[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Fri Nov 9 05:00:14 CST 2007

Scripture Readings and Saints for Fri Nov 9 2007

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1 Thessalonians 5:9-13, 24-28
9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through
our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live
together with Him.
11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you
also are doing.
12 And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you,
and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,
13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at
peace among yourselves.
24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
25 Brethren, pray for us.
26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.
27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy
brethren.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Scripture Reading 1 of 2

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Luke 13:31-35
31 On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and
depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You."
32 And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons
and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be
perfected.'
33 Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following;
for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones
those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children
together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not
willing!
35 See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to
you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed
is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
Scripture Reading 2 of 2

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St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis
Saint Nectarius, the great wonderworker of modern times, was born
Anastasius Kephalas in Selebria, Thrace on October 1, 1846.
Since his family was poor, Anastasius went to Constantinople when he
was fourteen in order to find work. Although he had no money, he asked
the captain of a boat to take him. The captain told him to take a walk
and then come back. Anastasius understood, and sadly walked away.
The captain gave the order to start the engines, but nothing happened.
After several unsuccessful attempts, he looked up into the eyes of
Anastasius who stood on the dock. Taking pity on the boy, the captain
told him to come aboard. Immediately, the engines started and the boat
began to move.
Anastasius found a job with a tobacco merchant in Constantinople, who
did not pay him very much. In his desire to share useful information
with others, Anastasius wrote down short maxims from spiritual books
on the paper bags and packages of the tobacco shop. The customers
would read them out of curiosity, and might perhaps derive some
benefit from them.
The boy went about barefoot and in ragged clothing, but he trusted in
God. Seeing that the merchant received many letters, Anastasius also
wanted to write a letter. To whom could he write? Not to his parents,
because there were no mail deliveries to his village. Not to his
friends, because he had none. Therefore, he decided to write to Christ
to tell Him of his needs.
"My little Christ," he wrote. "I do not have an apron or shoes. You
send them to me. You know how much I love you."
Anastasius sealed the letter and wrote on the outside: "To the Lord
Jesus Christ in Heaven." On his way to mail the letter, he ran into
the man who owned a shop opposite the one in which he worked. The man
asked him where he was going, and Anastasius whispered something in
reply. Seeing the letter in his hands, the man offered to mail it for
him, since he was on his way to the post office.
The merchant put the letter in his pocket and assured Anastasius that
he would mail it with his own letters. The boy returned to the tobacco
shop, filled with happiness. When he took the letter from his pocket
to mail it, the merchant happened to notice the address. Astonished
and curious, the man could not resist opening the letter to read it.
Touched by the boy's simple faith, the merchant placed some money in
an envelope and sent it to him anonymously. Anastasius was filled with
joy, and he gave thanks to God.
A few days later, seeing Anastasius dressed somewhat better than
usual, his employer thought he had stolen money from him and began to
beat him. Anastasius cried out, "I have never stolen anything. My
little Christ sent me the money."
Hearing the commotion, the other merchant came and took the tobacco
seller aside and explained the situation to him.
When he was still a young man, Anastasius made a pilgrimage to the
Holy Land. During the voyage, the ship was in danger of sinking in a
storm. Anastasius looked at the raging sea, and then at the captain.
He went and stood beside the captain and took the helm, praying for
God to save them. Then he took off the cross his grandmother had given
him (containing a piece of the Cross of Christ) and tied it to his
belt. Leaning over the side, he dipped the cross into the water three
times and commanded the sea, "Silence! Be still." At once, the wind
died down and the sea became calm.
Anastasius was saddened, however, because his cross had fallen into
the sea and was lost. As the boat sailed on, sounds of knocking seemed
to come from the hull below the water line. When the ship docked, the
young man got off and started to walk away.
Suddenly, the captain began shouting, "Kephalas, Kephalas, come back
here." The captain had ordered some men into a small boat to examine
the hull in order to discover the source of the knocking, and they
discovered the cross stuck to the hull. Anastasius was elated to
receive his "Treasure," and always wore it from that time forward.
There is a photograph taken many years later, showing the saint in his
monastic skufia. The cross is clearly visible in the photo.
