All life is like a miracle
Archimandrite Justin (Constantas), rector of the Church of St. Spyridon in Kerkyra (Corfu Island, Greece), Greek Orthodox Church: – Miracles through prayers at the relics of St. Spyridon happen every day. Every! That is why Saint Spyridon is called a miracle worker. Saint Spyridon created many miracles for all people together, and for each person personally. You are asking to tell a specific miracle, but if I, the one who simply observes the miracles of St. Spyridon every day, if sometimes not every minute, focus on any one, telling it, I will thereby diminish the abundance of other miracles that also happened and are happening. I can't choose just one. A lot of people are being healed. A great many spouses who have not previously had children give birth to children. Recently, cases of healing from cancer have become especially frequent. Moreover, someone comes who has been diagnosed with not the first stage of cancer, and then, after a while, the person does repeated tests, and the doctors shrug their shoulders, not understanding what happened. And here’s another remarkable story: one family had no money at all, they found themselves broke, fervent prayer at the relics of St. Spyridon not only saved them from despondency, but also arranged all their affairs in the best possible way. As you say, there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped. By the way, in Russia they pray to St. Spyridon mainly to solve the housing problem. In Greece it is not so: they turn to Saint Spyridon with all requests. Although, however, most of all they pray for work. If you read the Greek prayer to St. Spyridon, you will understand that the emphasis there is precisely on this. And so that the Greeks prayed to St. Spyridon specifically for finding a home, there is no such thing. I don’t know how this tradition arose in Russia.
Archimandrite Justin (Konstantas) How did Saint Spyridon help me personally?! What are you talking about? I have been the rector of the Church of St. Spyridon on the island of Corfu for 14 years. Saint Spyridon is my whole life, he has helped and continues to help me in everything. He blessed me with the priesthood, and it was in his church that I was ordained. What else do you need? I never asked Saint Spyridon for anything, and he gave me everything. I can't understand this with my mind. This is beyond comprehension. This whole life is like a miracle. The island of Corfu and all its inhabitants have been honored for centuries with this great grace and mercy of God to have such a compatriot as Saint Spyridon. Moreover, having passed into eternity, he does not leave us. His relics remain completely incorruptible, they are miraculous. The dark color of the saint’s face and body are traces of soot and dust. But we do not dare to clean the relics. When we perform prayer services and change the saint’s slippers, we see that his feet are imperishable and bright, as if worn out from constant walking, just as his slippers wear out. When we touch the body of a saint, dents remain on the body, which gradually, like on the body of a living person, become even out. In Corfu, miracles happen every day from the holy, incorruptible relics of our patron. Still, I am telling this incident because it is very significant: one unbelieving fisherman Spiro (namesake of the saint, Spiridon) once went out to sea as usual to fish, and then suddenly a storm began! The boat sank, and Spiro also went down. But suddenly something happened, and he woke up already on the shore. I was so stunned that I ran to the temple. He wanted to bow to the one whose hand he clearly felt grasping him underwater. He comes running... And the monks, who had previously unsuccessfully tried to open the ark with the relics[1], turn to see the drowned man who burst into the temple within five minutes, and just then the locks of the reliquary turned. The rescued man fell at the feet of his savior, and on his slippers were wet (!) seaweed and shells... Spiro immediately spent all his fortune on a golden lamp for the saint’s shrine, but most importantly, he was forever sobered up from skepticism and believed. This grace was felt, of course, by the Russian people as they applied to a particle of the relics, because we brought to you the same right hand (right hand) with which the saint worked and continues to work miracles! We thank His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' for his blessing to visit the Holy Russian Land and introduce the God-loving Russian people to the joy of communion with our Kerkyra patron, but at the same time, of course, a universal saint. I also thank Metropolitan Nektarios of Kerkyra, Paxia and Diapontine Islands (Hellenic Orthodox Church); and all the metropolitans of all those metropolises that we visited, and these are a dozen huge regions. People came and went to worship the saint! We prayed. Everywhere we served liturgy and prayer services with archpastors and pastors, and with everyone we felt like brothers in Christ. We have in our veins the blood of the communicants, of Christ. We are united by the Orthodox faith. I would also like to thank the Foundation of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, represented by Vladimir Babiy, Orthodox Pilgrimage, since thanks to their efforts everything was so flawlessly organized.
