Fr. Sofian Boghiu (✝2002) shares how swiftly the prayers of the Mother of God are heard and fulfilled by her Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. He also tells an incredible story from his time in prison, where a man experienced a miraculous appearance of the Virgin Mary. Fr. Sofian Boghiu was imprisoned for 6 years due to his faith during the oppressive Communist Regime in Romania. The Romanian Orthodox Church has approved the canonization of 16 new saints during the synodal sessions held on July 11-12th 2024. Venerable Sofian of Antim Monastery is one of them. They will be officially recognized as saints in 2025.
Video source: luptaintrucuvant https://youtu.be/RfFwGj9H2qA
Conference “On Prayer” November 14th, 1996, Bucharest, Faculty of Law.
Fr. Sofian:
Other times, in these very difficult moments, right then, at that moment, He answers you. Anything that happens to a child, the mother is very easily sensitized. If her son is in a difficult situation, even if he has treated her poorly until then, she becomes very anxious, full of worries, and tries everything to help him find a way out of that crisis. This is an earthly mother. I have encountered this in many cases in my life as a priest. The Mother of our Savior Christ is a great exception. The Mother of God Incarnate.
When Jesus was on the cross, He gave St. John this duty or care for His Mother: “This is your mother.” [cf. John 19:27] Through this mission that the Mother of God has at the most difficult earthly moment of our Savior Christ, when He was on the cross, crucified, and entrusts His Mother to the beloved disciple, the Mother of God becomes our mother, the mother of us earthly beings. She truly prays and is our great intercessor before God. The Mother of God and St. John the Baptist, these two witnesses of our Savior Christ, have a great influence before the Savior Christ, before the Righteous Judge.
When we address the Mother of God, not having the courage because of our deeds to address the Savior Christ, the Mother of God intercedes for us: “Lord, I who carried You in my arms, who raised You in Your earthly life, help me in my prayer and help this one who asks me.” In the Akathist of the Protection of the Mother of God, there is this part, in an ikos, where the Mother of God prays to the Savior Christ, saying, “Lord, help those who ask me to pray for them.” The words are different there, but this is the idea. She truly prays and the prayer of the Mother is received by Her Son, for Her Son is a God full of love.
Let me tell you a small story from prison. [during the Communist Regime in Romania] Someone who was imprisoned and spent 20 years in prison, a young man, I met him in prison, in an extraordinarily difficult investigation, and he ran out of patience. And he thought of finding a way to end his life. He remembered, however, that when he was free, his grandmother would tell him, “when you face great trouble, pray to the Mother of God.” He remembered this. And he told me, “I did not have the courage to pray to the Savior,” because he had his own mistakes. “But to the Mother of God, who was also earthly like us, I prayed.”
Short, desperate prayer: “Mother of God, I can no longer bear the pains and pressures that are put on me here. Help me!” He prayed in the cell! And a few moments later he saw a white figure with a child in her arms entering through the tall door of the cell: “You called me. I will help you, be at peace!” And she left. He was not called for interrogation again, they moved him to another place, to the North Pole, somewhere, to Vorkuta, and his whole life after that, though he lived many more years in prison, was a very peaceful life in his soul, even though the conditions were quite harsh, from time to time. The Mother of God helped him right after his prayer. I know this story from the one who experienced it, he told it to me. And in prison, no one lies. In prison, everyone says what is pure in their heart. The poor man told me what happened to him and how his problem was resolved.
This is how the Mother of God quickly helps. However, the prayer must be with all desire, with all being, with all power, with all confidence, made in desperation. And the prayer is fulfilled in the next moment. It doesn’t require time and long prayers, sometimes. Sometimes long prayers are needed to calm us down, to gather ourselves, to think towards God. Other times, in these very difficult moments, right then, at that moment, He answers you.
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