On November 7, 1875, Anastasius received monastic tonsure at the Nea
Moni Monastery on Chios, and the new name Lazarus. Two years later, he
was ordained a deacon. On that occasion, his name was changed to
Nectarius.
Later, when he was a priest, Fr Nectarius left Chios and went to
Egypt. There he was elected Metropolitan of Pentapolis. Some of his
colleagues became jealous of him because of his great virtues, because
of his inspiring sermons, and because of everything else which
distinguished St Nectarius from them.
Other Metropolitans and bishops of the Patriarchate of Alexandria
became filled with malice toward the saint, so they told Patriarch
Sophronius that Nectarius was plotting to become patriarch himself.
They told the patriarch that the Metropolitan of Pentapolis merely
made an outward show of piety in order to win favor with the people.
So the patriarch and his synod removed St Nectarius from his See.
Patriarch Sophronius wrote an ambiguous letter of suspension which
provoked scandal and speculation about the true reasons for the
saint's removal from his position.
St Nectarius was not deposed from his rank, however. He was still
allowed to function as a bishop. If anyone invited him to perform a
wedding or a baptism he could do so, as long as he obtained permission
from the local bishop.
St Nectarius bore his trials with great patience, but those who loved
him began to demand to know why he had been removed. Seeing that this
was causing a disturbance in the Church of Alexandria, he decided to
go to Greece. He arrived in Athens to find that false rumors about him
had already reached that city. His letter of suspension said only that
he had been removed "for reasons known to the Patriarchate," and so
all the slanders about him were believed.
Since the state and ecclesiastical authorities would not give him a
position, the former Metropolitan was left with no means of support,
and no place to live. Every day he went to the Minister of Religion
asking for assistance. They soon tired of him and began to mistreat
him.
One day, as he was leaving the Minister's office, St Nectarius met a
friend whom he had known in Egypt. Surprised to find the beloved
bishop in such a condition, the man spoke to the Minister of Religion
and Education and asked that something be found for him. So, St
Nectarius was appointed to be a humble preacher in the diocese of
Vitineia and Euboea. The saint did not regard this as humiliating for
him, even though a simple monk could have filled that position. He
went to Euboea to preach in the churches, eagerly embracing his
duties.
Yet even here, the rumors of scandal followed him. Sometimes, while he
was preaching, people began to laugh and whisper. Therefore, the
blameless one resigned his position and returned to Athens. By then
some people had begun to realize that the rumors were untrue, because
they saw nothing in his life or conversation to suggest that he was
guilty of anything. With their help and influence, St Nectarius was
appointed Director of the Rizarios Seminary in Athens on March 8,
1894. He was to remain in that position until December of 1908.
The saint celebrated the services in the seminary church, taught the
students, and wrote several edifying and useful books. Since he was a
quiet man, St Nectarius did not care for the noise and bustle of
Athens. He wanted to retire somewhere where he could pray. On the
island of Aegina he found an abandoned monastery dedicated to the Holy
Trinity, which he began to repair with his own hands.
He gathered a community of nuns, appointing the blind nun Xenia as
abbess, while he himself served as Father Confessor. Since he had a
gift for spiritual direction, many people came to Aegina to confess to
him. Eventually, the community grew to thirty nuns. He used to tell
them, "I am building a lighthouse for you, and God shall put a light
in it that will shine forth to the world. Many will see this light and
come to Aegina." They did not understand what he was telling them,
that he himself would be that beacon, and that people would come there
to venerate his holy relics.
On September 20, 1920 the nun Euphemia brought an old man in black
robes, who was obviously in pain, to the Aretaieion Hospital in
Athens. This was a state hospital for the poor. The intern asked the
nun for information about the patient.
"Is he a monk?" he asked.
"No, he is a bishop."
The intern laughed and said, "Stop joking and tell me his name,
Mother, so that I can enter it in the register."
"He is indeed a bishop, my child. He is the Most Reverend Metropolitan
of Pentapolis."
The intern muttered, "For the first time in my life I see a bishop
without a panagia or cross, and more significantly, without money."
Then the nun showed the saint's credentials to the astonished intern
who then admitted him. For two months St Nectarius suffered from a
disease of the bladder. At ten thirty on the evening of November 8,
1920, he surrendered his holy soul to God. He died in peace at the age
of seventy-four.