Enlightenment of a hard-hearted speculator
After that incident of miraculous relief from drought, a bountiful grain harvest was harvested in the country for several years. Ordinary people rejoiced, but more rejoiced than them were the speculators, who filled their storehouses with wheat and waited for the right moment. And it came - famine began again in the country. They began to ask fabulous amounts of money for bread. When old stocks ran out, merchants began supplying grain from the mainland, further inflating the price for their goods.
At this time, a poor man approached one of the businessmen with a request to donate at least a little flour to him. The greedy businessman refused, saying that you should only come to him with money. Offended and driven to despair, the man went to Spiridon and tearfully told about what had happened. The bishop was not at a loss:
– Pray to God and believe. Tomorrow you will have a lot of bread - the rich man himself will offer it to you.
The poor man left the saint’s house, and he began to earnestly cry out to the Lord to admonish the wicked businessman. The shepherd prayed for a long time, and at night it began to rain. Water flowing from the surrounding hills soaked the walls of the barn where the grain merchant stored grain. Soon a crack formed in the masonry, through which the wheat began to spill out. Picked up by the flow of water, it quickly spread throughout the city, leaving the storehouse of the heartless businessman. The next morning, when the rain stopped and the ground dried up, the villagers found whole scatterings of bread near their houses. Now everyone could take as much grain as they needed for food. The poor man, who just yesterday humiliated himself before the greedy businessman, also got more than it. And the rich man, having lost his goods and realizing his guilt, began to walk around the city and beg people to take from him for free as much bread as they wanted.
Miracle, because the Lord is near
Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov
Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov, rector of the Moscow Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Petrovsky Park: - Neither St. Spyridon, nor any other ecumenical saints, nor even the greatest saints can perform a single miracle. They can pray. And how their prayer differs from ours is that the Lord hears them. Why does he hear? Because they obeyed Him. But God Himself already “desires the idea”, there “the rank changes the nature.” A man was sick - he was healed. He died, but consider himself resurrected. For the Lord to resurrect anyone is not a problem. The sun can stop or be directed in the other direction, it can easily cause a drought or, conversely, a thunderstorm in the middle of a clear sky and even show lightning. The thunder doesn't strike - the man doesn't cross himself. So He can also send illness to someone for the sake of humility - solely out of His fatherly care and love for us. A person can only ask. And due to the fact that the saints pleased God with their lives, He simply cannot refuse them. This is how miracles happen. Precisely because the Lord is near. And we just say for brevity: “The Quick Helper and the Glorious Worker of Wonders.” Although it is dogmatically correct that we should say: “Help, Lord, for the prayers of St. Spyridon, the miracle worker.”
The miracle of turning a brick into three parts
Photo: Tatmitropolia.ru
At the First Ecumenical Council, Spyridon of Trimifuntsky amazed those present not only with his eloquence, but also with a real miracle. When the conversation turned to the unity of the Holy Trinity, which many heretics did not recognize, the saint took a baked clay brick in his hand and said:
“Behold, there are three elements, and the plinth (brick) is one, so in the Most Holy Trinity there are Three Persons, and the Divinity is One.”
With these owls, he squeezed the brick in his hand and, suddenly, fire shot up, water flowed down, and soft clay remained in the saint’s hand. All members of the Council, who saw this miracle with their own eyes, were forced to admit that all the words of the elder were the ultimate truth.
