and then melted for the needs of the metallurgical industry. The communist authorities banned talking about God and canceled all church holidays.

Currently, the laity have a great opportunity to share with each other the stories of the miraculous deeds of Nicholas the Pleasant (the Wonderworker).

The adoration of the believers to the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

The appearance of the angel of the Lord

This incident happened to one woman in 1991. Walking along the shore of the lake, she started a conversation with an old grandmother. The latter began to confess, saying that her family did not love her at all and wanted her early death. The pious woman presented her with a prayer book, began to talk about God's help and said that salvation must be sought from the Creator or His eternal servants.

Grandma answered this with her story.

A week before this acquaintance, she came to the same place with the intention of committing suicide. The elder saved her from the terrible thing, who pointed out to her grandmother her sins and ordered her to come here in seven days, because here she will learn to ask before the Lord. The elder introduced himself as Nikolai and recalled that suicide brings tremendous suffering to the soul.

Miracles consisted in the fact that the woman gave the old woman a prayer book.

On a note! The monk has many names, because he provides diverse assistance to all people. They called him a miracle worker, so he could resurrect the dead and heal terrible ailments. He is pleasing because he devoted his whole life to asceticism and service to the Heavenly Father.

The monk is rightfully venerated throughout the Christian tradition.

Miracles of Nicholas the saint in the form of a cross

The story took place in 1941. The wife remained in Moscow with the children, and the husband went to the front. It was very hard for mother and family. She sank into despair, seeing the suffering of her offspring, and contemplated suicide. She was not religious, did not know how to read prayers, but an old icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was discovered at home.

The doomed mother began to impulsively reproach the holy image that the Lord was not able to save her family from hunger.

She was about to put the terrible idea of suicide into action, but on the way she stumbled and found two ten-ruble bills folded in the form of a cross. After a while, she realized that the money was handed over to her by the grace of the Almighty.

The incident changed her outlook, she sincerely believed, began to go to churches and thank Nicholas for the wonderful gift.

Miracles by prayer

It is difficult to convince atheistically inclined people of the real efficiency of the holy image.

In our time, there is a large amount of convincing evidence from the lips of people praying for something. Some survived accidents, others regained health after many years of a terrible illness, and still others found their other half and happiness until their very death.

Once, before going to bed, a woman who rarely turns to the icon of the Wonderworker, who remained from her deceased mother, heard the words "My daughter." She did not attach much importance to this "vision", but after three days it all happened again. The woman understood that the Monk Nicholas wanted fellowship. Her mind saw the light, her outlook turned towards religion. The woman began to join the church and ask for protection for her family and all of humanity.
In a wealthy family, a God-fearing housekeeper worked until old age. When the pension law came out, the hostess could not find the necessary documents, which greatly upset the pious grandmother. She offered to humbly pray in front of the image of St. Nicholas the Pleasant. On the same evening, the hostess found a paper package with the documents necessary for retirement.
A young child (2 years old) had severe food poisoning, his temperature rose, and his condition worsened rapidly. The father was shocked to see the open "spring", and the mother passionately read a prayer in front of the shrine of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Upon the arrival of the doctor, the child's condition improved somewhat, and the parents hastened to anoint his forehead and stomach with consecrated oil, which received strength from a fervent request. The boy recovered without even taking the usual medication.

The miracles of Nicholas the Pleasant presented above are only a small part of the multitude of deeds created.

Important! The saint humbly served God and worked for the good of society, his spirit and body are so pure that they continue to provide assistance long after death. Christendom has high hopes for the images of this incredible man.

Watch a video about the miracles of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

The material was prepared by Alexandra Dracheva

AS OFTEN AT THE SMALLEST DIFFICULTIES, WE FALL IN DEPRESSION ... HOWEVER, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO MUCH MUCH DIFFICULT, BUT AT THIS THEY ARE NOT ONLY DON'T CHEER, BUT BECOME AN EXAMPLE OF RESISTANCE, POWER OF MIND AND.

2016 marked the 1000th anniversary of Russian monasticism on Mount Athos. The celebration in Ukraine of the 1000th anniversary of the St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos did not go without the participation of the most vulnerable people of our society - those who have serious illnesses and the first groups of visual impairment or have been disabled since childhood. The Mother of God, through the Orthodox people, extended Her kind hand to these courageous children of Her. Six blind Orthodox Christians from Ukraine, including two from Kharkov, on the eve of the International Day of the Blind, dared to make a pilgrimage trip to Athos.

During their stay on the Holy Mountain, the blind Christians visited the ancient skete of Ksilurgu, where at the beginning of the 11th century Saint Anthony of the Caves received the blessing, following the baptism of Rus, to establish monasticism in our land. “Sent by the Providence of God, he brought the blessing of the Holy Mountain to Russia, laid the foundation for a perfect monastic life here and founded the Holy Pechersk Lavra with miraculous miracles” (Pechersk Paterik, life of St. Anthony of the Caves).

