Who does the saint patronize and how should one pray to him? Where are the relics of Spyridon kept and how does he differ from other canonized saints?
In the holy scriptures and the history of Orthodox Christianity, many testimonies of miracles and the help of the holy fathers have been preserved. Each of them has its own history, a difficult fate, accompanied by torment and deprivation. In the Orthodox religion, it is customary to pray and ask for blessings from canonized saints, venerate the relics and perform rituals, and go to places of pilgrimage for followers of Jesus.
Spyridon of Trimifuntsky is one of them - famous for his amazing abilities during life and after worldly death. About what you can ask from Spyridon, what role he plays in the work of Orthodoxy, where to venerate his relics and how to behave in order to receive his blessing, help and fulfillment of desires in our material.
The Story of a Saint: Miracles of Healing
The story of Spiridon’s life and death is amazing and unlike any other known in the Orthodox religion. He was born at the end of the 3rd century on the island of Cyprus. Christianity had spread there two centuries earlier thanks to the preaching of the apostles Paul and Barnabas. As a child, Spiridon began to live the life of the righteous - he grazed sheep in the meadow and led a pious lifestyle.
He took traits from each of the saints, bringing together three strong qualities: from David he learned meekness and hardship, from Jacob - kindness and forgiveness, and from Abraham - readiness to help his neighbor. He marries as an adult; when his wife dies, the emperor appoints him head of Orthodoxy Trimifunt.
The scriptures and lives of the saint speak of his great virtue and nobility. The flock attracted all the homeless from the surrounding villages, the wanderers rested and stayed in the monastery for more than one night, finding peace of mind.
IMPORTANT! Spiridon was awarded miraculous gifts for his humility, honesty and unwavering prayer to God.
The short life contains many references to miracles. After his daughter died, he talked to her and told her about God's gift. He healed Emperor Constantius, who was suffering from illness. It also talks about the healing of a baby who has already stopped breathing. His desperate mother brought him to him and begged the Lord for help, Spiridon helped her, the child came to life, and the mother fell alive from miraculous powers.
Removing curses from yourself at home
How to fight black magic at home, without the help of fortune tellers or magicians, in order to protect yourself and your family from troubles associated with evil spirits?
During one of the morning services, Angels flew into the temple, and since then every day in the cathedral we listened to their singing.
Spiridon learned about a prisoner who was illegally convicted in one of the neighboring villages. To save him, he crossed the flood by walking on the water, like Joshua. After the prayer, the water parted in front of him. The judge who convicted the prisoner learned about what had happened and released the “offender.”
Spyridon often traveled and made pilgrimages, visiting neighboring churches and monasteries. Arriving in the village of Erythra, he saw a clergyman prolonging the services in order to enjoy his vanity. Spiridon called out to him, and since then the priest has lost his voice. The deacon prayed for forgiveness, and the parishioners of the church also asked for the same. The saint softened God's punishment with prayers. The cleric said prayers and led services, but every word was difficult for him. I had to fight my hoarse voice.
The life of the saint says that in 325 he took part in the Ecumenical Council and converted the Greek philosopher to Christianity. Spyridon convinced him of the trinity of God. The scientist recalled that he could respond to logical evidence and arguments, but the scientist could not resist the inexplicable grace emanating from the lips of Spiridon.
Before his death, the saint knew how this would happen. In the last minutes of his life, he knelt before the Almighty and thanked God for the love and peace of all souls. He died during prayer in the temple, where he was buried. Later they were moved to Kerkyra in Greece.
Spyridon of Trimifuntsky. The saint helps with money and housing. How should he pray?
Spyridon of Trimifuntsky.
Name: Spyridon Trimythous. Saint Spyridon of Trimythous is revered as the Wonderworker.
What do they pray to Saint Spyridon of Trimythous:
They pray to Saint Spyridon of Trimythous for work, housing, well-being in the family and, in case of emergency, for money and repayment of debts. Many Orthodox Christians experiencing financial or housing difficulties take a blessing to read the akathist for 40 days. Practice shows that in most cases, those who pray diligently receive what they ask for.
How to order a prayer service to St. Spyridon of Triminutsky.