How Saint Spyridon saved one of the sheep, who later became a bishop
Metropolitan Neophyte of Morphus (Masouras)
Metropolitan Neophyte of Morphosis (Masouras), Cypriot Orthodox Church: – As a young man, about 18 years old, I went to Greece from Cyprus in search of the elders... Since childhood, I was raised in the Orthodox tradition, so I understood: it was time to take care about finding a mentor. I had a lot of questions for him in order to immediately decide on the right path in life: what is the meaning of life, how to be saved, forgive, pray, why we are given death, etc. My heart was breaking with pain then: as a result of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, my brother was killed. In Greece, I first met the elder Porfirios Kavsokalivit, who lived outside of Athens, in Oropos. This man of God loved me very much, but said: “It is better for you, my son, to have Elder Jacob, on Euboea, as your spiritual father.” Now this is Elder Jacob (Tsalikis), famous not only in Greece, but throughout the Orthodox world. At one time he moved to Euboea from Asia Minor as a refugee. Here he became a monk in the monastery of St. David, with whom he mysteriously and repeatedly conversed face to face, as we all who live today communicate. Then, in my youthful maximalism, I intended to go to Athos. However, Elder Jacob restrained me: “No, you will go to Cyprus, because you will be a bishop there.” This was my first obedience, I had to give up what I myself wanted. True, I nevertheless escaped, as if to the last hope of my self-will, to Elder Paisius on the Holy Mountain: “Well, how can it be, how can it be?” – I lamented to him. “The elder is sending me to return to Cyprus, but I don’t want that at all...” “No, Elder Jacob is right,” he cooled me down. – You must go to Cyprus, because this is exactly the will of the Lord for you. It is there that you will open monasteries - male and female. He told me that I should graduate from the Faculty of Law (where, incidentally, I was studying then). “Then,” he instructed, “wait for two years, pray, and in two years you will receive an answer in your heart where exactly you need to go and with whom exactly to live.” And, indeed, two years later I heard the answer in my heart: “You must go to Cyprus, to the city of Larnaca, to Father Simeon.” By that time, I had already become accustomed to obedience, somehow humbled myself and went where this voice in my heart commanded. Father Simeon turned out to be a very educated man, an icon painter. He, like an X-ray, shone through you: what is not sacred about you. The whole horror was that the Lord sent me to the Geronda, who was the complete opposite of me! This confessor waited patiently for four years, without making a single comment to me, hoping that a good example would do more than any words... But I myself have that same character... hegemonic! Harsh and angry. And only a few years later the elder reproached me for something. I was immediately offended! And I didn’t talk to him at all for four days. Do you know why I talked to him? Because on the fourth day Satan visited me. Grace left me, and I found myself in the clutches of a demon. I felt goosebumps, even purely physically, and not only spiritually, I felt my complete worthlessness. On this day we celebrated the memory of St. Spyridon of Trimythous. “Saint Spyridon, save me as you kept your sheep,” I prayed to him. He was also a shepherd. And I decided to humble myself like a sheep. This was a very important decision for my entire life. I felt: humility before your elder is the beginning of repentance... Obedience to the elder and humility before him protects you from Satan. The heart is freed from old desires, the mind is freed from dirty thoughts. In this simplicity, you begin to like to see your shortcomings. Not the advantages and good traits that you may have, but the flaws! I'll tell you a secret: the fact is that everything we see diminishes in us. As if under a magnifying glass through which the sun shines, from humility to see precisely their weaknesses and passions, they get caught. The devil does not tolerate this magical optics, when you no longer see yourself as deceptively majestic, but pitiful and worn out, in the disgrace of lusts. If we constantly see something good in ourselves, then we will lose all this that we so like to notice in ourselves. Do you know why? It’s just that the Lord loves us, and so that we don’t become proud and ultimately destroy our souls, He deprives us of these positive qualities... This is how temptations begin. Don't be surprised why everything in your life goes wrong. The obstinate are given obstinate paths. Saint Isaac the Syrian said: “A monk who boasts betrays himself into the hands of the devil.” I experienced this first hand. And only Saint Spyridon, by the power of his archpastoral power, saved me. Just imagine, when we praise ourselves, what are we dooming ourselves to?! That is, we expose ourselves to shame and disgrace. Because the devil immediately begins to mock the image of God in man. So let us often imagine ourselves as sheep and turn in prayer to the great and merciful shepherd - St. Spyridon! Pray to God for us, servant of God! Teach us to repent without hesitation, to humble ourselves and follow the path of obedience to the commandments of Christ.
God spoke through his lips
Photo: Semyaivera.ru
In 325, the Saint took part in the First Ecumenical Council. The most famous theologians, scientists, philosophers and sages gathered here. As is known, in the first centuries, Orthodoxy was purified from various heresies that distorted the teachings of Jesus Christ and compiled a set of documents that approved the basic church canons and theological rules.
And so, a simple shepherd entered into an argument with the Greek philosopher, uttering a fiery speech that has survived to this day:
“We believe that Almighty God created heaven, earth, man and the whole visible and invisible world out of nothing by His Word and Spirit. This Word is the Son of God, Who came down to earth for our sins, was born of the Virgin, lived with people, suffered, died for our salvation and then rose again, atoning for original sin with His suffering, and resurrected the human race with Himself. We believe that He is Consubstantial and Equal in Honor with the Father, and we believe this without any crafty inventions, for it is impossible to comprehend this mystery with the human mind.”