It was a great joy for us to hear that the head of the group of blind pilgrims Vladimir Nikolaevich Tursky brought a copy of the prototype of the Ozeryanskaya Icon of the Mother of God as a gift to this skete, and now, in front of the image of our Slobozhanskaya patroness, five Russian monks on Mount Athos will offer prayers for you and me.

On the day of departure from the Holy Mountain - November 12, 2016 - in the Assumption Monastery, Ukrainian pilgrims received from the abbot an icon of the great martyr and healer Panteleimon, which was given to one of the participants in this amazing journey, the head of the Kharkov Organization of the Blind - Igor Shramko. "Pokrovsky Vestnik" presents for your attention an interview with this wonderful person.

Igor Aleksandrovich Shramko was the first blind graduate of the Kharkov Theological Seminary and received a diploma from the hands of the ever-memorable Vladyka Nikodim (Rusnak). After graduating from a specialized gymnasium for blind children, Igor Shramko received two higher educations - theological and legal. Now he heads the Kharkov public organization of blind lawyers, and also helps people with visual impairments to comprehend the basics of the Orthodox faith. So an album of relief icons was released, the designer of which was a girl in a wheelchair. Igor Aleksandrovich told that the lack of sight does not at all interfere with engaging in social service, participating in divine services and traveling. In the fall of 2016, a pilgrimage trip for the blind from Ukraine to Holy Mount Athos took place, in which two Kharkiv residents also took part. Igor Aleksandrovich shared his impressions of this trip with us.

… I teach classes at a school for the blind in Kharkov (Sumskaya st., 55). Our first work is drawings from the "Law of God" by Seraphim Slobodsky for blind children. Initially, this school was built as a parish school, and inside it was the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, which was the central place of all educational activities (now the assembly hall is located in this room). Here, blind children received the experience of choir singing and regency service.

I was very interested in the history of this school, and I was fortunate enough to communicate with people who received knowledge here even before the revolution. They remembered how the day began with morning prayer, how the Law of God was taught. Evening prayer was also obligatory.

In each church there were special numbered circles, where it was written "for the blind", that is, the content of this educational institution. There was a board of trustees, which included honorary citizens of Kharkov. At one time the chairman of this Council was L. Girshman (1).

Is it possible at the present time to revive the tradition of such mugs?

It is theoretically possible why not. This, first of all, should be the blessing of the ruling bishop. Up to ten people steadily attended the classes in the society of the blind that I taught. I don't know how many people want to join the church culture, but I can say for sure that there is a need for Braille prayer books. This is a question that people ask quite often. Man comes to God in different ways. Today he does not want to understand matters of faith, and tomorrow he cannot live without it.

How did your meeting with God happen? Or have you been a believer since childhood?

I was brought up in such a family. My late grandmother, the kingdom of heaven to her, always went to church, and took me with her. Therefore, I cannot say that there was a turning point of discovery, a personal meeting with God. This has always been inherent in my worldview, understanding and perception. At school, our teachers read the Bible to us. Alla Ivanovna Kiyashko, a believing woman, at our request, always went with us to the Useknovenskaya church - it was closest to the school.

What period are we talking about?

Mid nineties. First, they read the children's Bible, then - the usual text, not adapted, and went to church. Easter cakes have always been consecrated and, probably, somewhere since 1990, Father Mikhail (Skorik) always comes to our Epiphany with a choir and blesses the water. We can say that he is the spiritual mentor of our educational institution. This is already an unshakable tradition, which is more than two decades old.

How did you return to this school as a teacher?

I'm not in formal status. This is a voluntary circle, and, in fact, I did not leave it, because when I entered the seminary, I continued to communicate with my teachers, who are still there.

work with children. So, little by little, one thing grew into another.

Have you been involved in a public organization of blind lawyers for a long time?

It has existed since 1998, that is, for 18 years. I joined her a little later, when I entered the Law Academy.

Social activity is, by and large, my job. I am directly involved in civil affairs. We work mainly with vulnerable groups of the population - pensioners, disabled people - and recently we have worked a lot on internally displaced persons.

You work with such segments of the population who cannot always pay for such services. That is, your organization is not profitable?

Yes, our organization is not profitable, and therefore it exists largely due to grants. You understand: to get some kind of support, you need to try very hard. Partially since 2001, the city finances us through a system of social projects at the expense of the city budget. But these are very insignificant amounts.

The Ozeryanskaya icon of the Mother of God in Braille format has recently appeared in our monastery. Today it is the only one in Kharkov. How popular are such icons?