During the reading, the clergyman reads out the names of those who ask the saint to perform a miracle. To order a prayer service, you need to write “Prayer service to Spyridon of Trimifuntsky” on a special form taken from a church shop, and below list the names of the petitioners in the genitive case. For example: from whom? – Vladimir, Alexander, Nadezhda, Tatiana. There is no need to indicate the reason for turning to the saint.
How to pray to Saint Spyridon of Trimythous:
To receive help, it is important to pray with your heart and mind; the words of prayer must come from the depths of your soul. Prayer books memorized by heart do not contribute to the concentration of thoughts, so such a prayer cannot be heard. You will find the texts of prayers to Spyridon of Triminunts at the end of the article.
Shrines of Spyridon of Triminutsky:
relics of Spyridon of TrimifuntskyThe location of the relics of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky is now: the island of Corfu. The temple of the city of Kerkyra, in which the relics of the saint are still kept, was built in 1589. Every day, the clergy open the ark with two special keys. If the lock does not work, it is believed that at that moment Spyridon of Trimifuntsky is absent from the place, helping someone in trouble. The temperature of the saint’s relics is still around 36.6 degrees. On Memorial Day, after a solemn service, the saint’s shoes are changed, which wear out within a year. Old rag shoes are cut into small pieces and given to believers. On the shrine of the relics of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky there is an incredible number of offerings! They hang around, and on the walls, and directly lie on the relics! These are memorial signs in gratitude that Spiridon is helping.
- the gum (right) hand of St. Spyridon of Trimythous is located in Rome
— In Moscow, there are two revered icons of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky with particles of relics, which are located in the Church of the Resurrection of the Word.
— In Moscow, in the Danilov Monastery in the Church of the Intercession, there is a shoe from the foot of the relics of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky
— In Uglich, in the Church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, there is another shoe (the slipper of Spiridon of Trimifuntsky).
— In the Nile Desert (Nilo-Stolobenskaya Desert on the Svetlitsa Island of Lake Seliger) near Ostashkov there is a cross with particles of the relics of Spiridon of Trimifuntsky
— In the church at the Okovetsky spring there is a reliquary with particles of the relics of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky
Brief biography of Spiridon Trimifunsky:
Date of birth: 270 Date of death: 348 Age: 78 years Place of birth: Askia, Cyprus In Orthodoxy, the day of remembrance falls on: December 25 of the new style.
Events in life:
Born into a family of cattle breeders, he tended sheep and goats. Therefore, on the icons Spyridon of Trimifunt is depicted wearing a shepherd’s cap. Young Spiridon was meek and kind. He treated those around him kindly and never refused accommodation or food to travelers.
Got married. Daughter Irina was born. Spiridon himself baptized her. But soon after giving birth, Spiridon’s wife died.
Rumors of prayer support and miracles performed at the request of Spyridon reached the palace of Emperor Constantine. Many residents of the island of Cyprus and other cities of the Byzantine Empire revered Spyridon as a wise, perspicacious old man. The bishop decided to ordain a simple shepherd as bishop of the city of Trimifunt.
Miracles through the prayers of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky
In 325, Spyridon of Trimifuntsky. At the first Council of Nicea, in the presence of Nicholas of Myra, he crushed the arguments of the Greek philosopher who defended the heresy of Arianism. When at the speech it was the turn of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, defending the postulate of a single Trinity, the saint took a brick (according to some sources, a tile) and squeezed it in his palm. Saint Spyridon made the sign of the cross with his right hand and said, holding a piece of tile in his left hand: “In the name of the Father!” At that moment, to the amazement of everyone present, the flame with which it was burned burst out from the piece of clay. The saint continued: “And the Son!”, and in front of the participants of the Council, the water with which it was mixed flowed out from a piece of clay. “And the Holy Spirit!”, and, opening his palm, the saint showed the dry earth remaining on it, from which the tiles were fashioned. At the same time, Spyridon uttered the words: “Behold, there are three elements, and there is only one plinth (brick). So in the Most Holy Trinity there are Three Persons, but the Divinity is One.”
1) Through the prayers of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, the long drought in Cyprus, which led to massive crop failures, loss of livestock and disease, stopped. The rains soon saved the island's population from hunger and disaster.
