Miracles at the relics of St. John Maximovic

Miracles at the relics of St. John Maximovic

Miracles at the relics of St. John are very common. The miracle of the relics of Vladyka is the norm for us, and not anything out of the ordinary. So, a woman came to the temple several years ago. Not to Vladyka John, but just to talk with the priest, and found me there. We talked to her. It turned out that she was expecting a baby, but the doctors said: the child will be born with Down syndrome. The husband of this woman demanded that she have an abortion. The woman was not very church-goer, I talked to her, impressed by the film released by the Holy Elizabeth Monastery in Minsk, about working with such children. In the film, one nun very touchingly said that when God talks to us, then everything that He says is first filtered by our brain, and what is beneficial and convenient for us, then goes further into our heart. And in the case of people with Down syndrome, the Lord speaks directly to their heart, bypassing this human filter that distorts what God said. I talked to this woman, offered to serve a prayer service to St John, we prayed and said goodbye. I hoped that she would call me and tell me about her decision. But there was complete silence.

About a year and a half has passed, and this woman comes to the cathedral (and I did not recognize her), with her is a little blonde girl. The woman looks at me with a smile and asks if I remember her. I say: "No, I do not remember." She: “I came to you, my husband wanted me to have an abortion: the doctors said that a child has Down syndrome. Here is my daughter, she is completely healthy. " Such a joy! Well, isn't that a miracle, and what a miracle!

A special joy when babies are born to childless couples. I remember once a couple came to me in the temple and asked for prayer. I usually ask all new people where they are from, and the couple answered that they were from Kazan. I say: “Do you have a home in America or have you come here on business?” - “No, we came to Vladyka John”. - “For how long?” - “For two days”. “Did you really fly from Kazan to San Francisco for only two days?” And so, they continue, a year has passed since the baby was born. And they fulfilled their vow, they came  personally thank Vladyka John.

Usually, visitors think that a miracle is if the Lord, through the prayers of Vladyka John, answers our requests exactly as we wish. We want a child - we got a child, we want to recover - we recovered, and so on. But actually the Lord answers all the prayers of the people, but not necessarily the way we want it. One of the greatest gifts that people receive from the relics of Vladyka John is spiritual energy and hope. They may not recover, they will die of cancer, but they will leave this world in a different, transformed, spiritual state, in a state that will allow them to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I remember, at the relics of St. John, one woman told me that she lost her only child, and added: "You know, father, I lost my son, but I did find God." After losing her son, she began to go to the temple, confess, and receive communion, For her, the hitherto unknown world of the Church and the Kingdom of Heaven was revealed. Of course, the loss of the only son is a great pain and grief, but she received the greatest gift - the opportunity to gain faith and hope.

Yuri Pushchaev spoke with Archpriest Peter (Perekrestov) .