Many saints and saints revered by the Church performed real miracles, testifying to their unusual natural gift. They healed incurable patients, saw prophetic dreams, could predict the future …
Recluse in chains
The Monk Irinarkh of Rostov, in the world Ilya, was born in the 17th century in the village of Kondakovo near Yaroslavl, in the family of peasants Akindin and Irina. At the age of 18, Ilya went to work near Nizhny Novgorod. One day the boy suddenly cried bitterly in front of everyone: "I see the repose of my father, the bright angels are carrying my parent to the burial." It turned out that the father really died at that time.
After his death, Ilya asked his mother's blessing to go to the Borisoglebsk monastery, which was located on the Ustye River, 18 miles from Rostov. The young man was tonsured a monk and received the name Irinarkh. Remaining in the Borisoglebsk monastery, Irinarkh continued obedience, indulged in prayer and vigil at night, slept right on the ground. Once he saw a barefoot wanderer and turned to the Lord with a prayer: “Give. Lord, warmth to my feet, so that I can have mercy on this stranger and give off my boots for his feet! With these words, Irinarchus took off his boots and gave them to the beggar. From that day on, I began to walk barefoot in the cold.
Once blessed Ivan, nicknamed the Big Cap, paid a visit to the monk. And he ordered to make 100 crosses weighing a quarter of a pound each, so that Irinarchus would wear them on himself. "It is impossible for me to pour them - I am in poverty," replied the monk. But Ivan objected to him: "These are not my words, but from the Lord God."
And on the next day, people began to bring the Lrep-like various things of iron and copper, and he made chains for himself out of them, which he called "labor." On his neck he wore a chain 20 yards long, on his body - 142 iron and copper crosses, 18 fetters on his arms and chest, seven shoulder weights, leg restraints and on his belt a weight of one pood. In addition, he often beat himself with an iron stick and slept only two hours a day. Irinarkh was engaged in needlework - knitting of hoods, a scroll for the brethren and clothes for the poor. At the same time, he constantly prayed.
Somehow Irinarkh had a prophetic dream - as if the Russian land had perished from Lithuania. He decided to go to the king and tell him everything. He took off some of the weights, took the cross and set off for Moscow on foot. Irinarch was admitted to the sovereign, and the monk told him about his dream. After that, the tsar gave an order to urgently harness the fastest horses and bring Irinarkh back to Uglich so that no one would hear about the prediction.
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The prophecy turned out to be true. Lithuanian hetman Sapega went to Russia to put False Dmitry II on the throne. Having heard about the elder, Sapega appeared to him for a blessing. The seer warned him that if he did not leave Russia, he would be killed. The prince marveled at the monk's courage and did not touch him, but sent five rubles as a reward.
At this time, Prince Mikhail Vasilyevich Shuisky stood with his army and waited for an opportune moment to attack the Lithuanians. Irinarchus sent him a prosphora and conveyed the order to go on the offensive - victory will be theirs. Shuisky was the first to attack the Lithuanians. Sapega ran, throwing away all the loot.
The seer was wrapped in chains until his death. Out of 68 years 38 he lived as a recluse and in chains. And he uttered 13 prophecies in total.
A luminous being has appeared …
Father John of Kronstadt (1829-1908; in the world Ivan Ilyich Sergiev) was born in the village of Sura in the Pinezhsky district of the Arkhangelsk province in the family of a poor psalmist. At baptism, the boy was named Ivan in honor of St. John of Rylsky from the Balkans.
It's time to go to school, and the parents, with their last money, assigned the boy to the Arkhangelsk parish school with a boarding school. Ivan graduated from it with honors, then entered the seminary, completing his studies also brilliantly, and for outstanding successes was admitted to the state account in the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. After graduating from the Academy, Sergiev received the title of candidate of theology, and he was offered the position of priest in the Kronstadt Cathedral, built in the name of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called.
Having entered the rank, Fr. John began to help all those who were suffering from his parish. Wherever the priest went, people surrounded him. Some asked for support, while others offered donations. Without leaving a penny for himself or for the church, Fr. John immediately distributed money to those in need.
But Father John was most famous for his miraculous healings. As a rule, he prayed for the sick, and most of them recovered.
Irina Shlionskaya. Secrets of the 20th century magazine