REPENTANCE

REPENTANCE 

It is difficult to believe in the story that I am about to tell, but I was a witness to it. And what's more, what happened did not seem strange to me. But more about that later. 

It happened three years ago. The grandfather constantly went to our church, his name was Gorokhov Alexei Mikhailovich. His wife, Maria, died 15 years ago, and since then he has lived alone. Lent came nearer, Alexei Mikhailovich was sick and went to the district hospital. Unfortunately, the doctors could not do anything. “Alexei Mikhailovich died,” the doctors told us so and stated the death. 

The deceased was taken to Almetyevsk, to the city morgue. However, several hours later, the pathologist suddenly noticed that the body ... shows signs of life. He urgently sent Alexei Mikhailovich to intensive care - and the next day the grandfather came to his senses. And then he asked to call the priest to confess and take communion.

Already after the sacrament of Confession and the communion of the Holy Mysteries, Alexei Mikhailovich shared with the priest what he saw after his "death." And he saw his wife Maria, who silently looked at him and left. In the next moment, Alexei Mikhailovich saw a lot of people on the edge of a huge burning pit. People fell there by the hundreds. Everywhere there were screams and sufferings. Suddenly two young men in white robes approached and said: “It is too early for you to be here. Go and repent. You have three days, ”and after that Alexei Mikhailovich woke up in the morgue. 

A day after the priest accepted his confession, we were informed that Alexei Mikhailovich had died - and that was already a real death. Three days after his unusual vision.

Later I talked to his daughter, and she told me a story about her father, being very young, working as a cab driver  and transporting prisoners into exile. In one frosty winter, he escorted the elderly repressed nun, who was lightly dressed and froze. Then her father covered her with his sheepskin coat, which saved her life. In gratitude, the nun promised to pray for him. 

The daughter was sure, and I am sure, that it was through her prayers that Alexei Mikhailovich was given these three days. To repent, to take communion, and to enter eternal life as a true Christian. 

The fact that this happened during Lent seems to me symbolic. After all, fasting is a time of prayer, repentance, and good works. And for good deeds, at the command of God, even death retreats in order to give us time to repent.