There should be such icons in the temple. They will remind you that there are people with vision problems. This is on the one hand, but on the other, the icon should serve as a prototype of the one to whom we pray and worship. Of course, it is good if there is an opportunity to have such embossed icons at home so that a person in a calm atmosphere can understand, study and imagine what is depicted on it. For example, while compiling an album of relief icons, we consulted both with specialists in iconography and with typhlopedagogues (teachers who work with the blind). There are saints here, and St. George the Victorious, who slays the serpent, and Matrona of Moscow, and Seraphim of Sarov, and St. Nicholas.

Thus, the main iconographic types are presented. These icons should be in the church, and, if possible, at home, and in various societies, specialized libraries ... By the way, we sent these collections of icons to all specialized schools in Ukraine (at the moment we have seven schools), to the libraries of the society blind (in regional centers), so whoever wants - will look and find.

You were the first blind person who graduated from the Kharkov seminary. After you, were there any other cases like this?

At the moment, I know at least five people with vision problems who have received a spiritual education. One person studied at the Pochaev Seminary, although he was originally from Odessa, but then he followed a slightly different path - he began to seriously engage in powerlifting, and, by the way, achieved very high results. There are two more guys: one graduated first from the Volyn Seminary, then from the Uzhgorod Academy; the second graduated from a seminary and an academy in Kiev ... We have the only one in Ukraine, for sure, a blind hieromonk, Father Pimen Matsolo. This is a man who was ordained when he was already blind. That is, we have blind priests who, for various reasons, lost their sight while in the rank of dignity. And father Pimen is quite young, he is 27, he is a hieromonk, and moreover, he is the head of the pilgrimage department of the Transcarpathian Diocese.

You are communcating?

Of course we communicate! Of the people I named, three people with a spiritual education went to the Holy Mountain: me, Bogdan Semey from Kiev and a guy from the Volyn region, who graduated from the Lutsk seminary and the Uzhgorod academy. Five absolutely blind people went to Athos, although there were three accompanying people. By the way, one of them has a very serious hand injury.

Have you traveled to holy places before?

Even with school, we went to the Svyatogorsk Lavra, before graduation we were taken to our shrines. As part of these social projects with a group of blind people, in 2011 we traveled to the holy places of Crimea, and in 2014 - to the shrines of Transcarpathia. Father Pimen Matsolo met us, he organized everything.

It was a very rewarding trip. We visited many monasteries, as well as the monastery of Father Pimen himself in the village of Grushevo, Tyachiv region, near Romania.

Can you tell us more about your trip to Athos? When did it take place, what were the goals?

There is such a person in Ukraine, Vladimir Nikolaevich Tursky. He is an honored lawyer of Ukraine, a lawyer, the blind, and he is a very active representative of public organizations. He constantly implements some projects, some ideas. And last year he came to us in Kharkov, brought an exhibition of relief icons. In the Intercession Monastery, it was exhibited for the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin. We were familiar with him before, and after that we began to communicate more closely and work in the field of spiritual education and enlightenment of the blind. In December last year, he went to Athos on his own, with a cane. And the idea arose to organize a pilgrimage trip specifically for the blind to Agios Oros, to the Holy Mountain. The Lord directed that this trip took place (from November 7 to 13 we were in Greece, and on the Holy Mountain itself we were from November 7 to 10 - 4 days, from Monday to Friday).

Everything was organized at the highest level, that is, they were already waiting for us everywhere and very well received. We flew from Kiev to Thessaloniki on Sunday. We immediately went to the Assumption Convent. The sisters of the monastery put us in a separate room - they have an apartment that belongs to the monastery. Since the monastery is for women, men are not left on the territory. And in the morning, one might even say, almost at night, at 4 o'clock we left Thessaloniki to Ouranoupoli. They got a visa to Mount Athos. To get there, you need a separate permit - diamonithirion. This is a standard four-day visa, it gives the right to stay in any of the twenty monasteries of Mount Athos. We took the Axion Astin (Worthy to Eat) ferry to the very last pier - Daphne, and from there we took a bus to Kareia, the capital of Holy Mountain. Then we got on another bus and drove to the Great Lavra of St. Athanasius - the most important monastery, which is the first on the list. We spent the night, Liturgy in the morning, after that we rented a minibus, and our group visited three monasteries the next day. First they visited Karakal, there they bowed to the icons, from there we went to the monastery, where the miraculous Tver Icon of the Mother of God is located, and arrived in Vatopedi. After that we drove to the Russian Panteleimon Monastery, and on the way stopped at Ksilurga. This is a skete from the Panteleimon monastery, with which, according to legend, the Kiev-Pechersk monasticism has a connection.

We had already stayed at the Panteleimon Monastery for two nights. There were services from half past one in the morning until six in the morning. Then a short rest before meals, about 10 hours - a meal. Moreover, meals on Athos twice a day, and not three, as we are used to.

