Miracles

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   Ever since Christianity became something close to my heart and that I took seriously I've been fascinated with miracles and the miraculous. I understand also, that we all need to be careful with how much we attach ourselves to such things and that balance is necessary (John 20:29). However, I do believe that God may use miracles to draw us closer to him (see Apostle Paul, Moses, and countless other bible characters). 


  One of the (MANY) things that drew me to Orthodox Christianity (besides it's genuine claim to being the historical church) was the unending stream of miracles and miraculous stories that flow from it. I had never before encountered such a huge amount of God-breathed occurrences. From myrrh-streaming icons, to health-restoring relics, to eucharistic transformations, to incorrupt and fragrant saints. 


   Ill just post a few of my favorite miraculous stories.


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 The Snakes of Kefalonia, Greece

"The phenomenon of the Holy Snakes of the Virgin Mary has been occurring for centuries during the festivities to the Theotokos between August 5 and August 15 in the village of Markopoulo on the island of Kefalonia, Greece. The small black snakes appear at the church of Panagia of Langouvarda on the site of a monastery, established as a nunnery and dedicated to Our Lady of Langouvarda.

The myth about these snakes is attached to the year the monastery was attacked by pirates in 1705. The nuns prayed fervently to the Virgin Mary for protection and were subsequently transformed into the snakes to avoid being taken as prisoners.

The snakes have a small cross on their head and their tongues are also in the shape of a cross. They are known to belong to the Telescopus fallax species, also known as the European Cat Snake, and they appear in and around the courtyard of the church, on the walls and on the bell tower. The snakes show no fear while the services are held and are harmless during the festivities. As soon as the Liturgy concludes on the 15th of August, they become hostile and aggressive and disappear back into the wilderness of the area. The snakes cannot be found until the following year.

The inhabitants of the villages consider them to be holy, collecting them and setting them on the silver icon of the Virgin of the Snakes (Panagia Fidoussa). It has been documented by the locals that during World War II and the year of the island's destructive 1953 earthquake in August, the snakes failed to appear. The locals now use this as a sign that if the snakes do not show just before the 15th of August that something bad is imminent."

Youtube Part 1
Youtube Part 2 
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The first miracle attributed to St. Nectarios

"During the last days of his life, the Saint was in the room for the incurables of the hospital, among many poor patients who were at the point of death. Beside the bed of St. Nectarios was a patient that had been paralyzed for years. As soon as the Saint gave up his spirit, a nurse of the hospital, together with a nun who had accompanied the Saint, began to prepare the holy body for transportation to Aegina for burial. They removed an old sweater from the Saint, and placed it for convenience on the bed of the paralytic and continued to prepare the body. Suddenly, the paralytic patient became well and rose from his bed, praising the Lord. This was the first miracle after the repose of St. Nectarios, through which the Lord confirmed the sainthood of Nectarios."      This one reminds me of God working miracles through the Apostle Paul  (Acts 19:11) ----------------     Holy Fire   From wikipedia:           "The Holy Fire (Greek Ἃγιον Φῶς, "Holy Light") is described by Christians as a miracle that occurs every year at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre inJerusalem on Holy Saturday, the day preceding Orthodox Easter. It is considered by many to be the longest-attested annual miracle in the Christian world. It has only been consecutively documented since 1106 A.D., previous references being sporadic. The ceremony is broadcasted live in Greece,Russia, Romania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Cyprus, Lebanon and other Orthodox countries like Egypt. Furthermore, the Holy Fire is brought to certainOrthodox countries, such as in Russia, Belarus, Greece, Cyprus, Serbia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon and Armenia, every year by special flights, being received with honors by state leaders at the respective airports." "On the appointed day at noon, the Greek Orthodox patriarch, followed by the Armenian archbishop, march in grand and solemn procession with their own clergies, while singing hymns. They march three times round the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Once the procession has ended, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem or another Orthodox Archbishop recites a specific prayer, removes his robes and enters alone into the sepulchre. Before entering the Tomb of Christ, the patriarch is examined by Jewish Israeli authorities to prove that he does not carry technical means to light the fire. This investigation used to be carried out by Muslim Turkish Ottoman soldiers. The Armenian archbishops remain in the antechamber, where the angel was sitting when he appeared to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection of Jesus.[2] The congregation subsequently chants Kyrie eleison ("Lord, have mercy" in Greek) until the Holy Fire spontaneously descends on 33 white candles tied together by the Patriarch while he is alone inside the tomb chamber of Jesus. The patriarch then reveals himself from the tomb chamber and recites some prayers, before he lights either 33 or 12 candles and distributes them to the congregation. The fire is considered by believers to be the flame of the Resurrection power, as well as the fire of the Burning Bush of Mount Sinai. Pilgrims claim the Holy Fire does not burn their hair, faces, clothes or anything else during the first 33 minutes of its appearance. One web site offers videos claiming to show worshipers having prolonged contact with the flames without discomfort or damage to skin or hair. Patriarch Diodoros of Jerusalem has described the process of the coming down of the fire as follows: I find my way through the darkness towards the inner chamber in which I fall on my knees. Here I say certain prayers that have been handed down to us through the centuries and, having said them, I wait. Sometimes I may wait a few minutes, but normally the miracle happens immediately after I have said the prayers. From the core of the very stone on which Jesus lay an indefinable light pours forth. It usually has a blue tint, but the color may change and take many different hues. It cannot be described in human terms. The light rises out of the stone as mist may rise out of a lake it almost looks as if the stone is covered by a moist cloud, but it is light. This light each year behaves differently. Sometimes it covers just the stone, while other times it gives light to the whole sepulchre, so that people who stand outside the tomb and look into it will see it filled with light. The light does not burn. I have never had my beard burnt in all the 16 years I have been Patriarch in Jerusalem and have received the Holy Fire. The light is of a different consistency than normal fire that burns in an oil lamp. At a certain point the light rises and forms a column in which the fire is of a different nature, so that I am able to light my candles from it. When I thus have received the flame on my candles, I go out and give the fire first to the Armenian Patriarch and then to the Coptic. Hereafter I give the flame to all people present in the Church."  Video  http://www.holyfire.org/eng/

