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Metropolitan Athanasios of Cyprus recalls 2 miracles of St. Porphyrios in Greece.
-a bus filled with nuns traveled a 5 hour distance in 10 minutes
-an abbess, close to death, was unexpectedly phoned by Father Porphyrios
Glory to God in His saints!
Metropolitan Athanasios:
One day 40-45 nuns visited another monastery.
On their return, they passed through Athens, to receive the blessing of Father Porphyrios.
But it was already night and the Abbess said: “We will only receive the blessing of the Father and then we have to go! We will not stay here long, we will not talk to him! We will kiss his hand and then we will go, it is already night. Otherwise when are we going to reach?”
The journey from Athens to the monastery is about 4 hours with light traffic and 5 hours with busy traffic.
“We can not reach the monastery at midnight!”
They went to the Father, he was glad to see so many nuns…
He said, “Have a sit!”
What shall they do? Well, they sat down out of respect for him!
And he started talking to them! He spoke to them, he kept talking to them!
The Abbess became very stressed: “Mother of God, what shall we do?” She was looking at her watch!
She said: “Father, forgive us!”
He: “Wait, wait, wait!”
She: “Father, we have to go!”
He: “Do not rush, do not rush!”
She: “But Father, we came by bus!”
He: “You will arrive, you will arrive!”
The Abbess told me, “I couldn’t bear it! I was watching the clock! I was stressed! Finally I couldn’t bear it anymore and I said, ‘Father, I am sorry, we have to go!'”
“Ok, ok,” said the old man, “what is that? Why are you anxious? Well, do you want to go? Please, go…”
The nuns kissed the Father’s hand and started to run to get to the bus. When they reached the bus another nun, who lived with the Father, appeared and shouted, “The Father wants Mother superior to come here!”
“Woe to us!”
The Abbess goes up and asks: “What is happening Father?”
“You know,” he says, “there is a radio station ‘Piraiki Ekklisia’, and they broadcast very beautiful things! Wait, I will show you!”
So she sits there, the Father turns on the radio and listens to Piraiki Ekklisia!
She was getting crazy! The other nuns were on the bus.
Finally, the mother couldn’t bear it anymore and said: “Father, we have to go!”
He says: “Okay, my child, what is that? You will arrive!”
The Father started to laugh, “You will arrive, you will arrive, do not cry!”
“I was watching the clock,” said the Abbess, “it was 7:30, 7:40, 7:45, 7:50, and I said, “Holy Mother, when will we reach the monastery? At 2 AM?”
“I left his cell at 8:10”, she said, “and Father told me: ‘You know, we have a girl here, why don’t you give her a ride to Athens?'”
“Now we have to pass through the city center… When will we get out of there?”
But out of respect for the Father she said, “Yeah, we take her, what shall we do? We take her!”
They left his cell at 8:10 PM! They went to Athens, they got stuck in traffic, the driver wanted to put gas. Finally, they arrived at the monastery. A five-hour trip!
They reached the monastery. On the bus there were some nuns from Arta, which they took with them to visit their monastery; they have brought guests as well! A bus filled with 50 nuns.
They reached the monastery, the Abbess said: “It should be around 1-2 AM. Who is going to open the gate for us now?
How will it be?”
She was worried! Paradoxically, there was light in the monastery and there was a nun standing at the door.
“Come in!”
The Abbess was vexed: “They still haven’t slept at this hour?” She wanted to reprove them, but she was ashamed because of the guests.
That mother says, “Welcome!” All the nuns gather there.
The Abbess says, “Okay, but why you haven’t slept at this hour yet? Are not you ashamed? We also have guests! It’s late!”
They started to serve the dinner, but the Abbess could not understand. “What happened with these women?”
“Mother superior, we waited for you before serving dinner!”
She says, “All right, but are you ok? You waited for us until 2 AM?”
The nuns looked at each other: “Forgive us, but what happened to Mother superior?”
“What happened to you? Why you haven’t eaten yet? You waited for us to come at midnight?”
“But Mother, what time is it?”
She looked at the clock, it was 8:20 PM!
My children, how could this happen, can you explain this? In 10 minutes they traveled a 5 hour distance!
And if she was the only one, you could have said she was dizzy talking nonsense! But a bus full with people? And the Abbess told us this, she was on the bus. The Fathers remember the story!
How could this happen?
As it was not enough, the next morning the Father phoned her and said to her, “Did you reach? Did you find the monastery open?”
Another Abbess had a heart surgery. She had heart problems.
This is how she met Father Porphyrios! She did not know him before.
She returned from the hospital and that evening they had a vigil. And because the Abbess sang beautifully, the nuns asked her to sing. They insisted, they encouraged her and she started to sing!
But, my children, during the “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal” she sang a high note, as women sing higher, and she had a strong voice, she forced herself and sang loudly. Then she felt like a ‘click’ in her chest, and immediately she understood that something wrong had happened with the surgery.
She never met Father Porphyrios before, she didn’t know him, nor did he knew her.
The service was over and she went to her cell. It was 4 AM.
The phone is ringing. She picks up the phone. Who calls at this hour?
She picks up the phone and hears: “I am Father Porphyrios from Athens, from Oropos!”
“Oh, nice to hear you, Father!” She heard something about him before!
“Oh, my little child, what was that ‘Holy Immortal’ that you sang?”
Yes, Holy Immortal! The Father said: “What was that ‘Holy Immortal’ that you sang? You, a woman who underwent a surgery! He, the Immortal, heard you and saved you from death! Otherwise, you would have died there, judging by your singing!”
She was speechless! How did the Father know this?
I mean, how did he hear this?
