TWO NEW MIRACLES of Archbishop John Maximovitch.

TWO NEW MIRACLES

 of Archbishop John Maximovitch

 I.

I WILL TELL YOU how Vladika John healed me. I suffer from heart trouble, high blood pressure, and arthritis. It was all tolerable until, two and a half years ago, arthritis took hold of my whole chest. The pain was unbearable. I couldn't move my arms or bend down, and I did my housework in torment. The whole time I prayed to the Mother of God and begged Her to deliver me from these torments.

And it was not long before help came to me, sinful and unworthy one. I saw a dream. I was walking on a road and carrying before me a cross; it was an old one and had become quite yellow, but here I saw that it was shining like new (it was the size of the palm of a hand). Then I saw coming up to me a monk with a staff in his hands. When he reached me he said to me: "Here you are all the time praying to the Mother of God to help you, but you are not the only one who suffers; be patient and wait."

Here I woke up and thought for a long time as to what this dream might mean. I decided that evidently this is pleasing to God and I should be patient. In a few days I received a letter from a friend whom I had written about my pains. She told me that I should write to the Batiushka who serves in the cathedral where the Sepulchre of Vladika John is located. I wrote him a letter and sent money, asking him to serve a panikhida for Vladika John and to pray for me. Batiushka fulfilled my request and sent me a little icon of the Mother of God, a little cross from Jerusalem, some cotton dipped in oil from the lamp that burns in the Sepulchre of Vladika John, and most important — his portrait. As soon as I saw it, I immediately recognized the monk whom I had seen in the dream — and I had never seen him while he was alive, you know. I burst into tears and began to thank the Lord for His mercy to me. I began to pray and to ask Vladika to pray for me. I confessed my sins to him, begging him to entreat the Lord to forgive me and grant me remission of sins and healing of soul and body. With the cotton I annointed my chest and fervently prayed.

After this I became gradually better and better. The pain became weaker, my heart felt better, and my blood pressure began to fall. And so, after two and a half years of pain in my chest, it passed away entirely — and the whole time, because of my heart, I had been under a physician's care, and no matter what he gave me or advised, nothing helped. But by the prayers of Vladika John, the Lord healed me. I gave a promise to send money for candles or oil to his Sepulchre every year for the day of Vladika's repose, which I will do until the Lord calls me to Himself. My friend Olga Alexandrovna Makarova also was healed of arthritis, but that was during Vladika's lifetime. It was she who advised me to turn to him.

I have written you everything, as God is my witness! What good fortune that we have intercessors before God and His Most Pure Mother!

Sofia Zukulis

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

February 15, 1977

 II.

ONE SATURDAY I went to visit an old American lady-friend, now reposed, who lived in an old-age home and could move around only in a wheelchair. She was entirely alone and my visits always gave her great joy. I always brought her sweets. The day was very hot, and I had to travel for about an hour. Having sat with her, I began to get ready to go home, again in the intense heat. But I managed to ask a woman who was visiting her mother to take me, even though it wasn't at all on her way.

She drove me to my apartment, and so as not to detain her I quickly got out of the automobile, and in my haste I closed the door on three fingers of my right hand. The pain was very intense and the woman became frightened, but I immediately ran into the house. There was blood, extreme pain, and immediately the joints of the three fingers swelled up immensely and turned blue. I thought that the fingers were broken, since I couldn't bend them.

I should tell you that I work as a pianist in a ballet school and play many hours every day. I thought that I would be unable to work for a long time or even might lose the job, and I was terrified. And so, with tears I turned for help to Vladika John with these words: "You see, Vladika, what happened to my hand. During your lifetime you loved to visit the sick. I also love to visit the sick very much, and now I can lose my job." In tears I fell asleep, after placing the ailing hand on his portrait. I woke up in the morning — and I couldn't recognize my own hand. The swelling had gone down, the color was normal, and there was only a barely noticeable pain when I bent the fingers. The whole day Sunday I thanked Vladika and asked for complete healing. On Monday no trace at all remained, and I played without hindrance for many hours. From that time I thank Vladika every day and pray for the repose of his soul. I would like to live to see his canonization.

Nina Pashchenko

Birmingham, Alabama

May 27, 1977