Two miracle stories about Prosphora

Two miracle stories about Prosphora

In the year 1198 in Novgorod there was an astonishing event: one devout Novgorodian every day visited the temple of God, reverently took an antidor and prosphora and reverently ate them. Once he carried the Holy Virgin prosphora to the house and, because of his tiredness, fell asleep on the road. The dogs, smelling the bread, came and wanted to snatch the prosphora, but they rebounded, being repelled by some kind of force. Many people witnessed this. When they reported this to Blessed Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, he ordered the temple in honour of the Mother of God to be founded at the place of the event. Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich's wife Elena took it upon herself to build the church and the women's monastery, and in the following year the monastery church of the Nativity of the Mother of God was consecrated. (See the book "Russian saints honored by the whole Church or locally" by Philaret, Archbishop of Chernigov. S-Pb. 1882, Ch. I, p. 187).

In the life of the Monk Zosima, the Wonderworker of Solovetsk, there is the following story: once the monk gave a blessing to some visiting merchants with a prosphora; on the way out of the church, they dropped it. By chance the monk Macarius passes by and sees: a dog is standing over the prosphora and is trying in every possible way to grab it with its teeth, but every time fire emanates from the bread and scorches the dog. Macarius comes closer, but the fire was not visible. Having made the sign of the cross, the monk takes the prosphora and takes it to the elder (See Life of St. Zosima of Solovetsk.).

Such is the shrine of the prosphora received from the altar of the Lord. And, thank God, Orthodox Russian people love and reverently honor this shrine, with all zeal and heartfelt faith they bring prosphora to the proskomedia for the health and repose of their loved ones, then with reverence they eat of these sacred breads for the health of soul and body.