And one more interesting point: Athos lives according to Byzantine time. European time there coincides with ours, because Athens and Kiev are in the same time zone. And on Mount Athos, the day begins with sunset: from here originated the tradition of the Church that Vespers is served on the next holiday. They have both Byzantine and European times, so you had to carefully look at the clock.

After the service we boarded the Axion Astin ferry and set off for Dohiar. There we managed to meet with Geronda Gregory, the abbot of this monastery, to communicate with him, to receive a blessing, to sing an akathist to the miraculous icon "Quick to Hearken" located there. We had to make it back to the Panteleimon monastery, but we had to go on foot, and on the way we really wanted to go to Xenophon, which is located between Dokhiar and the Panteleimon monastery. But we understood that we would not make it before dark. Then Geronda Gregory blessed us with a truck. We climbed into his back together and part of the way - until the road ended - they drove us. The Lord ruled that we made it to Xenophon just at the moment when we brought out the relics for worship. This is the right hand of St. George the Victorious, and the head of the First Martyr Archdeacon Stephen, and the right hand of the Monk Marina of Antioch, and many other holy relics to which we were able to venerate.

And again, the brethren, wishing to help us, said that they did not have a bus, but they did have a truck: they say, if you want, we can give it to you, he will take you to Saint Panteleimon. We replied that it was not for us again, we came to you in the back of a truck, and gratefully took advantage of the kindness of the brothers. Already in the dark we were taken to St. Panteleimon.

There we rested a bit and went to the night service, which starts at half past one in the morning.

On the last day of our stay on Athos, we met with one of the spirit-bearing elders of the Panteleimon Monastery, Father Macarius. We confessed with him, received communion ... We were presented with an icon of the healer Panteleimon at the Kharkov Organization of the Blind, and we took a short tour of the monastery, told about the main moments of its history. We also ended up in the ossuary.

There is a tradition on Athos: when a monk dies, he is first buried in the ground, and after three years the remains are found. All the main bones are put in a special ossuary, and the bones of the entire fraternity are mixed. And the chapters, the skulls, are put on the shelf and signed - when the person died, what was his name and what kind of obedience he had: for example, a monk, a clerk of the Grand Chancellery, a hieromonk. This, of course, makes a very strong impression - the sight of the remains, the chapters - and makes a lot of things to rethink.

Although we had planned to stay for one more day, there was a storm warning, and there was a high probability that the ferries would no longer operate the next day. Actually, this is how it happened. The ferry from Ouranoupoli left, reached the extreme point, to the port of Daphne, and did not take people back, because there was a very strong excitement.

If we had not left that day, I don’t know how we would have got to Thessaloniki and on the plane. He who has ears to hear - let him hear. That is, we were warned, we heard. In Thessaloniki, we spent the night, and the next day we went to the temple of Demetrius of Thessaloniki, where the shrine with his relics is located. Myrrh constantly flows from this ark - a very fragrant liquid, surprisingly fragrant. The ark itself is under a plexiglass cube, and even through this cube, a fragrance is felt. We hit the moment when the brethren removed this cube, moved the ark on the table and began to collect myrrh. And we had the opportunity to venerate the ark itself, which stood next to us on the table, to feel that it is all in this fragrant world, what a great grace it is. The Lord, by His grace, allowed us to such a miracle.

In the evening we had a meeting with the chairman of the Union of the Blind in Northern Greece, Dimitrios (unfortunately, I don’t remember his last name). We noticed that there are problems with parking in Greece. That is, vehicles can be parked as they want, even on sidewalks. And when the sidewalk is blocked by a car, then for a blind person this is a very serious problem - in this regard, the situation in our country is better. During the time that we were there, in Thessaloniki, we did not meet a single sounded traffic light, but the entire center is lined with special tactile relief tiles that help the blind to orientate. We do not have this, but there is actually the entire center laid out. Dimitrios said that this was done not so long ago at the request of the European Union in accordance with accessibility standards.

It turns out that in Ukraine the situation with the adaptation of the blind is somewhat better?

When they ask a question related to infrastructural, architectural, information accessibility, I always say: the most important thing that we have is our people, who can always help, suggest. Of course, we still have something to work on, but nevertheless, sounded traffic lights are being installed, in some places the already mentioned relief contrasting tiles begin to appear (in particular, at new metro stations). Why is it so important? Because this is security. When embossed tiles are laid along the edge of the platform, there is less chance of a blind person falling down. The same is true before and after the steps. Therefore, our situation is not very bad. There is, of course, something to strive for and develop.

Is there any merit of public organizations that the system of adaptation of the blind is developing?

In many ways, yes. There was a very large campaign to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In 2009, Ukraine ratified both the convention and the protocol, and undertook certain obligations to create conditions for people with disabilities. Public organizations inform the authorities that there are certain problems. As they say, do not do it for us without us - you need to consult with representatives of the target audience. On the other hand, of course, if we do not declare this, then no one will do anything.

