BLESSED
MATRONA DID NOT ABANDON THOSE SUFFERING FOR THE FAITH
Irina
Krikheli
Irina
Krikheli, a regular Pravoslavie.ru contributor from Georgia who especially
venerates Blessed Matrona of Moscow, has shared new stories about her
miraculous help.
Blessed
Matrona has been helping us for over seventeen years in various situations.
I had
long dreamed of travelling to Moscow, to the Holy Protection Convent, to
venerate the relics of Blessed Matrona of Moscow, but I always regretted that
this was impossible for me. But the saint did not leave us without
consolation—a particle of her relics was sent to us in Tbilisi. It is now kept
at the Church of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple in the
city center, where we can always come to pray. Every Thursday this church holds
a prayer service with a reading of the akathist to the blessed eldress and
anointing with holy oil from her relics. As at the Holy Protection Convent,
after the service here, flower petals, mostly roses, brought to the relics by
parishioners, are distributed among the faithful. These petals are kept as
relics as well. Some pour hot water over them and drink the infusion, which
helps heal various ailments. They have helped us many times too.
I used
to go to these prayer services regularly, but recently, due to my mother’s
serious illness, and then because of the Covid-19 epidemic, I rarely travelled
there. Last spring I so wanted to go to the relics and pray to Matronushka!
Walking to the bus stop, I saw that they were selling flowers, and decided to
buy some. Having chosen a bunch of lilacs, I held out a large note (I didn’t
have any smaller money with me). The saleswoman went to change it, and when she
returned, I saw garden roses in her hands, exactly the same as I had previously
brought to Blessed Matrona! And there were no more roses around. When I asked
if they were for sale, the saleswoman replied that these roses had been brought
to her as a gift by a woman from her garden. But then, having learned that I
wanted to take them to the church to the saint’s relics, she said that she
changed her mind and gave them to me for a very low price. This is how Blessed
Matrona sent me roses for her relics.
***
Once I
got sick. Due to the exacerbation of a chronic illness, I felt unwell, and the
parishioner Irina came to visit me. I knew that she greatly venerated Blessed
Matrona of Moscow. We talked, and before leaving she gave me some sand blessed
on St. Matrona’s relics that she had with her, to venerate. Irina soon left,
and such a calm spread inside me, such grace as I had hardly experienced
before. I sat for several hours and didn’t want to get up and break the blessed
silence that seemed to have spread in the air.
I was
surprised to notice that my condition began to improve, and the chills that had
relentlessly tormented me for some time had disappeared. A few hours later I
felt so good that I even thought that it had become much warmer outside. But
when I opened the window, I was astonished that the weather was as dank and
damp outside as before. Then I realized that touching the relic had helped me.
After
that I so wanted to get at least a little of this sand, and Matronushka
fulfilled my desire, sending me through a woman named Matrona some sand from
her grave. And my friend Irina donated the sand she had to the Church of St.
George, situated in our area. This church houses the largest icon of Blessed
Matrona in Georgia, brought from Russia as a gift. I perceive this as another
gift from Matronushka to me. After all, I can’t always go to the city center to
venerate the saint’s relics, and this church is a stone’s throw from me.
Blessed
Matrona helped me in numerous situations. I was supposed to have surgery, but I
had put it off for a long time. Until the last moment I doubted whether the
operation was necessary. I thought about which surgeon would be best. I began
to pray to my beloved saint, asking for her help and enlightenment—and through
her intercessions the Lord sent me a good doctor who explained why the
operation was needed, and everything went well under his guidance. I thanked
Matronushka for answering my prayers at such a difficult time for me and not
leaving me without her miraculous help!
And
here is another remarkable story of Blessed Matrona of Moscow’s help. My friend
has lived in Germany for several years now and is a parishioner of an Orthodox
church in a small German town. A year ago, I learned that another parishioner of
this church and her son had a problem. After divorcing her husband this woman
lived with her twelve-year-old son. They were very active parishioners, and the
boy helped the priest in the altar. This woman’s ex-husband, the boy’s father,
did not like that they were believers, went to an Orthodox church and that his
son helped during services. He wrote to social services, describing the mother
as insane, and who in his opinion, went to unknown locations, taking their son.
As a result, the social services took the boy away from his mother. Several
trials took place, and each time the parishioners, together with the priest,
prayed hard for them. A group that reads the Psalter for the needy, established
with the blessing of Elder Kirill (Pavlov), prayed for them as well. And before
each court session my son and I prayed to Blessed Matrona to intervene and help
them. This went on for almost a year—a year-long nightmare for the mother and
her son.
Finally,
two decisive court sessions were scheduled for February. We continued to pray
to Matronushka. The first court session found that the mother had suitable
living conditions for the boy; and the second session, which took place on
February 28, ruled that the father’s claims were unfounded and that the child
had to be returned to his mother. Words cannot describe our joy when we heard
about it! We hoped that Matronushka would not leave those suffering for their
faith without help, and she justified our hopes! It is so gratifying that the
mother and her son were reunited. And we hope that such extraordinary sorrows
only strengthened them in the Orthodox faith!
Holy
Matrona of Moscow, our dear Matrona, do not leave us without your help! Pray to
God for us!
Irina
Krikheli
Translation
by Dmitry Lapa
Pravoslavie.ru
5/2/2023
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