In the bed next to St Nectarius was a man who was paralyzed. As soon
as the saint had breathed his last, the nurse and the nun who sat with
him began to dress him in clean clothing to prepare him for burial at
Aegina. They removed his sweater and placed it on the paralyzed man's
bed. Immediately, the paralytic got up from his bed, glorifying God.
St Nectarius was buried at the Holy Trinity Monastery on Aegina.
Several years later, his grave was opened to remove his bones (as is
the custom in Greece). His body was found whole and incorrupt, as if
he had been buried that very day.
Word was sent to the Archbishop of Athens, who came to see the relics
for himself. Archbishop Chrysostomos told the nuns to leave them out
in the sun for a few days, then to rebury them so that they would
decay. A month or two after this, they opened the grave again and
found the saint incorrupt. Then the relics were placed in a marble
sarcophagus.
Several years later, the holy relics dissolved, leaving only the
bones. The saint's head was placed in a bishop's mitre, and the top
was opened to allow people to kiss his head.
St Nectarius was glorified by God, since his whole life was a
continuous doxology to the Lord. Both during his life and after his
death, St Nectarius has performed thousands of miracles, especially
for those suffering from cancer. There are more churches dedicated to
St Nectarius than to any other modern Orthodox saint.
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Martyr Onesiphorus of Ephesus
The Holy Martyrs Onesiphorus and Porphyrius of Ephesus suffered during
the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian
(284-305). They beat them and burned them. After this, they tied the
saints to wild horses, which dragged them over the stones, after which
the Martyrs Onesiphorus and Porphyrius died. Believers gathered the
remains of the saints and reverently buried them.
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Martyr Porphyrius of Ephesus
The Holy Martyrs Porphyrius and Onesiphorus of Ephesus suffered during
the persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian
(284-305). They beat them and burned them. After this, they tied the
saints to wild horses, which dragged them over the stones, after which
the Martyrs Onesiphorus and Porphyrius died. Believers gathered the
relics of the saints and reverently buried them.
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Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople
Saint Matrona, Abbess of Constantinople was born in the city of Perge
Pamphylia (Asia Minor) in the fifth century. They gave her in marriage
to a wealthy man named Dometian. When her daughter Theodota was born,
they resettled in Constantinople. The twenty-five-year-old Matrona
loved to walk to the temple of God. She spent entire days there,
ardently praying to the Lord and weeping for her sins.
At the church the saint met two pious Eldresses, Eugenia and Susanna,
who from their youth lived there in asceticism, work and prayer.
Matrona began to imitate the God-pleasing life of an ascetic, humbling
her flesh by abstinence and fasting, for which she had to endure
criticism by her husband.
Her soul yearned for a full renunciation of the world. After long
hesitation, St Matrona decided to leave her family and entreated the
Lord to reveal whether her intent was pleasing to Him. The Lord heard
the prayer of His servant. Once, during a light sleep, she had a dream
that she had fled from her husband, who was in pursuit of her. The
saint concealed herself in a crowd of monks approaching her, and her
husband did not notice her. Matrona accepted this dream as a divine
directive to enter a men's monastery, where her husband would not
think to look for her.
She gave her fifteen-year-old daughter to be raised by the Eldress
Susanna, and having cut her own hair and disguised herself in men's
attire, she went to the monastery of St Bassion (October 10). There
the Nun Matrona passed herself off as the eunuch Babylos and was
accepted as one of the brethren. Apprehensive lest the monks learn
that she was a woman, the saint passed her time in constant quietude
and much work. The brethren marveled at the great virtue of Babylos.
One time the saint was working in the monastery vineyard with the
other monks. The novice monk Barnabas noted that her ear-lobe was
pierced and asked about it. "It is necessary, brother, to till the
soil and not watch other people, which is not proper for a monk,"
answered the saint.
After a certain while it was revealed in a dream to St Bassion, the
igumen of the monastery, that the eunuch Babylos was a woman. It was
also revealed to Acacius, igumen of the nearby Abraham monastery. St
Bassion summoned St Matrona and asked in a threatening voice why she
had entered the monastery, to corrupt the monks, or to shame the
monastery.