Realizing that through the lips of a bishop who had never studied eloquence and theology, the Holy Spirit Himself was speaking, those present were amazed. Opponents of Christianity became its zealous defenders, saying that a person cannot resist God and compete with him in eloquence and fortitude.
Saint Spyridon is great in his humility
Archbishop of Sergiev Posad Feognost (Guzikov)
Archbishop of Sergiev Posad Feognost (Guzikov): “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). The Lord is glorified by the humble, and grace is given to the humble. Saint Spyridon, the Wonderworker of Trimifunts, is a great saint, but he is great precisely because of his humility, and it is because of his humility that the Lord gave him this great grace. He was simple and unlearned. And in this simplicity and ignorance there was deep humility, and the Lord despised this humility and gave him grace. Grace was given to him both during his earthly life in the body, and after his departure, when he now rests in his relics on the island of Kerkyra, he was given special grace. When the saint’s body is re-clothed once a year, his slippers turn out to be worn out to holes. He walks the earth and helps those who cry out and ask him for help. The Lord gives grace not according to His will, but according to how much a person humbles himself. Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, reminded: God creates out of nothing, and explained: and as long as we represent something, the Lord does not begin His action of creation in us. That is, as long as we are great in ourselves, the Lord does not begin His action in us, and we remain in our pride. And until we get rid of this pride, the Spirit of the Lord will not rest in us. How can I tell if I have pride or if I am a humble person? The first sign of pride is resentment. When a person is offended, this speaks of his hidden deep pride. And blessed is the person who by spiritual life understands not only bows, not only akathists, not only canons, not only the duration of worship, but has humility and love. And when we humble ourselves, and when we no longer take offense at anyone, then love settles in our hearts, and then the grace of God rests abundantly on us. Everything is so simple in this life: get rid of pride - resentment will go away, resentment will go away - compassion and love for your neighbor will come. And compassion and love are true evidence that the Spirit of the Lord lives in a person’s soul, grace lives. Through the prayers of St. Spyridon, the miracle worker of Trimifunt, may the Lord help us get rid of pride and the evidence of pride - resentment, so that we love our neighbor, humble ourselves, and realize and understand that we are not worthy of anything, and if the Lord gives us something, it is only by His grace. And then we will always thank God. Thank you for health, thank you for illness, thank you for sorrows, thank you for joys - always thank God!
Cloud conqueror
The island of Cyprus has always been famous for its unique climate. There are periods of heat and beneficial periods of rain. But droughts also happen. Now that international trade has been established, such disasters do not threaten famine, but in the old days, lack of rain turned into a terrible ordeal, and many people died from lack of food. Such grief befell the Cypriots in those years when Spyridon served as bishop. The country felt the effects of the drought more and more every day, and the number of starvation deaths grew rapidly. Seeing all this, the saint decided to dare to turn to God in prayer and command heaven to pour rain on the earth. The bishop went out into the outskirts and said in a secluded place:
“Lord, just as you once heard Elijah, who commanded the clouds to gather together, so hear me now.” Send rain to the earth. You see how people suffer...
A few minutes later, a strong wind blew from the sea, driving huge gray clouds towards land. A few more moments - and a life-giving downpour fell on the island, nourishing the soil exhausted by the heat. It rained for several days in a row, until Spiridon, seeing that there was already enough moisture, ordered it to stop.
"Grandfather Spiridon"
Archpriest Sergius Pravdolyubov Archpriest Sergius Pravdolyubov, rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Troitsky-Golenishchev: - The saints, including such ecumenical saints as Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, were especially close to our new martyrs and confessors during the times of persecution. Do you know why? Look, sometimes they wonder: why is it that Father Pavel Florensky mentions God so rarely in his letters? They wouldn’t have missed the letter if there was a mention of God! Then all the letters were read! Here is my father, Archpriest Anatoly Pravdolyubov - and he sat with Father Pavel at the same time - writes, I remember, home: “I congratulate you, Grandfather Spiridon makes us all very happy today!” What is it about? This is the memory of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky. How can you write differently if the letters are opened? But there is some kind of related feeling of the closeness of the saints! “All things work together for good to those who love God” (Rom. 8:28). The Church of Christ, in essence, is always persecuted (cf. 2 Tim. 3:12), this also unites all Christians of the Church - both Militant and Triumphant.