2) God gave Spyridon the power to heal from fatal diseases or resurrect dead people: - The saint was able to help Emperor Constantius, who was already on the verge of death. “Through the prayers of the elder, one day the dead newborn child of a woman who asked for help from a Christian priest was resurrected. After the miracle happened, the mother herself fell dead. The bishop's prayer brought her back to life.
3) One day, during a service, the oil in the lamp burned out, and it began to fade. The saint was upset, but the Lord consoled him: the lamp was miraculously filled with oil.
4) One day a righteous man was slandered by envious people. The unfortunate man was thrown into prison, where he remained awaiting his own death penalty. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, who knew about the innocence of the slandered man, hastened to help. The path of the priest and his companions was blocked by a stormy river flow. After the elder’s prayer, the water parted, and Spiridon managed to get to the prison on time. The judge, having learned about the providential miracle, released the convict.
5) Spyridon of Trimifuntsky regularly helped the poor and needy, providing the necessary food. For this purpose, the saint had a special barn, from where people could take everything they needed. When things went well, they gave back what they could. The saint's barn was never empty.
6) Turned the snake into gold and back. One day a poor man turned to the bishop who needed to repay a large debt to a rich man. Spiridon went into his chambers and prayed for a long time, after which he came out with a large bar of gold. At the same time, he set the only condition for the poor man - to return the gold back after things went smoothly. Soon the poor man became rich and came to return the jewel to Spyridon of Trimifunt. Taking the ingot, the saint laid it on the ground, and immediately the precious metal turned into a snake, which quickly slithered away into the forest.
7) Saint Spyridon of Trimythous and the sheep thieves. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky also showed mercy towards people with unclean intentions. One day, two thieves entered the old man’s sheepfold and intended to steal several sheep. An unknown force bound the robbers, and they remained at the scene of the crime until the arrival of the saint. In the morning, seeing the tired robbers, Spiridon took pity on them and untied them. After exhortations to take an honest path to earning money, the bishop released the thieves, giving them two sheep. Having given them a sheep each and releasing them, he said affectionately: “Let it not be in vain that you were awake.”
Deception of a merchant and 100 goats. One day a merchant approached the saint to purchase one hundred goats. Spiridon never checked the amount given to him, so the merchant planned to hide part of the payment, equal to the cost of one goat. When a herd of animals went outside the fence, one goat did not want to leave the pen and constantly returned to its original place. The convicted merchant confessed to the saint his dishonesty and paid extra for the animal.
9) Angels singing in an empty temple. There is a known case when Saint Spyridon entered an empty church, ordered lamps and candles to be lit, and began the service. Having proclaimed “Peace to all,” he and the deacon heard in response from above a great multitude of voices shouting: “And to your spirit.” This choir was great and sweeter than any human singing. At each litany, an invisible choir sang “Lord, have mercy.” Attracted by the singing coming from the church, people nearby hurried to her. As they approached the church, wonderful singing filled their ears more and more and delighted their hearts. But when they entered the church, they saw no one except the bishop with a few church servants, and they no longer heard heavenly singing, from which they were in great amazement.
10) Saint Spyridon of Trimythus and the idols of Alexandria. When the Patriarch convened a Council in Alexandria for the purpose of crushing idols and temples, through the prayers of the fathers of the Council, all the idols fell, except one, the most revered. It was revealed to the Patriarch in a vision that this idol remained in order to be crushed by Saint Spyridon of Trimythous. Summoned by the Council, the saint boarded the ship, and at the moment when the ship landed on the shore and the saint set foot on land, the idol in Alexandria with all the altars was thrown into dust, which announced to the Patriarch and all the bishops the approach of St. Spyridon.
Modern miracles of St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky
1) Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol One of the witnesses to his posthumous miracles was the writer Nikolai Gogol. A certain English Protestant assured nearby pilgrims that special incisions were made on his back and his body was embalmed. And then the relics of the saint rose from the shrine and turned their backs to the Englishman, distraught with horror and fear, after which they lay down in their usual place.
2) Bombing of Corfu during World War II. The bombing of Corfu began on November 1, 1940 and continued for months. Corfu had no air defenses, so enemy bombers could fly at particularly low altitudes. But during the bombing, strange things happened: both the pilots and those on the ground noticed that many bombs inexplicably fell not straight down, but at an angle, and ended up in the sea. All the buildings around the church with the relics of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky were severely damaged or destroyed, but the church itself survived until the end of the war without a single damage, not even a single window pane was cracked.