With tears the saint told the igumen about all her past life, about
her husband, hostile to her efforts and prayers, and about the vision
directing her to go to the men's monastery. Convinced that her intent
was pure and chaste, St Bassion sent St Matrona to a women's monastery
in the city of Emesa. In this monastery the saint dwelt for many
years, inspiring the sisters by her high monastic achievement. When
the Abbess died, by the unanimous wish of the nuns the Nun Matrona
became head of the convent.
The fame of her virtuous activities, and miraculous gift of healing,
which she acquired from the Lord, spread far beyond the walls of the
monastery. Dometian also heard about the deeds of the nun. When St
Matrona learned that her husband was coming to the monastery and
wanted to see her, she secretly went off to Jerusalem, and then to
Mount Sinai, and from there to Beirut, where she settled in an
abandoned pagan temple. The local inhabitants learned of her
seclusion, and began to come to her. The holy ascetic turned many from
their pagan impiety and converted them to Christ.
Women and girls began to settle by the dwelling of the nun and soon a
new monastery was formed. Having fulfilled the will of God, revealed
to her in a dream, the saint left Beirut and journeyed to
Constantinople where she learned that her husband had died. With the
blessing of her spiritual Father, St Bassion, the ascetic founded a
women's monastery in Constantinople, to which sisters from the Beirut
convent she founded also transferred. The Constantinople monastery of
St Matrona was known for its strict monastic rule and the virtuous
life of its sisters.
In extreme old age St Matrona had a vision of the heavenly Paradise
and the place prepared for her there after 75 years of monastic labor.
At the age of one hundred, St Matrona blessed the sisters,and quietly
fell asleep in the Lord.
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Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves
Saint Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Caves, Near Caves pursued
the ascetic life in the Kiev Caves monastery. He was a presbyter and
had the gift of clairvoyance. He died in the year 1148 and was buried
in the Near Caves beside St Spyridon (October 31). His memory is also
celebrated on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.
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Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica
The Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica was arrested by pagans for
confessing the Christian Faith. Under the emperor Maximian (284-305)he
not only admitted being a Christian, but when told to offer sacrifice
to the gods, he overturned the idolatrous sacrifice in indignation.
The emperor gave orders to behead the saint.
When the execution was done, the emperor and the executioner saw how
an angel came forth bearing the soul of the holy Martyr Alexander up
to the heavens. The emperor permitted Christians to bury the body of
the saint with honor in the city of Thessalonica, which they did with
joy.
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Martyr Anthony of Apamea
The Holy Martyr Anthony, a Syrian, lived during the fifth century and
was a stone-mason. With the blessing of the bishop of the Syrian city
of Apamea, he started to build a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity.
When the pagan townspeople learned of this, they rushed into his house
by night and murdered him with a sword.
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Venerable John the Short, of Egypt
Saint John the Dwarf of Egypt struggled in the Egyptian desert in the
fifth century in the monastery of St Pimen the Great (August 27). From
the name of this monastery, wilderness monasteries began to be called
"sketes," in which monks pursued asceticism in strict solitude and
silence. St John was a gentle, humble and work-loving monk. It was to
this monastery that the young John came with his brother Daniel.
Once, St John told his elder brother that he did not want to be
concerned about clothing and food, and that he wished to live like the
angels in Paradise. Daniel allowed him to go to a deserted place, so
that he would be afflicted. He removed his clothing, John went out
from the cell. It was very cold at night, and after a week John became
hungry.
One night John went back to the monastery and began to knock on the
door of the cell. "Who is it?" Daniel asked.
"It is I, your brother John."
Daniel replied, "John has become an angel, and is no longer among
men."
John continued to knock, but Daniel would not let him in until
morning. Then he said, "You are a man and must work again if you want
to eat." St John wept bitterly, asking for forgiveness.
After being brought to his senses St John went to St Pimen, known for
his firm and steadfast will, and having asked guidance, he promised to
be obedient in all things. Testing the patience of the young monk, St
Pimen gave him an unusual obedience. For three years St John carried
water and poured it on a dry stick, until it became covered with
leaves and bore abundant fruit. His Elder took the fruit to the
brethren saying, "Take and eat the fruit of obedience."
Later, Abba John himself became a guide of many people on the way of
salvation, among whom were St Arsenius the Great (May 8) and St Thais
(May 10).
St John was the author of the Life of St Paisius the Great (June 19).