Educator of criminals
Photo: Kavkazskaya-hram.cerkov.ru
There is a well-known story from a contemporary of Spiridon of Trimifuntsky that thieves decided to steal his sheep one night. But, having entered the sheepfold, they immediately found themselves tied by an unknown force with strong ropes. In the morning the saint came to the sheep and, seeing the robbers, prayed for them and began to exhort them to return to the righteous path, to earn their living by honest labor. And after the sermon, he gave them each a sheep with the words: “It was not in vain that you did not sleep at night.”
We recommend reading: Akathist to Spyridon of Trimifuntsky
"How?! You did not see?"
Nikolai Nefedov, singer of the Novospassky Monastery choir: – One day, led by Bishop Alexy (Frolov), then Orekhovo-Zuevsky, abbot of the Moscow Novospassky Monastery, we went to Corfu. We were late for the service, but we were allowed to pray at the shrine. The Bishop read an akathist. I will remember for the rest of my life the zeal and love with which he did this. I didn’t pray, I was burning! I was filming with a camera then, and later, when I watched these frames, I always got goosebumps from the way he clearly addressed every word to the saint. And not just to read it. Then we venerated the relics. And when we left the church, I remember the Bishop’s delight: “Kolya!” Kolya! You did not see?! - What, Vladyka?.. - Well, of course, of course... Spiridon of Trimifuntsky turned to us today! According to local legend, if the saint turns his head towards the person praying, this is a sign of his special favor. Vladyka noticed this and still couldn’t calm down: “How did no one notice?!” We really didn't pay attention. Then, when they came the next time, I began to take a closer look. And then the bishop was positively jubilant and did not let up: “No, Kolya!” Saint Spyridon turned to us! This is such grace! May God grant that we all learn to pray in such a way that the Lord and His saints will favor us and hear us.
Life of a Saint
Photo: Pravmir.ru
Saint Spyridon was born in the 3rd century in Cyprus. As a shepherd, he led a righteous and holy life, giving all his means to the needy and weak, and was content with the least. For such a holy life, the Lord rewarded him with the gift of miracles. And Spiridon used this gift for the benefit of people. For this he was elected bishop of the city of Trimifunt. Having received the rank of bishop, the saint used his power only to expand assistance to those in need, conduct tireless pastoral service, and fight heresies with the power of the Holy Spirit. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky performed many wonderful and good deeds during his life. But the most famous are the 6 miracles that he showed to people.
Saint Spyridon called
With Hieroschemamonk Valentin (Gurevich) Alexey Tarasov Alexey Tarasov, parishioner of the Donskoy Stauropegial Monastery in Moscow: - Saint Spyridon constantly and a lot throughout life, including me, a sinner, helps. This time I found myself at his relics, one might say, miraculously: on Thursday last week I had a persistent thought to go to the saint - as if he had called me. Although I myself, to be honest, did not intend to do this before, I reasoned approximately the same way as many: there are particles of his relics in Moscow, and I will do so, if possible... I still decided to be blessed by Father Valentin (Gurevich), confessor of the Donskoy Monastery - I was just there, at the monastery. “As the priest says, so it will be,” I thought. He gave his blessing, I decided to take the metro, it was already 17.00, and there were traffic jams. I went on the road to venerate and bless the relics of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow. And there I was “accidentally” met by a sister I knew; she works at the Donskoy Monastery. And as soon as I told her where I was going, it turned out that precisely today and in general now two buses with residents and employees were leaving the monastery to serve a prayer service before the relics of St. Spyridon, led by the vicar, Bishop Paramon (Golubka). There were two seats on the buses, departure at 18.00. It’s inconvenient to disturb the elder again, but still, I called Father Valentin again, since the circumstances turned out this way, to be blessed to go on the bus with everyone. I had some kind of persistent desire to once again take his blessing. And he blesses, and it immediately turns out that he himself, it turns out, knew nothing about the trip - they didn’t tell him, thinking that he was sick. This is all true, but he says he would go to St. Spyridon... We took these two places. All the brethren and employees were very glad to see him with us. Bishop Paramon and his brethren served a prayer service in a specially designated place in front of the relics. Father sang and defended the service. They kissed each other. Father was in his old cassock and padded jacket, somehow very simply dressed, perhaps this somehow reminded people of the saint-shepherd - suddenly, like sheep, people began to flock to him from everywhere, asked for prayers, gave notes, although he was without any hierarchical insignia, even without a schema, but as a very simple novice... Another consolation for the priest was there, at the relics, a meeting with the son of his spiritual mentor, Archpriest Valerian Krechetov - Father Feodor Krechetov , rector of the Church of the Great Martyr George the Victorious in Gruziny. They hugged. The fact is that in the Sretensky Church of the Donskoy Monastery there is