3) Healing at the icon A girl, suffering from a nervous crisis, which later turned into psychopathy, in a moment of enlightenment asked to be taken to the temple of St. Spyridon. Entering the church, she venerated the icon and the relics of the Saint and felt that the heaviness had left her head. She stayed in the temple the entire next day and returned home completely healthy.
4) The lamp itself filled with oil. In 2000, I went to the holy places of Greece. In Kerkyra, in the church of St. Spyridon, we asked the priest for a blessing to collect oil from the lamp at the shrine with the relics of the Saint. We took the oil with a syringe and poured it into bottles we had prepared in advance. The group was large, everyone was crowding together, trying to quickly gather, someone carelessly touched the lamp, and the remaining oil spilled. Everyone was very upset because of our awkwardness, but one woman was especially upset - she was last in line and did not get a single drop. She was holding an empty bottle in her hands, and it suddenly began to fill up on its own! This happened in front of our entire group, so there were a lot of witnesses to this miracle.
5) The housing problem was resolved. In 2002, I tried for a long time to exchange a one-room apartment for a two-room apartment. There were many problems, because... they offered places that were far from the metro or expensive. One day my sister (she serves in the temple) called me and asked how I was doing. I replied that nothing was working out. Then she advised me to order a water-blessing prayer service to St. Spyridon of Trimifunt, which I did. Literally a week later we were offered an excellent option at a reasonable price. The move was scheduled for December 25 - the Saint's feast day.
Prayer to Spyridon of Trimifuntsky
Troparion to Saint Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, wonderworker
Tone 1 of the Council of the First, you appeared as a champion and wonderworker, / Our Father to God-bearing Spyridon. / Moreover, you cried out to the dead in the tomb / and you turned the serpent into gold, / and you always sang holy prayers to you, / you had angels serving you, most sacred. / Glory to Him who gave you strength, / glory to Him who crowned you, / glory to Him who acts through you. healing to all.
Kontakion to Saint Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, wonderworker
voice 2 Having been wounded by the love of Christ, most sacred,/ your mind was fixed on the dawn of the Spirit,/ through your diligent vision you found your deed, O God-pleasing,/ the Divine altar became, // asking for the Divine radiance to all.
Prayer to Saint Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, wonderworker
Oh, great and wonderful saint of Christ and wonderworker Spyridon, Kerkyra praise, bright luminary of the whole universe, warm prayer book to God and quick intercessor to all who come running to you and pray with faith! You gloriously explained the Orthodox faith at the Nicene Council among the Fathers, you showed the trinity of the Holy Trinity with miraculous power and you completely put the heretics to shame. Hear us sinners, the saint of Christ, praying to you, and through your strong intercession with the Lord, deliver us from every evil situation: from famine, flood, fire and deadly plagues. For in your temporal life you delivered your people from all these disasters: you saved your country from the invasion of the Hagarians and from famine, you delivered the king from an incurable illness and you brought many sinners to repentance, you gloriously raised the dead, for the holiness of your life the angels , invisibly in the church singing and serving with you, you had. Sitsa glorify you, His faithful servant, Lord Christ, for all the secret human deeds have been granted to you to understand and to expose those who live unrighteously. You diligently helped many who lived in poverty and lack, you nourished the poor people abundantly during the famine, and you also fed many signs with the power of the living Spirit of God in you. You created life. Do not forsake us either, Saint of Christ, remember us, your children, at the Throne of the Almighty and beg the Lord to grant forgiveness to our many sins, a comfortable and peaceful life. m, the death of the belly is not shameful and peaceful, and eternal bliss in the future He vouchsafes us, so that we may send glory and thanksgiving to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Why does the saint’s body continue to “live” to this day?
Today, the bishop's tomb is surrounded by gold and precious jewelry. The most curious and inexplicable thing is that his relics have not changed in any way over time.
The skin remained soft and his face can still be seen to this day. Hair and teeth, contrary to the laws of nature, have remained untouched for centuries. His body, as during life, is at a constant normal temperature of 36.6 degrees.