Some humor.

  When I actually laugh out loud by myself at a joke its a good indicator that I should share it. Enjoy.


  A Priest, a Southern Baptist preacher, and a Rabbi all served as chaplains to the students at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville . They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk shop. 

One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't really all that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear. One thing led to another, and they decided to do an experiment. They would all go up to Gatlinburg & back into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it.
 

Seven days later, they all came together to discuss their experiences.
 

Father Flannery, who had his arm in a sling, was on crutches, and had various bandages on his body and limbs, went first.  "Well," he said, "I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when I found him, I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary, Mother of God, he became as gentle as a lamb. The Bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and confirmation."
 

Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, had one arm and both legs in casts, and had an IV drip. In his best fire-and-brimstone oratory, he claimed, "WELL, brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle! I went out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to my bear from God's HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took HOLD of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until we came to a creek. So I quickly DUNKED him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul. And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus."
 

The Priest and the Reverend both looked down at Rabbi Goldberg, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IVs and monitors running in and out of him. He was in really bad shape.
 

The Rabbi looked up and said, "Looking back on it, circumcision may not have been the best way to start." 

Wisdom from St. John of Kronstadt

Taken from Orthowiki:

"When you are praying alone, and your spirit is dejected, and you are wearied and oppressed by your loneliness, remember then, as always, that God the Trinity looks upon you with eyes brighter than the sun; also all the angels, your own Guardian Angel, and all the Saints of God. Truly they do; for they are all one in God, and where God is, there are they also. Where the sun is, thither also are directed all its rays. Try to understand what this means."

"There is nothing impossible unto those who believe; lively and unshaken faith can accomplish great miracles in the twinkling of an eye. Besides, even without our sincere and firm faith, miracles are accomplished, such as the miracles of the sacraments; for God's Mystery is always accomplished, even though we were incredulous or unbelieving at the time of its celebration. "Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?" (Rom. 3:3). Our wickedness shall not overpower the unspeakable goodness and mercy of God; our dullness shall not overpower God's wisdom, nor our infirmity God's omnipotence." — My Life in Christ

"Oh, what great happiness and bliss, what exaltation it is to address oneself to the Eternal Father. Always, without fail, value this joy which has been accorded to you by God's infinite grace and do not forget it during your prayers; God, the angels and God's holy men listen to you."

"The enemy of our salvation especially strives to draw our heart and mind away from God when we are about to serve Him, and endeavours to adulterously attach our heart to something irrelevant. Be always, every moment, with God, especially when you pray to Him. If you are inconstant, you will fall away from life, and will cast yourself into sorrow and straitness."