Athos has a rather harsh climate - it is very difficult for an ordinary person there. Was it hard for you to move around?

It's not hard at all. You know, if you ask a person to describe paradise, it will be Athos. Now there is a season for collecting olives, trees and roses are still blooming there, persimmons, oranges, tangerines ripen in the gardens of Ksilurgu. They grow like our apples. We flew in from our latitudes, and immediately felt the difference in temperatures - there was plus 18. And moving is not difficult, because we understood where we were going, why we were going, and since this is the lot of the Mother of God, she did not leave us with her mercy , with your attention. And the truck appeared when it was necessary, and walked a little bit. We had escorts, and we ourselves were rehabilitated enough to get around. When the need arose, one of the pilgrims or of the brethren helped either to approach the icon, or to walk through the temple, to venerate. In this regard, there were no problems at all. On November 13, we flew to Kiev, and - nothing happens by accident - on this day, the International Day of the Blind is celebrated. And on this day our trip ended. We arrived at the temple of Adrian and Natalia in Kiev, served a thanksgiving service there, and departed to our homes.

November 12 - Day of Remembrance of the Ozeryanskaya Icon of the Mother of God. Have you ever celebrated this holiday?

They remembered, prayed and turned to her. A copy of the prototype of the Ozeryanskaya Icon of the Mother of God was donated to the skete "Ksilurgu", and on the very day - November 12 - we were in the Assumption Monastery on the Holy Mountain, and on that day the Great Martyr Icon was presented to us. Panteleimon. This is very significant, because at one time in the Transfiguration Church of the Kuryazhsky Monastery, these two icons - Ozeryanskaya and vmch. Panteleimon - stayed in the right and left boundaries of the temple of this ancient monastery. The Ozeryan icon is especially revered by Vladimir Nikolaevich Tursky, and it was he who once brought it to Athos.

What were your goals, or was it a typical trip?

Igor Shramko was interviewed by a senior lecturer of the Department of Journalism of V.N.Karaz Kharkiv National Universityina Alexandra Dracheva

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Leonard Leopoldovich Girshman (1839 - 1921) an outstanding ophthalmologist, founder of the eye clinic of Kharkov University, where he successfully treated complex eye diseases, often absolutely free of charge.

Ozeryanskaya icon of the Mother of God is the main shrine and patroness of the city of Kharkov and Slobozhanshchina. It was from this icon that the writer G. Kvitka Osnovyanenko (1778 - 1843) received healing from blindness in childhood. The icon in Braille format was presented to the Kharkiv Holy Protection Monastery by the head of the All-Ukrainian Benevolent Organization of the Invalids and Pensioners "To the Face of the Truth" VN Tursky.

On Saturday, the fifth week of Great Lent, the Holy Church celebrates. Otherwise, this holiday is called the Sabbath of the Akathist, compiled in gratitude for the miraculous deliverance from troubles through the intercession of the Mother of God. About a small fraction of the modern miracles of the Mother of God - these stories.

In 2016, after retiring from service, I took a ticket to a sanatorium in Sochi. I went out, I remember, on the coast. It was a clear, sunny day. The sea is calm: not a single wave. Exactly at noon I saw a flock of dolphins swimming to the shore, began to count: 12. I sat in a deck chair and watched them. When I suddenly realized that they were pushing some object to the coastal edge of the water ... When the dolphins disappeared, suddenly a single wave, which I noticed that day, rolled over and threw this bundle onto the sand. I drew attention to him, but soon I was distracted by business and I left the beach for a while. I return, and this sea offering still lies in the same place ... I took out an e-book and tried to go into reading, and an inner voice repeats:

Open the bag. Open the bag.

I obeyed. Came up. The sack was covered in mud. I took off these algae. He began to untie the string. The contents turned out to be tied with a man's sweater, fastened with clerical needles with plastic tips. I unfold my sweater, and there is an icon! Mother of God.

I called my mother, sent home a picture of the find via whatsapp.

Mom said:

It was sent to you - take it away.

Although immediately someone came up and offered to take the shrine to the temple. But I still obeyed my mother. Then Schema-Archimandrite Eli (Nozdrin) confirmed this decision to me when I brought him the icon to Peredelkino. At that time, Archpriest Valerian Krechetov was still with him. I wanted to give the icon to them, but Father Eli said:

Let her stay with you.

This icon is miraculous. How many times has it already happened that colleagues who had some serious problems in their lives came to my house, and I told them:

Believe, pray! Just ask the Mother of God in your own words!

And each time, in a completely miraculous way, everything in the lives of these people was resolved.

My life has completely changed. Somehow everything began to take shape correctly. On the Internet, someone wrote something about this case, but there is a lot of lies. For some reason they wrote that I was there with my wife, and I just got married a year ago! I feel the help and patronage of the Most Holy Theotokos.