There is no objective description of the phenomenon: the body of the deceased lives on even now, amazing parishioners and priests with its power. That is why they pray to the saint for everything they need.
The saint helps Russians and all believers. In our country, he is revered no less than Nicholas and compared to the prophet Elijah. Spyridon was worshiped more than others in Veliky Novgorod and Moscow. In the 17th century, a temple was built in Moscow in his honor, where an icon of the saint and relics is kept. The icon located in Moscow helps believers find the path to the truth.
Miracles these days
Christians call Spyridon “walking.” The priests of the cathedral, where the relics of the saint lie, cannot always open the shrine. According to the beliefs of the laity and fathers, Spiridon walks around the island. This is confirmed by clothes that wear out every six months. Not only the saint’s clothes wear out, but also the velvet shoes. On the eve of Easter and on the eve of Saint's Day, they are changed. Old things are cut into pieces and given to believers. It gives them strength and faith in salvation and God's help.
The saint's feast day is December 25th according to the new style. In Greece, he is remembered 4 times a year with festive services: on Palm Sunday, Holy Saturday, August 11 and the first Sunday in November. The holiday ends with a religious procession.
Modern history records many facts of Spyridon’s salvation and help to believers around the world.
IMPORTANT! During the war against Nazi Germany, military personnel began bombing Greece and the island of Corfu. Civilians fled from air attacks in the Church of Spyridon. She was the only one left undamaged.
They started bombing it in 1940, but the country did not have the means to defend itself and it was not possible to properly protect the state.
During the fighting, inexplicable things began to happen. Pilots and infantrymen recall that the bombs were diverted away from populated areas and fell into the sea.
New history contains many facts about the modern miraculous healings of the saint. In the 19th century, in a family from the settlement of Kerkyra, a schoolboy suffered from typhus. The doctors could not do anything, and the mother asked every day for help and the blessing of the saint. Seventeen days later, the boy’s condition worsened, and his mother asked his relatives to reveal the relics of the saint. As soon as they did this, the boy was shaken by terrible convulsions. After them, he opened his eyes and gradually came to his senses.
The saints of the Greek temple talk about the healing of a mute boy who came to Kerkyra. For this, the child’s mother prayed to Saint Spyridon steadily for three days. When the relics were carried over him, the boy regained his speech.
This is only a small part of the miracles and healings of our days by Saint Spyridon, to whom people come from different parts of the planet.
Prayer to the Wonderworker Spyridon of Trimifuntsky
Saint Spyridon of Trimifuntsky
Prayer to Spyridon of Trimifuntsky
O Great and wonderful saint of Christ and wonderworker Spyridon, Kerkyra praise, bright luminary of the whole universe, warm prayer book to God and quick intercessor to all who come running to you and pray with faith! You gloriously expounded the Orthodox faith at the Council of Nicea among the fathers, you showed the unity of the Holy Trinity with miraculous power, and you completely put the heretics to shame. Hear us sinners, the saint of Christ, praying to you, and through your strong intercession with the Lord, deliver us from every evil situation: from famine, flood, fire and deadly plagues. For in your temporal life you delivered your people from all these disasters: you saved your country from the invasion of the Hagarians and from famine, you delivered the king from an incurable illness and brought many sinners to repentance, you gloriously raised the dead, and for the holiness of your life the angels invisibly in the church you had those singing and serving with you. Sitsa, therefore, glorify you, His faithful servant, Lord Christ, for you are given the gift of understanding all the secret human deeds and convicting those who live unrighteously. You zealously helped many living in poverty and lack, you nourished the poor people abundantly during famine, and you created many other signs by the power of the living Spirit of God in you. Do not forsake us either, Saint of Christ, remember us, your children, at the Throne of the Almighty and beg the Lord to grant forgiveness for many of our sins, grant us a comfortable and peaceful life, and grant us a shameless and peaceful death and eternal bliss in the future. to us, may we always send glory and thanksgiving to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