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St Eustolia of Constantinople
Saint Eustolia, a native of Rome, had come to Constantinople and
entered one of the women's monasteries. The virtuous and strict
monastic life of the saint gained her the love and respect of the
sisters. Not only monastics, but also many laypeople came to her for
advice and consolation.
StEustolia died in the year 610.
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St Sopatra of Constantinople
Saint Sopatra of Constantinople was the daughter of the emperor
Mauricius (582-602). She was inclined towards monasticism, and met St
Eustolia in the church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. After
speaking with the saint, Sopatra finally decided to leave the world
and submit her will to her guide, St Eustolia. She transformed the
palace building, which her father had given her, into a monastery
known for its strict monastic Rule.
St Sopatra died in the year 625.
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Venerable Theoctiste of the Isle of Lesbos
Saint Theoctiste was born in the city of Methymna on the island of
Lesbos. At an early age she was left a complete orphan, and relatives
sent her to a monastery to be raised. The girl was happy to be removed
from the world of sin, and she liked the monastic life, the long
church services, monastic obedience, the strict fasting and unceasing
prayer. She learned much of the singing, prayer and psalmody by heart.
In the year 846 when she was already eighteen years old, she set off
with the blessing of the abbess, on the Feast of the Resurrection of
Christ, to a neighboring village to visit her sister and she remained
there overnight. Arabs invaded the settlement, and they took captive
all the inhabitants, loaded them on a ship, and by morning they were
at sea.
The brigands took the captives to the desolate island of Paros so that
they might examine them in order to assign a value to each when they
were sold at the slave-market. The Lord helped the young maiden to
flee, and the Arabs did not catch her. From that time St Theoctiste
dwelt on the island for 35 years. An old church in the name of the
Most Holy Theotokos served as her dwelling, and her food was sunflower
seeds. All her time was spent in prayer.
Once, a group of hunters landed upon the island. One of them, pursuing
his prey, went far off from the coast into the forest and suddenly he
saw the church. He went into the church so as to offer up a prayer to
the Lord. After the prayer the hunter saw what looked like a human
form in a dim corner, not far from the holy altar table, through thick
cobwebs. He went closer and heard a voice, "Stay there, fellow, and
come no closer to shame me, since I am a naked woman." The hunter gave
the woman his outer clothing and she came out from concealment. He
beheld a grey-haired woman with worn face, calling herself Theoctiste.
With a weak voice she told of her life fully devoted to God.
When she finished her story, the saint asked the hunter, if he
happened to come to this island again, that he should bring her a
particle of the Presanctified Gifts. During all her time of living in
the wilderness she not once was granted to partake of the Holy
Mysteries of Christ.
A year later, the hunter again arrived upon the island and brought a
small vessel with a particle of the Holy Mysteries. St Theoctiste met
the Holy Gifts in the church, fell down to the ground and prayed long
with tears. Standing up, she took the vessel and with reverence and in
the fear of God she received the Body and Blood of Christ.
On the following day the hunter saw the dead body of the nun
Theoctiste in the church. After digging a shallow grave, the hunter
placed the venerable body of the nun in it. As he did so, he
impudently cut off her hand, so as to take with him part of the relics
of the great saint of God. All night the ship sailed upon a
tempestuous sea, and in the morning it found itself at the very place
from which it began. The man then perceived that taking the relic was
not pleasing to God.
He returned to the grave and placed the hand with the body of the
saint. After this the ship sailed off unhindered. On the journey the
hunter told his companions everything that had happened on the island.
Listening to him, they all decided immediately to return to Paros, to
venerate the relics of the great ascetic, but they could not find her
holy body in the grave.
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Venerable Euthymius the Co-Founder of Dochiariou Monastery of
Mt Athos
Saints Euthymius and Neophytus, Founders of the Docheiariou Monastery
on Mt Athos, an uncle and his nephew, belonged to the highest
Byzantine aristocracy. St Euthymius, while still in the world, was the
friend of St Athanasius of Mt. Athos (July 5), and he later became a
novice and disciple of the great ascetic. For his sincere love of the
brethren, gentleness and his particular zeal in the ascetic life, St
Athanasius granted the monk the duty of steward, which St Euthymius
fulfilled as though entrusted to him by God Himself.
