No TEARS FOR TWO YEARS...

No TEARS FOR TWO YEARS...

By Archimandrite Gregory, Abbot of Docheiariou Monastery, translated from Greek by the staffof the Greek Orthodox Brotherhood of St. Poimen.

Helen lived in Karpenisi and had married a very tough and cruel man who would beat her at the slightest provocation that he perceived; his violence (mostly kicks) towards Helen would parallel the neighborhood kids kicking their favorite soccer ball, as hard as possible. Her life was indeed difficult, yet she persevered with her only consolation being her closeness to the Mother of God. Her suffering and her affection for the Holy Mother encouraged and motivated her to serve in the Monastery of Panaghia Prousiotissa (in the island of Karpenisi) during the annual August fast for the Glorious Lady, the Theotokos, taking care of the Church and the other cleaning needs of the monastery.

Helen described to us the following story: During an early pe¬riod of my marriage, I worked for a doctor, cleaning and taking care of his office; the job paid well and the doctor was always prompt in his payments to me; he was, however, a very tough and difficult boss, not unlike my husband. One day, I was pick¬ing up the office garbage-can to throw away its contents in the outside dumpster; suddenly, as I approached the dumpster, I heard a soft cry. I opened the lid and saw a baby covered in blood. “Holy Mother,” I exclaimed, “what am I to do? I cannot possibly take the baby to the doctor as he is the one who has apparently thrown it in the dumpster believing it to be dead; and taking the baby home would infuriate my husband—he would ‘crucify’ me as a Paschal lamb.”

I picked up the infant, kissed it, and, wiping the blood from his little body, 1 wrapped him in my bosom, trying to warm him up; it was a frosty winter day When I arrived home, alone, I said to myself; “God is with me, I will keep him and nothing will happen.” I washed him, wrapped him in an old shirt, crossed him and getting on my knees in front of the icon of the Mother of God, I prayed intensely: “Holy Panaghia Prousiotissa, send your grace upon this child and keep him from crying and revealing his presence.” And the miracle happened. The baby did not cry for two whole years! I kept him in secret and fed him when nobody was around; and, he would sleep under our bed each and every night, always in quiet. When my husband would come home, my anxiety for his discovery would elevate, my heart rate would increase, but the baby remained my own little secret, for well over two years.

As time passed, my little boy started crawling. One afternoon during lunch, the baby made its way to the table and revealed his presence to my husband. Just as my husband saw him, his eyes widened and lit up as those of a lion, and with a stern voice he screamed: “What is that?” I crossed myself and proceeded to reveal my two-year secret. His disposition then changed, as by a miracle, he was moved beyond any of my expectations; he did not only express his full understanding but accepted my little angel boy as if it was his own.

Many years have passed since then, my husband has fallen asleep and this child is now married and works in Karpenisi. And from all of my children, he happens to be the only one that looks after me, during these, my difficult elderly years; my other children have pretty much forgotten their mother...