a tomb of the Georgian royal and princely families, and Father Valentin repeatedly served liturgies, memorial services, litias there, somehow also becoming close to the Georgian diaspora in Moscow. At the relics of St. Spyridon, an amazingly warm atmosphere of joyful meetings, harmony, universal unity, and brotherhood reigned. In the hands of Father Theodore was the text of the sequence of prayers to St. Spyridon in the Georgian language - which only emphasized the supranational character of true Orthodoxy, which is above all the obstacles that those who, unfortunately, even within the Church, can be imbued with the spirit of hostility and discord are trying to create for us of this world. The bishop sent Father Valentin back in his car straight to his cell. And we got there by bus, everything was in a very blessed state. And the priest was very pleased and said that he did not experience any pain or illness during this trip. I myself, a sinner, previously prayed to St. Spyridon, to my shame, to say, mainly on material issues. And this time, many asked for prayers for them and the children. And he prayed without any worldly thoughts, simply for intercession for people who were close and asked for help, but were not able to come themselves. And my soul felt very, very light. I am sure that no one was left without God’s help through the prayers of St. Spyridon!
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.
Dad
Irina Turunova
Irina Turunova, manager at a pharmaceutical company: – My birthday falls in memory of St. Spyridon – December 25th. I found out about this only after graduating from college, when I began to become a church member. And having learned a little later that the saint’s daughter’s name was Irina, like mine, she became imbued with even greater love for him. Even in prayer she addressed him as if she were her own father. For me, Saint Spyridon is always nearby. The first miracle was my trip to the island of Corfu. Financially, I wouldn’t be able to afford it then, but suddenly at work they give me a bonus with the indispensable condition that I go to the seaside to maintain my health. And I flew, of course, to the saint! During my week there I visited his relics several times. Came for the first time, and there were a lot of people there! It was Sunday, and no one was allowed to linger at the relics; they kissed and were on their way out. My heart sank, I turned to my dad... I couldn’t explain to myself what happened next. Suddenly, the employee, who persistently hurried everyone and even pushed them towards the exit, fixed his gaze on me... I huddled behind the door, which was open into the room, and, catching his gaze, tensed up and began to pray even more intensely: “Spiridona! » (I already knew that this is how the locals address him). What happened next is unknown. I thought that somehow miraculously they didn’t notice me... Because the employee suddenly turned away and began to further speed up the others... And I prayed to myself and prayed... For more than an hour! And I was so happy! Then she fluttered out of there, as if on wings! Not only were they not noticing me at the door, but they also accepted me as one of their own. Because then all the days this employee constantly even recognized me and greeted me with a smile and a nod of his head. And when other temple employees handed out pieces of material from the saint’s shoes, take it and pour out a whole handful for me! Although others were methodically counted out 1-2 pieces of shrines, even if people additionally begged them to be generous, no, they referred to some kind of regulations and, in the end, to the fact that the saint himself controls everything here. I myself did not ask for anything, but, of course, I was glad to distribute the holy items to everyone upon returning home. The whole trip I felt the presence of the saint - the priest definitely met me! And moreover, he sent me to St. Nicholas. A girl from an agency passed by the hotel and decided to offer us a ferry trip to Bari. It’s a one-day trip, you go out at night - all day in Bari - back in the evening. For me the price was prohibitive, and I, disappointed, went to the restaurant for dinner. On the way back, the girl, already getting ready to leave, saw me and came up again... Then I explained to her that I simply did not have enough money. And here, too, a miracle happened. She called the agency and they sold me the trip at half price. While getting ready, the thought flashed through my mind that there would be some kind of catch on the ferry, but no, everything was wonderful. My whole trip to Corfu was like a fairy tale for me! How the priest greeted me! I remember and thank Saint Spyridon. Two years later, I visited the island of Corfu again thanks to the help of St. Spyridon. On my last trip I asked for help with housing - I helped. This again was something unrealistic for me, but everything came true! The saint did not fulfill one of my requests. But I was not upset, after time I was even glad that it did not come true: for it was not my will, but the Lord’s. The Lord knows best what is good for us. I always feel the help of Saint Spyridon. I was unable to show my respect to the saint these days and bow to his right hand. I was only able to stand in front of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for an hour, reading the akathist and praying. I asked him, as a defender of the Truth, to protect us all and protect the Orthodox Christians of Ukraine. I felt a warm response from the saint. Pray to God for us, Saint Spyridon!
