As I spoke English with the Greek Elder

As I spoke English with the Greek Elder

I have long-standing health problems: I have been friends with a diagnosis of hypoglycemia since 2008. This disease is characterized by the fact that the blood glucose level drops dramatically, and then, during a low sugar index, I lose consciousness, forget where I am, and trembling begins.

In December last year, we held a presentation of a book about Father Gabriel and a film in Moscow. After the evening, nun Seraphima (Chitanava) presented me with a photograph of the elder Ephraim of Arizona and said that he is a shrewd old man, through his prayers people are strengthened in faith. Then I did not react to the gift with due attention: “Many years to him,” I said, and put the photo on the window sill next to the icon of St.Gabriel.

A few days have passed. On the way, my blood glucose level plummeted and I lost consciousness. With God's help, my friends brought me round. After the attack, it was hard for me to move, I could not speak well, often stuttered. The doctor sternly warned me that I needed to closely monitor my health.

Already at home, I noticed that the photograph of Elder  Ephraim was bent, because it was thin and stood on the windowsill. I took the photo to frame it, and remembered the words of Mother Seraphima: “He is a shrewd old man who strengthens people in faith ...” I thought that Father Ephraim probably feels when someone appeals to him for help in prayer, and started talking to him. I spoke English. Why in English? Not knowing his Greek origin, but hearing that he was in Arizona, I thought that the old man was an American, and so I spoke with him in English for 40 minutes.

After a while, I had a dream that I was in the courtyard of Samtavro monastery, around people to whom St.  Gabriel says something. Then the father came up to me and asked:

- Are you a philologist, Konstantin?

I happily answered:

- Yes, I am a philologist by profession.

The old man turned, looked at the people and artistically said:

- What are you, philologists, strange! What are you weird ... With Greek you only need to speak English? And mostly in American English, because they don’t understand British English!

The elder repeated it and smiled, people smiled, and only I stood with a pensive face and thought what these words could mean ...

Soon I woke up and could not find an explanation why the father said such words to me in a dream. In the evening I turned on the computer and accidentally stumbled upon a series about the elders, in one of the series of which it was told about the ascetic life of Elder Ephraim of Arizona. I turned on the video and, hearing in the middle of the film that the elder Ephraim does not know English (only a few words in English), I suddenly realized that it was Father Ephraim who spoke in English. I also recalled the words of the elder Gabriel: “You only need to speak English to the English ?! You are strange people, philologists ... ”

And then I began to laugh out loud. I ran up to the photo of Elder Ephraim, next to which stood the icon of St. Gabriel, and kissed both images ...

Soon, I measured blood glucose levels. Everything was normal. Some time passed, and I again repeated the procedure. The blood sugar level was normal. The next day I went for an examination. The tests confirmed that everything in my blood was normal. There is no hypoglycemia. It just disappeared. It disappeared with the help of God, through the prayers of the elder Ephraim and thanks to my beloved saint Gabriel, who in a dream joked with me that I spoke with the Greek elder in English.

I called Samtavro Monastery and told Mother Natalia about it. She laughed and at the end of the conversation said:

“Probably, Father Gabriel translated your English to Elder Ephraim.” And you do not show off anymore - speak to the elders in your native language: if they are shrewd, they will understand Georgian ...