"Do not be despondent when fighting against the incorporeal enemy, but even in the midst of your afflictions and oppression praise the Lord, Who has found you worthy to suffer for Him, by struggling against the subtlety of the serpent, and to be wounded for Him at every hour; for had you not lived piously, and endeavored to become united to God, the enemy would not have attacked and tormented you."

"Do not fear the conflict, and do not flee from it; where there is no struggle, there is no virtue. Our faith, trust, and love are proved and revealed in adversities, that is, in difficult and grievous outward and inward circumstances, during sickness, sorrow, and privations."

"Prayer for others is very beneficial to the man himself who prays; it purifies the heart, strengthens faith and hope in God, and arouses love for God and our neighbor."

Eastern Orthodoxy and Mysticism: The Transformation of the Senses

  
      This is a three part series/lecture via Ancient Faith Radio on what has been more modernly called 'Christian Mysticism' given by Hieromonk Irenei Steenberg. It was a really easy listen for me and I can only hope it will be for you as well. I found it quite deep yet still pretty accessible (theological talk can tend to go straight over my head). Enjoy.

Part 1
Part 1 Q&A

Part 2
Part 2 Q&A

Part 3
Part 3 Q&A

....but to steal, kill, and destroy.

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    I've heard it mentioned that the best trick of the devil is having us believe that he doesn't even exist. I think its a brilliant strategy. What better way to corrupt a soul. If i'm in a war (and really we are) and the enemy for whatever reason has not gotten the 'memo' it would be so extremely easy to walk straight out into the open towards him, draw my gun, and fire. He wouldn't even see it coming (in a sense). Obviously the devil is a bit more cunning and subtle about it in this situation but he can still get away with much more overt sinful enticements when he is dealing with someone who thinks he is just a myth.

    It seems that the demons really focus their power on the saints truly striving in prayer and fasting. Simply reading through the lives of the Desert Fathers or someone like St. Anthony the Great show us this. I guess the weaker of us, like myself, don't require so much attention. Maybe its that the 'cares of the world' have us occupied. Maybe worldly pleasures have us blinded. I don't really know forsure.

  I came across this excerpt from 'The Gurus, the Young Man, and Elder Paisios' by Dionysios Farasiotis and found it very interesting. Essentially its speaking about the many physical manifestations and attacks of demons that are common and even daily occurrences on Mt. Athos:

    ... I went to the Monastery of Koutloumousiou, because I wanted to speak with Father Athanasios again. I admired him because he was a good and intelligent man who was very knowledgeable about the occult. That afternoon, when he had finished his chores, we sat on the balcony and had a discussion.
    
    "Look, Father, I can accept the existence of evil as an inclination in the human soul, but when you start talking to me about the devil as a person I find it pretty farfetched."


   " Farfetched or not, it's a reality, and I can only talk to you about reality."


   " And how do you know it? Have you seen him personally?"


 He laughed. " Only once, but I'm not the only father in the monastery who's seen him and fought with him."


   "What do you mean that you've seen him?"


   "Well, once he came and ruined all the vegetable gardens in the monastery."


   "How did he ruin them?"


   "By breaking the stakes, uprooting the plants, and putting everything in disarray." I looked at him incredulously, but he met my gaze with a smile and continued.  "Once he came into my cell and struck me so hard that I still hurt the next day."


  This made me recall the inexplicable thrashing I received when I was with that girl, and I asked him with renewed interest, "So, did you see him with your own eyes?"


  "Sometimes you can see him, sometimes you can't. Once I saw three demons that were trying to play a joke on me."


  "And what did you do?"


  " I laughed --- what else was I supposed to do? After all, they were pretty funny."


  I continued to look at him in disbelief, but also with a lot of interest, because I was reflecting upon my own experiences. Perhaps this explained the banging, the slamming of doors, and that thrashing.


  "Do they also make noise?" I asked.


  " Do they ever! Around this time last year, one of the novices was going to be made a monk. At three o'clock in the morning, we were supposed to gather in the monastery church before daybreak for his tonsure, but that night all hell broke loose. They (the demons) didn't leave a cell untouched. They banged on the doors, knocked on the windows, and howled and barked like beasts. We all met in the main church around midnight for mutual support -- we younger monks were especially frightened."


  I continued to listen, but I made it clear that I found all of this astonishing and hard to believe.


  "Look," he said, "the devil doesn't want people to know that he exists, because it's easier for him to fight them if they're unaware of his existence. You don't protect yourself from an enemy unless you realize he exists. But once you've detected him, there's no reason for him to hide, so he then fights you out in the open."