How to find gold? Ask the dead man!
It is unknown how many children the Trimythus shepherd had, but legends have brought to us the name of one of his daughters - Irina. There is also an unusual story associated with it.
Raised by her father in faith and piety, the girl decided to completely devote herself to God and people. She did not get married, completely devoting herself to service. There was enough work to do - to feed the hungry, to clothe the poor, to sit with the sick, and to comfort the sad. And at night, when she had a free minute, Irina prayed or read the Holy Scriptures. But one day news spread around the village - the girl had died. Apparently, her soul was so pure that the Lord decided at a young age to grant her Eternity...
One of Irina’s duties was to store the belongings of those Christians who went on a trip. On the day of the girl’s death, it turned out that she did not have time to add some gold object to the lists, which one townswoman had given her for safekeeping. He was the woman’s only value, and she, having learned about Irina’s death, decided to take him away. But since the item was not listed anywhere, it was impossible to find it. The hostess became despondent. However, Spiridon, seeing the woman’s sadness, solved the problem in an unusual way. After praying, he went to the bed of the deceased and said:
“Irina, dear, tell me, where did you put the thing that this woman is so sad about?”
The girl who had just been lying dead opened her eyes, looked at her father with a meaningful look and said:
– I hid the jewelry at our house. - And, having told where to look for the loss, she again closed her eyes and gave up the ghost...
***
The Great Miracle of St. Spyridon on August 11, 1716
...Days, months, years passed. The saint was getting old. He still continued to carry out his ministry. Until the last day, he did not shy away from reaping wheat or grazing flocks. In moments of labor, he could remain alone with God and himself.
One day, while working in the field with his fellow villagers, Spiridon received a sign - dew covered his head (which is impossible in the summer heat), and his hair became multi-colored - red, black, white. He realized that the Lord was calling him to himself. The saint returned home, gathered his flock and began to instruct them in the faith. He spoke, as always, in simple peasant language, but behind these unprepossessing words hid enormous faith, and those around him felt it.
Just being near the saint was enough to establish oneself in evangelical ideals for the rest of one’s life. After spending several days in instructions, the saint gave his soul to God. He was buried in his hometown, in the temple, where all his life this man was the living embodiment of the teachings of Christ and a vessel of God's grace.
Stories of help from Spiridon of Trimifuntsky in Russian Orthodoxy
In 1970, there was an outbreak of cholera in Odessa, Ukraine. The city was closed, none of the residents could leave their place of registration. Moscow resident Tatyana decided to move her elderly parents from Odessa to her home. Due to her health, her father was extremely at risk of contracting cholera. When the woman came to her family, she prayed to Saint Spyridon all the time.
Having gone to the ticket office to purchase air tickets for a flight to Moscow, Tatyana placed her passport on top of her parents’. The cashier checked the woman’s passport with her place of registration, then opened only the first pages of her parents’ passports - the last names matched. Having decided that the address must match, the cashier issued tickets. Tatiana continued to pray to Saint Spyridon. There was still a check at the airport upon landing. But a miracle happened there too - only her passport was completely checked. Tatyana and her parents arrived safely in Moscow.
In 2013, Father Konstantin, rector of the Church of Peter and Paul in the village of Vetvennik (Pskov region), had his Gazelle car stolen in St. Petersburg. A search began, but after a month there were no results. On the advice of one of the oldest priests of the northern capital, Archpriest John Mironov, Father Konstantin performed fervent prayer before the icon of the saint in the chapel of St. Spyridon on Vasilyevsky Island (St. Petersburg). A few days later, the priest received a call from one of the parking lots. He needed to pay for the parking of the same stolen car that had been there for a month.