How the Mother of God stood up when the doctors refused

, inhabitant of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra:

I remember how in the 1970s the monks of the Lavra were prevented from holding separate unction. Like, enough for believers and one general unction on Great Wednesday. And soon one very young girl who lived next door to Lavra fell ill. She worked as an accountant in a children's dispensary. They built something in the courtyard of the institution, dug holes, she accidentally fell and hurt herself. She had some kind of solid bump, I thought it would pass, but as it seemed to the doctors, they diagnosed cancer, and already with metastases ... She lay alone in the ward of the Botkin Hospital, and burst into tears:

Why, Lord? ..

The Mother of God said: “Lydia, why are you murmuring? Nobody left you "

And she saw the Most Holy Theotokos right in the ward:

Lydia, why are you murmuring? Nobody left you.

The doctors abandoned her, sent her home as hopeless. Her mother was a believer, and she immediately asked the Lavra monks to help and commune.

The girl was brought to the Lavra, and we, having closed in the Mikheevsky church, without turning on the light, by candlelight, aided her. Then she received the Holy Communion three times and returned to work healthy.

How are you healed? - ask her colleagues.

The Lord healed, Communion, she answered.

You just have to believe, pray, the Mother of God will hear, the Lord will not leave.

The Lord never leaves us, we ourselves move away from Him. An unspiritual person deprives himself of the right to help from above. Divine mercy can only be enjoyed by those who lead a spiritual life and thus draw close to God. Such a person does not remain the loser in either this or any other life. Even if he dies suddenly, he is ready for eternity.

The help of God cannot be hindered by either man or the devil. Nothing is difficult for God or for the saints. Only our lack of faith can become an obstacle. Lack of faith in us prevents the great power of God from approaching us. Our earthly, human principle does not allow us to cognize the Divine principle, which is immeasurably greater than the human forces of the whole world, for Divine power is infinite.

God gives his help where it is needed due to the fact that nothing can be done by human forces. But He will not help our folly. If a person had a desire to do what was in his power, but something prevented him, then the Lord will not leave him. If he had the opportunity, but did not have the desire, God will not help him. We must do what is within our control and entrust to God that which cannot be done by human strength. And if you do a little more than you can, but not out of pride, but out of spiritual jealousy, because you think that you have not made enough efforts, then the Lord will notice that too. Such zeal will please Him, and He will give you a helping hand. The Lord wants us to work hard to earn His grace. Therefore, we must do what is possible for God to do the impossible.

You don't have to ask God for something that can be done by people. You need to humble yourself in front of others and turn to them for help. However, it is possible to act humanly only up to a certain point, and then to impose everything on God. We try to succeed in what cannot be done by our strength, out of self-love. I often see that such unreasonable stubbornness is suggested by the devil in order to unsettle a person. I have a little understanding of up to what moment one can make one's own efforts, and when one needs to put trust in God, therefore, when I understand that human strength is not enough, I light a candle, raise my hands to heaven and leave all the mercies of God. And a difficult matter is immediately arranged, because the Lord knows that I am shifting everything onto Him not because I myself am too lazy to help. So, when our help is needed, we must be prudent and act within our capabilities. And where we are powerless, we will help at least only by prayer, or we will lay everything on God, which is also a kind of mysterious prayer.

The Lord is mercy and love, and He takes care of all our needs.

If we ask for something in prayer, He gives it to us if it benefits us. God abundantly sends us everything we need for our physical existence and for the salvation of our soul. And if we do not receive what we ask for, then it happens either for our test, or in order to protect us, therefore we must perceive it without the slightest displeasure. The Lord knows how and when to come to the aid of His creation, and does it in the best way at the most appropriate time. However, His faint-hearted children often lack patience, and they insistently want to get what they want immediately, like a small child who begs for a pie from his mother, although he is not yet ready, and does not want to wait a little while it is baked. We must pray and endure, and our caring Mother, the Most Holy Theotokos, will give us what we ask for when the time comes.

- Geronda, why should we ask God for help, if He knows what we need?

We have free will. And besides, we please the Lord when we sympathize with our neighbor and pray to help him, because then He acts without violating anyone's free will. God is always ready to come to the aid of His children, who have suffered grief, but in order for Him to do this, someone must ask Him about it, otherwise Satan can claim his rights and say: “By helping him, you are violating the freedom of human will. He is a sinner, therefore he belongs to me. " You see how infinite God's generosity is, He even gives the devil the opportunity to express disagreement. Therefore, if we are waiting for Divine intervention, then we must pray for it. And the Lord will already give everyone what he needs and will benefit.

“Ask and it will be given,” says the Gospel. If we do not pray to the Lord for help, we do not achieve success, but if we resort to His mercy, then Christ unites us with His grace with strong bonds and thus protects us from danger. The whirlwind flies from there, then from here, but we are not afraid of it. However, if a person does not realize who is protecting him, then he breaks these bonds and moves away from Christ. Then everyday storms fall on him from everywhere, and his life turns into torment.

