BLESSED MATRONA DID NOT ABANDON THOSE SUFFERING FOR THE FAITH

 

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