O all-blessed Saint Spyridon, great servant of Christ and glorious miracle worker! Stand in Heaven before the Throne of God with the face of an Angel, look with your merciful eye at the people standing here and asking for your strong help. Pray to the compassion of God, the Lover of Mankind, not to judge us according to our iniquities, but to deal with us according to His mercy! Ask us from Christ and our God for a peaceful and serene life, mental and physical health, earthly prosperity and all abundance and prosperity in everything, and may we not turn the good things given to us from the generous God into evil, but into His glory and the glorification of your intercession ! Deliver all who come to God through undoubted faith from all spiritual and physical troubles. from all yearnings and devilish slander! Be a comforter to the sad, a physician to the sick, a helper in times of adversity, a protector to the naked, a protector to widows, a protector to the orphans, a nourisher to the baby, a strengthener to the old, a guide to the wandering, a sailing helmsman, and intercede to all those who require your strong help, even useful for salvation! For if we are guided and observed by your prayers, we will reach eternal rest and together with you we will glorify God, glorified in the Trinity of Saints, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O blessed Saint Spyridon! Beg the mercy of God, the Lover of Mankind, not to judge us for our iniquities, but to deal with us according to His mercy. Ask us, God's servants (names), from Christ and our God for a peaceful and serene life, mental and physical health. Deliver us from all spiritual and physical troubles, from all yearnings and the devil’s slander. Remember us at the throne of the Almighty and beg the Lord to grant us forgiveness of many of our sins, grant us a comfortable and peaceful life, and grant us a shameless and peaceful death and eternal bliss in the next century, may we continually send glory and thanksgiving to the Father and the Son and the Spirit Holy, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen!
How is he different from other saints?
Unlike other saints, people turn to Spyridon for help in any situation. He is the intercessor of all believers and those asking for help. They ask him for financial well-being, blessings for buying or selling an apartment, relief from hunger.
They ask the saint for a rich harvest and healing from illnesses, for peace of mind and God's help. Spiridon helps with finding work, money and family well-being. Widows and orphans, travelers and the disadvantaged pray especially earnestly for help.
Where are the relics?
Every year, the relics of Spiridon are brought to different territories, including Russian ones. In Moscow, the relics of the saint are kept in the Church of the Assumption in Vrazhka and in a complex in the Koptevo area. The new cathedral in the north of Moscow will be built by May 2022. This will be one of the largest Orthodox buildings.
Women's names according to the calendar for girls for 2022
What to name the child? Find a suitable name and please all relatives? About the name days of saints and how to help your child become decisive or soft.
Now the construction is ending, the construction of the bell tower is being completed. The complex will be completely completed by 2022, but lay people will be able to visit the temple in May. The relics will already be brought there and the Russians will not have to travel to Corfu. The miracle worker saint will be a permanent “resident” of Moscow. The priests do not rule out that, as in Greece, he will walk along the capital's streets, preaching divine truths.
Every year the saint blesses a million Russians: he helps someone with money (people find work), women pray for family happiness and peace, children find intercession in illness and adversity. An icon of divine significance instills strength in believers and helps them find peace of mind.
Another place of the monastery of the holy wonderworker is the Danilovsky Monastery, information about which can be found on the official website of the complex. In 2007, the opening of the grave of Spyridon’s compatriot Nikephoros coincided with the presence of the relics of the Greek saint in the capital.
IMPORTANT! In large temple complexes, a note is submitted online by going to the official website of the cathedral.
Often his relics are brought to St. Petersburg, and then a huge line forms to see the saint. People are ready to stand on the street for days in order to venerate the relics of the saint about whose help there are millions of reviews. Most often, the relics are brought in the fall, as well as on the saint’s day of remembrance - at the end of December. Residents of Russian regions are less likely to venerate the saint in person.
But modern technology and powerful prayer are not limited by distance. Spiridon hears forgiveness and prayers of gratitude from any part of the planet. It is customary to pray to him with three strong prayers dedicated to the saint.
What should you ask Saint Spyridon for?
For the first time, from August 24 to October 15, 2018, the right hand (right hand) of St. Spyridon of Trimythous, delivered from Greece, is sweeping through 12 cities of Russia. Until October 15, it will be possible to venerate it in Moscow, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. We asked the priests why to go to St. Spyridon and what is really worth asking him for.