St Euthymius settled with several of the monks in the locale of
Daphne, where he founded a monastery dedicated to Saint Nicholas,
which he called Docheiariou in memory of his obedience. Guiding his
own younger brethren, St Euthymius taught the necessity of attention
towards self, to all the stirrings of the soul, explaining that the
struggle of Christians, according to the Apostle Paul, is not "against
flesh and blood, but against principalities, and against powers, and
against the world-rulers of this darkness" (Eph 6:12).
The peaceful ascetic life of the monks was disturbed by the Saracens.
The monk led all the brethren into the forest. Returning, they found
the monastery razed to its very foundations. St Euthymius did not lose
heart, and the monastery was rebuilt. St Neophytus, in the world, was
a companion of the emperor Nicephorus Phocas (963-969). Upon the death
of his parents he came to Mt Athos, where he was tonsured in the
monastery of his uncle St Euthymius. Before his death, St Euthymius
handed over the administration of the monastery to his nephew.
Under the spiritual guidance of St Neophytus, the small monastery grew
into a Lavra. Asking the emperor Nicephorus to become a benefactor of
the monastery, St Neophytus enlarged the monastery to its present
size. St Neophytus was deigned to be chosen "protos" (head of the
governing Council of Elders of the Holy Mountain) and for many years
he labored there. After taking leave of the Council in his declining
years, he returned to the Docheiariou monastery, where peacefully he
fell asleep in the Lord.
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Venerable Neophytus the Co-Founder of the Dochiariou
Monastery of Mt Athos
Saints Neophytus and his uncle Euthymius belonged to the highest
Byzantine aristocracy. St Euthymius was the friend of St Athanasius of
Mt Athos (July 5), and he later became a novice and disciple of the
great ascetic.
St Neophytus, in the world, was a companion of the emperor Nicephorus
Phocas (963-969). Upon the death of his parents he came to Mt Athos,
where he was tonsured in the monastery of his uncle St Euthymius.
Before his death, St Euthymius entrusted his nephew with the
administration of the monastery.
Under the spiritual guidance of St Neophytus, the small monastery grew
into a Lavra. Asking the emperor Nicephorus to become a benefactor of
the monastery, St Neophytus enlarged the monastery to its present
size. St Neophytus was deigned to be chosen "protos" (head of the
governing Council of Elders of the Holy Mountain) and for many years
he labored there. After taking leave of the Council in his declining
years, he returned to the Docheiariou monastery, where peacefully he
fell asleep in the Lord.
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Icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear"
The Icon of the Mother of God, "Quick to Hear" an ancient
wonderworking icon, is located on Holy Mount Athos at the Docheiariou
monastery. The monastery tradition suggests that it was painted in the
tenth century, in the time of the igumen St Neophytus (November 9). In
the year 1664 the cook Nilus, came to the kitchen at night with a
burning torch. He heard a voice from the icon of the Mother of God
which hung over the door, warning him in future not to walk here with
a torch and not to darken the icon with soot. The monk thought that
this was a prank of one of the brethren, so he disregarded the warning
and continued to walk into the kitchen with the sooty torch.
Suddenly he fell blind. With fervent repentance Nilus prayed before
the icon of the Mother of God, begging forgiveness. When the brethren
heard what had happened, they placed a lamp before the icon, and
censed it every night. Again he heard the wondrous voice saying that
he had been forgiven, and that his sight would return. The All-Pure
One commanded him to announce to all the brethren that She was the
protector and guardian of the monastery."Let them and all Orthodox
Christians come to Me in their necessities, and I shall not forsake
them. All their petitions will be granted by My Son, because of My
intercession with Him. My icon shall be called "She who is Quick to
Hear, for I shall speedily fulfill the petitions of those who hasten
to it." The Most Holy Theotokos then fulfilled and continues to
fulfill Her promise of quick help and consolation for all those who
come to Her with faith.
In Russia, copies of the wonderworking Athonite image "She who is
Quick to Hear" were always venerated with great love and fervent
prayer. Many of them were glorified by miracles. In particular, there
were cases of healing from the plague and from demonic possession.
In 1938, the Docheiariou monastery presented a copy of the
wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear" to the Russian
Spiritual Mission at Jerusalem.
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