To receive help from God, we must cooperate with our humility. If we say: “Lord, I am a worthless person, I pray You, have mercy on me and help me,” then God fulfills our request, because he who, with full confidence, humbly surrendered himself into His hands, receives the right to His help.

Most of today's people are in a terrible state and do whatever they please. Some use drugs, others live on drugs; periodically, several madmen who fell into delusion create a new sect; someone, tired of the meaninglessness of their existence, is trying to either commit suicide, or do more ugliness, turn everything around upside down. And although we through our own fault have reached such a terrible state, the Lord does not turn away from us, on the contrary, He tirelessly protects the modern world. Humanity lives now as on a powder keg, and God in every possible way protects him from evil, like the mother of her baby. But we do not understand that in our era the Lord, His Most Pure Mother and saints come to the aid of people much more often than in old times. What would be with us now without help from above is scary to think, because people are in a state of semi-insane. Someone is drunk, someone is burdened by his life, one is exhausted by insomnia, the other is drugged. And while they all get behind the wheel of a car, ride motorcycles, work on machines, etc. How can you do all this in such a state? How many people could have been crippled or killed already! How the Lord protects us, and we do not even understand this.

Very many people now do not understand how many dangers God is delivering us, do not even think about it, and do not praise Him. Therefore, let us pray that the help of Christ, the Most Pure Theotokos and the saints will be tangible, so that understanding this will benefit people. Many get rid of inevitable death, but not all of them understand and correct their lives.

Christ from heaven sees the actions of each of the people and knows when and how He intervenes in our destiny for our good. He alone knows where and how to direct us, we just need to ask Him for help, trust Him with our aspirations and let Him arrange everything according to His will.

If our prayer for the needs of the world with pain and compassion is spewed out from the depths of our hearts, then those who ask for God's help at this time will immediately receive it.

The Most Holy Theotokos helps not only semi-legendary people from ancient legends, but also you and me - you just need to ask. The stories of helping the Mother of God in different life situations are shared by the priests of our diocese.

A Lesson in Moderation in Prayer

Archpriest Leonid Dotsenko, Dean of the Dobropol District:

The Mother of God helps, only sometimes it turns out that we are not ready to accept Her help. We ask: "Mother of God, give that, another, third, tenth!" She gives, and when we receive, we understand that we do not need it at all.

Let me tell you about a lesson recently received from the Most Holy Theotokos. The priests of our deanery and I asked for one important matter. The Mother of God heard us, we received help, but continued to ask further: after all, the more, the better. As a result, we were given more, but it became clear: it would be better if we stopped on time.

We need to ask that it not be the way we want, but the way the Lord and the Mother of God want. They know better than help us. It's also important not to overdo it. You see, what has come true - that's it, you have to stop, otherwise it will be too much. Remember the cartoon "Golden Antelope"? The magic antelope asked the king: "Are you sure that you need a lot of gold and you will never say 'enough'?" You need to be able to tell yourself "enough" in time. Have asked for a little - stop. Failed - wait. Sometimes it turns out that we do not need what we are asking for. The desired can be fulfilled in such a way that the person will not be happy.

Veil during the war

Archpriest Nikolai Markovsky, rector of the Intercession Church in the village. Zaitsevo:

For us, residents of the village of Zaitsevo, parishioners of the Intercession Church, the most important miracle is that today our temple is intact. Regular services are held there, there is a Sunday school, and the parish lives a full-fledged Christian life. Seeing literally a few meters from our church houses that were burned down by shells, I understand that this is a real miracle and a sign of the patronage of the Mother of God.

Mariyka who could not have been born

Archpriest Anatoly Kostenko, rector of the Assumption Church in the village. Svyatogorovka:

Recently people from Kurakhovo came to us. A woman comes up to me and asks: "Father, do you remember us?" - "Well, someone who, but I remember you!" - I answer. Six years ago, this woman came to our church - she came with her husband to the springs. The fact is that in our village there are two sources: one is consecrated in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Source", the second - the healer Panteleimon. These people did not have children because the wife had a cyst. I said: “Pray to the Mother of God, to the healer Panteleimon, to Nicholas the Pleasant, take communion, conciliate. You have to work hard, not just ask. "

Time passes, they were not visible for a long time. Somehow during the service I see: she comes in and holds the child in her hands raised high - she shows me. The service goes on, and she says: "Father, here is your Mariyka!" And then the choir will burst out! .. I laughed and said: "The whole church prayed for you, so don't turn on me!"

