In memory of the blessed Matrona, I bring to the attention of readers a wonderful story about the miraculous help of an old woman.

In memory of the blessed Matrona, I bring to the attention of readers a wonderful story about the miraculous help of an old woman.

A few years ago I came to the city of Undory in the Ulyanovsk Region, where my old friend Father Alexander was serving at the local church at that time. It so happened that in these days the famous Sanaksar elder Sheikhumen Jerome (now deceased) turned up here, and I happened to hear from his lips a story about what happened to him on Holy Saturday in the holy city of Jerusalem. I am telling the elder's story the way I remember it.

“When the Iron Curtain opened, it became possible to make pilgrimages to the Holy Land. One of my spiritual children, a nun, said that she could get a ticket to the holy city of Jerusalem on the days before Easter and Easter, when the Holy Fire descends in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. I needed to issue a passport and collect the necessary amount to pay for the tour. I took a blessing from the viceroy, and everything was ready for the right time: both the passport and the funds. The nun told me the date of departure and indicated the day before which I was supposed to appear with her in Moscow.

After praying, he went to Moscow. Upon arrival, I discovered that I had left all the collected money in my cell, they were in my trousers pocket, and I put on others for the trip. He told his mother about what had happened. She says the deadline for the money is tomorrow. Then I told her: “We need to get money here. Until they find them in my cell, until they send them by telegraph, until we receive them, we won’t be able to do it in a day. Look for the money here, and I will send it on my return.” But she replied that she could not find such a large amount in a day - several hundred dollars, there was no one to borrow from. Despite such a discrepancy, I was very calm in my heart. I decided that if this trip is necessary, the Lord will enlighten and help me get the necessary amount, and if not, I will return to the monastery, which means that the time has not come.

Early in the morning I went to the Danilovskoye cemetery to the grave of the blessed Matrona and decided to ask her for money. Arriving at the place, I prayed like this: “Dear mother, if there is a blessing for the trip, help me find this money, and if not, I will immediately leave for the monastery. May the will of the Lord be done." I stand aside from the grave and pray. And the people go in a stream, pray, ask for their needs. People take the earth from the grave in bags. Suddenly a woman came up to me and handed me an envelope. I thanked her and when she left I looked into the envelope. It contained two pieces of paper for 100 dollars. Then other people began to come up - and everyone gave money. The most surprising thing was that they gave mostly dollars (after all, I had to pay for the ticket in foreign currency). I figured out how much money I had. There came a moment when it became clear that there was already enough for a ticket.

I prayed again, asked for a blessing to collect more money to bring gifts from the Holy Land for the brethren and spiritual children. Then, after all, trips to Jerusalem were very rare, and each shrine was precious to our Orthodox people. They continued to give money, and now I felt that there was already enough for the trip and for gifts. I bowed to the ground in front of the grave cross, kissed it, thanked Matronushka for her help, and very joyfully returned to the nun. When I handed her the money, she asked:

“Batiushka, where did you get them?”

- Matronushka gave ...

I think it will be interesting to know how the pilgrimage went on. When our group arrived by plane to Israel, we were put on a bus and brought first to the office, where they issued documents for settlement, and sent to the hotel. But then there was a temptation: the coupon for the settlement was lost somewhere. Everyone was placed in the rooms, but I was not issued. I don't know the language, I can't explain anything. But, thank God, kind people turned up here, they began to call, find out, and in the end everything worked out. Then I realized that it was providential, since all the pilgrims were settled on the outskirts of the city, and they gave me a place in a hotel in the very center, literally next to the temple.

We all looked forward with excitement to the upcoming events. I bought several bundles of white Jerusalem candles in advance. I came to the Temple long before the start of the celebration in order to get closer. On Good Friday and on the very day of the descent of the fire, I did not eat food, prayed, thanked the Lord for His mercy. The main moment for which we made the pilgrimage has arrived. His Holiness Patriarch Diodorus entered Kuvukliya, and everyone was anxiously waiting for the great sacrament to take place. It was noisy, a lot of people. And then screams were heard, fiery flashes appeared inside, but the Patriarch had not yet left Kuvuklia. And then something happened to me that made me even scared: my beard caught fire. At first I thought that someone set fire to me by accident, although there was nothing burning nearby. I dropped my bundles of candles from my hands and began to beat the fire from my beard, but not only did it not go out, but it also went to the head - the hair on the head caught fire. From all sides they pointed at me in surprise. This fire did not burn at all, did not harm my hair, and I realized that this is the blessed fire - the Lord showed such great mercy to me a sinner. Then I calmly picked up my bunches of candles from the ground and set fire to them from my beard, and people began to set fire to their bunches from this fire. Then the fire on the hair gradually went out, but an amazing state of joy, exultation, gratitude to our Lord remained. Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee! 

Another event that made me very happy happened these days. The Greek monks invited the priests from our pilgrimage group to a joint prayer and Pascha break. After praying, they sang Pascha hymns, after which they began to distribute treats: on small plates were placed a part of the prosphora and tiny pieces of Pascha cake and pashka. I thought to myself: “After a strict fast, such a meager treat.” And then the Lord gave me a good admonition. An interpreter suddenly approached me and said: “The hegumen (or the bishop – I don’t remember exactly) asked me to tell you that this treat is quite enough to be filled.” And so it was: when I consumed the contents of the plate, there was a feeling of satiety, as after a good dinner ... ”

Author: Alexander Trofimov

In the photo: Schema-IgumenJerome in the Holy Land