Meeting of the relics of St. Spyridon in Moscow. Photo: Sergey Vlasov / foto.patriarchia.ru
Go to a saint just to get closer to him
Priest Valery Dukhanin:
When the holy relics of the great saint of God are brought to us, we can go to him with whatever is painful
– We usually distribute saints according to the functions they perform: this one is a patron in healing, this one is in study, this one is in purchasing housing. This is probably easier for the human consciousness to decide what prayers to say, when and to whom. But the saints stand in Heaven before God, who will fulfill any request if it comes from the heart and does not contradict God’s will. When the holy relics of the great saint of God are brought to us, we can go to him with any request, with anything that hurts in our soul, that seems hopeless and insoluble.
And yet, let’s remember the main thing. We are accustomed to constantly begging something from the saints, begging, begging for solutions to our momentary earthly problems. We do not see the main thing that the saints tell us about, which they testify to with their very lives - about the closest unity of the soul with God. Each saint, through his life, gives us a hint of what we should look for, what we should strive for, what we should ask for in our humble prayers.
Go to the saint not to beg, but to entrust your destiny into the hands of God
Saint Spyridon was distinguished by his amazing mercy, kind and simple life. Why did the Lord fulfill the requests of Saint Spyridon himself? Yes, because Saint Spyridon always followed the will of God, fulfilled God’s commandments and avoided sin, he conquered his “I” within himself and responded with pain to the pain of others. This is the key to fulfilling any prayer. Coming to Saint Spyridon, let us ask him: “Give us a kind, merciful heart, open to meet God and people. And, if God pleases, help us solve our earthly problems.”
Priest Valery Dukhanin
In general, it is a great happiness to be closer to the saints, to simply pray to them from the heart, perhaps without personally asking for anything for yourself, but to carefully read the life, turn to the saint through an akathist, a canon, prayers, and pray carefully at a prayer service. Go to the saint not to beg, but to simply become closer to the saint and entrust your destiny into the hands of God. Will the saint really not see what we need personally, how to help us? The main thing is that the heart is pure, open to the help that any holy saint is ready to provide us.
If the request is sincere and constant, the saint will definitely help
Priest Dimitry Shishkin:
– We know that it is customary to ask St. Spyridon for solutions to housing issues. And this tradition would not have developed if many people, through the prayers of the saint, had not received what they asked for. But the main thing we need to ask from any saint is unity, agreement with God in the Holy Spirit, because this is what constitutes the goal of our life and what unites all of us, Orthodox Christians, into One Church.
All earthly life is given to us only for this purpose, so that we seek and find God.
Moreover, it is important that we really ask for this from the heart, and not with such thoughts that, they say, I will ask “for the sake of decency” for something correct and spiritual, and then we can already ask for the “main thing”, that is, for an apartment, for example. If you think like that, then it’s better not to pray, honestly. Because, I think, such a prayer upsets the saints because it testifies to our lack of understanding of the purpose and meaning of spiritual life, testifies to a “revolution” of consciousness when we think that we need God in order to solve some of our earthly affairs, but in fact, all earthly life was given to us only for this purpose, so that we would seek and find God.
Priest Dimitry Shishkin
All that has been said does not mean, of course, that one cannot ask St. Spyridon for permission to resolve the “housing issue,” but it only means that the main thing in our lives should be spiritual unity with God and His saints. And if there is no such disposition, then, first of all, you need to ask that Saint Spyridon help you come to the right spiritual dispensation. Ask for this with all your heart. And I believe that if this request is sincere and constant, then the saint will definitely help restore order in the house that has already been given to us: scary to say - in the house of the Holy Spirit, that is, in ourselves. And the rest will follow...
The first thing you need to pray to the saints for is help in the fight against your sins and passions.
Priest Sergius Begiyan:
– There is a great temptation to treat every saint in a utilitarian way. Ask St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for help while traveling, pray to St. John the Baptist for headaches, and venerate St. Spyridon as a great helper in matters related to real estate.
Priest Sergius Begiyan
I’m just afraid that this attitude towards saints smacks not of Orthodox veneration, but of some kind of shamanism.
The first thing we need to pray to the saints for is help in the fight against our sins and passions. How often do we pray to the saints about this? But such a prayer is pleasing to God and pleasing to the saints. This is how you need to approach the relics of the saints - with a request for deliverance from anger and irritation, idle talk and condemnation, lustful thoughts and gluttony, and so on. And the rest will follow.