Then this woman told how it was. They did everything as required. After a while she came to the doctor, and he said: “There is no cyst, you don’t need anything, no operations. How were you treated? " She replies: "I swam." The doctor says: “We all bathe! Come on, tell me more specifically! " “I swam in the spring,” he says. Her cyst has passed, she gave birth without any operations. This is a great blessing of the Mother of God. Recently this woman came to us and said that her daughter is already going to school this year.

The second miracle is associated with the construction of the temple. We began to build a church in honor of the Three-Ruched Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Verovka, five kilometers from our village. Found ten people who will stir other people. Of course, they began to pray to the Most Holy Theotokos. As a result, we did so much in a month and a half that it's hard to believe. It can only be called a miracle. There was no money at all. We laid the foundation ourselves in three subbotniks, it was cheap. The forest was promised - 30 cubic meters. We thought we would have to wait a long time. They call: we will bring it in a week, wait. Let's run, look for money. There were people, money was found. Two people arrived from Transcarpathia. The timber was unloaded on August 13, and we put them on the return train on the 25th. During this time, they built the walls, the altar and covered the roof. In fact, in ten days a log temple was built. I asked: "Lads, do you need help?" - "The Mother of God will help!" - answered. We worked from morning to evening, and the temple was raised. Of course, the dome still needs to be done, there is a lot of work, but the help of the Mother of God is simply the greatest. It is simply impossible to do so much from scratch in a month and a half.

The third story is about our parishioner. We have a pensioner. Once I came and donated five thousand hryvnias for the church, then the same amount. For an ordinary person, this is a large amount. After a while he comes up to me and says: "Father, they'll probably kick me out of work!" They started personnel changes there, he is a pensioner, it turned out that he would be fired. I say: “Here is the Mother of God, here is Nikolai the Pleasant. Go and pray! " He prayed. Time passes, and what happened? He was not fired, but transferred to another position: he became a deputy director, he works, and it has also become more convenient to get there. After that, he bought a large candlestick and brought it to the church, as a gift to the Mother of God and Nicholas the Pleasant.

We have a lot of such cases, we don't even write them down. Our sources are visited by those who have no children, whose children stutter. Healings have happened more than once. The Mother of God takes pity on us, sinners and unsettled people. She cries and asks for us before the Lord. Let's pray to Her and thank her for her help!

The story of a temple and two icons

An old building handed over to the community

Archpriest Georgy Klapchuk, rector of the Makariyevsky church in Toretsk:

My priestly ministry is closely connected with the Mother of God, because the first church in which I served was consecrated in honor of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. It is located in the village of Druzhba, not far from Toretsk. The temple is atypical - an adapted building of the former canteen of the state farm. Surprisingly, it was built in a cruciform manner, moreover: when the building was adapted for a temple, the altar was in the right place, on the east side. We could not find any information about why this happened. I believe that this is the providence of the Mother of God.

There was nothing in this building, it was dilapidated, part of the roof was leaking. We covered it with slate and equipped it. For many years I had a dream: to have a dome in the temple, which takes a person's gaze upward, so that there are windows in it - I saw this in the Nicholas Church of the Svyatogorsk Lavra. I dreamed of dreaming, but I realized that in reality it was impossible: the village was small at all, there were few people, there were no teachers.

Ten years passed, and finally a person appeared who agreed to help us rebuild the temple. It was Nikolai Ivanovich Ryzhkov, who at one time was the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, and at that time - the chairman of the Federation Council. He was a native of the village, we turned to him for help, and he did not refuse.

As a result, we drilled a good well, a spring consecrated in honor of the Mother of God appeared on the territory of the temple, wonderful bells were purchased, a wooden bell tower was built, which Nikolai Ivanovich himself designed. And the temple is crowned with a dome - such as I dreamed of. I believe that it was the Mother of God who showed Her mercy and performed such a miracle: a beautiful church now stands in the village.

The amazing help of the Mother of God to our church did not end there. One parishioner had a son who worked in the Theotokos-Rozhdestvensky stauropegic convent in Moscow. He asked Abbess Victorina (Perminova) to paint the Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God for our church there, and she gave her blessing for that. The icon appeared even before the reconstruction of the temple - it is large and very beautiful. I still have a certificate stating that the monastery is donating this image to our church.

I cannot but recall another curious incident. My wife's father was also a priest. He gave her an old icon of the Mother of God. It depicts the apparition of the Mother of God and St. Nicholas to George Ponomar.

The "Besednaya" icon of the Most Holy Theotokos got its name because it depicts the Most Pure Mother and St. Nicholas of Myra, who are talking with Sexton George. This event took place shortly after the appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God - in 1383, when the Most Holy Theotokos commanded Sexton George to say that over the temple in Her honor, consecrated in Tikhvin, not an iron, but a wooden cross should be erected. - Approx. ed.

This icon is still kept in our family. Father Valery gave it to my wife even before we met her. It is providential that I am George, and they ordained me to the church in honor of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. This is a miracle for our family.