If a person born in the eighteenth century is shown a video on his mobile phone, he will say that it is a miracle. Scientific and technological progress has reached its peak. We fly between continents on huge "iron birds" that do not flap their wings, talk to each other from a distance. Our robots send us photographs of other planets, and we shoot the most significant moments of our lives on video and store them in the “cloud”. Is there a place for miracles in our high-tech world?
Believers of different faiths will say with confidence: "Yes, there is!" In the life of every person there is a place for a miracle, but not everyone will notice it. Some unexplained phenomena occur regularly with large crowds. This article describes several miracles glorifying God and saints.
The convergence of fire for Easter
Every year on Holy Saturday, the entire Christian world prepares for a great miracle, the broadcast of which takes place on almost all Russian television channels. Thousands of people gather in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, everyone is waiting for the Orthodox Patriarch. Only through his prayers does the great sign of God's love for humanity occur. The descent of the blessed fire on the Holy Sepulcher is not only an Orthodox miracle, different faiths are collected in the church: Armenian, Syrian, Greek-Orthodox, Coptic, Ethiopian and Roman Catholic.
Representatives of the churches strip the patriarch, search him and the cuvuklia. All actions are taken to prevent fraud. The patriarch enters the room in the undershirt, holding a bunch of unlit candles in his hands, and begins the prayer. In the room of the cuuculia lies a massive granite slab polished to a shine by hundreds of thousands of people touching the shrine. Some time later, fiery flashes appear on the surface of the plate.
The patriarch lights candles from them and leaves the room. Instantly the fire passes from candle to candle and in an instant spreads through the temple. Pilgrims noticed that sometimes the flame jumps from person to person on their own. At first, for about five minutes, the fire does not burn, allowing the person to "wash themselves" with it.
Evidence of a pilgrim dated 1993:
"The Lord our God Jesus Christ awarded Vladyka Barnabas (the city of Cheboksary) with a trip to Jerusalem. There, Vladyka Barnabas received God's grace through the descent of the blessed fire on the bright Resurrection of Christ. When the patriarch of Jerusalem came out from Kuvuklia (the place of the Holy Sepulcher) with bunches of lighted candles, then the blessed fire left the candle on the candles of the Patriarch of Jerusalem Bishop Barnabas! then had the patriarch of Jerusalem light candles from the fire lord Barnabas. This fire did not burn for five minutes, and then it became customary burning candles. the grace of the descent of the Holy Fire on him was Bishop Barnabas of God in light of Christ's Resurrection - Easter 1993 ".
Church tradition says that the year in which fire does not descend will be the last for people on the planet.
Holy Cloud on Mount Tabor
For two thousand years on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord, a cloud has appeared on Mount Tabor. This is an event confirmed by science, for which there is no justification. Recent studies were conducted in August 2010. Every year, on August 19, God works miracles on the territory of an Orthodox monastery.
What makes this phenomenon surprising is the fact that there are no clouds in Israel at this time of year. Scientists took measurements of air from several points around the monastery. Based on the analysis, experts confirmed that the formation of a cloud in these weather conditions is impossible. Contrary to the claims of scientists, the cloud appeared.
Here is what Tatyana Shutova, journalist, philologist, member of the scientific expedition says:
Without a meteorologist, such a study cannot be carried out. She indicated which instruments to purchase, and we bought portable weather stations to measure pressure, temperature and humidity, to determine the dew point. We got in touch with the Israeli weather service. In the evening, having set up weather stations, we sat among a crowd of thousands of believers in the courtyard of the monastery, and Marina Makarova (meteorologist, researcher at the Hydrometeorological Center of the Russian Federation and the Phobos weather center) was filming weather data.
Around - Greeks, Ukrainians, Georgians, Moldavians, the ubiquitous Japanese and Russians. Marina said: “I don’t know what all these people are waiting for, but in such a dry air at this temperature the formation of fog is impossible!”
The purpose of the expedition was to fix and describe the occurring phenomenon and attempt to explain it from a scientific point of view. The scientific group set itself the task of measuring the process of the “algebra” of modern science - taking measurements of humidity, dew point, pressure, air temperature, wind speed, and other meteorological parameters on the night of the holiday and the day before, in order to compare the parameters “pre-cloudy” and “cloudy”.
And Pavel Florensky (professor at the Russian State University of Oil and Gas, academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, chairman of the Expert Working Group of the Russian Orthodox Church on the description of miraculous events):
To begin with, satellite images of the mountain were studied on the indicated day, August 19, and it was revealed that clouds began to gather around the mountain at night. The phenomenon itself, according to the generalized data of informants, is gaining full strength closer to the morning. Further study of space images showed that the very next day the cloud layer is shifting towards the sea.
The 17th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew states that Jesus Christ, together with the apostles Peter, James, and John, ascended the mountain, where he was transfigured. "And his face shone like the sun, but his garments became white as light. And, behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him." Perhaps in this passage we are dealing with an allegorical description of the consequences of a cloud converging.
Whether these phenomena of the same type have yet to be established. "Tabor Light" - according to Christian tradition, the uncreated Divine light with which the face of Jesus Christ shone upon the Transfiguration. It was this uncreated light that the apostles saw on Tabor at the time of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, when His Divine glory appeared.
Sergey Mirov (journalist and public figure, expedition coordinator) joins them:
“I didn’t understand much about what was happening, but I understood everything when the Patriarch’s prayers began to end and the sacrament of communion began. Suddenly there was general excitement: people wave their hands. We are enveloped by the bride from where the fog has come! Everybody surrounds themselves with a cross, I, too, do not lag behind and direct the camera lens into the thick of events. And ... It can't be! In the window of the monitor clearly visible swaying foggy mass! Florensky’s happy face, astounded - by Makarova ... It was a miracle! Let not in that textbook form, but in all respects the formation of fog in such conditions is impossible! And meteorology cannot give an explanation for this fact.
The miracle on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord is an indisputable fact, scientifically attested.
Miraculous icon
The beginning of the twentieth century, the Greek town of Mesolonga was mowed by a deadly flu epidemic. Daily killed from 25 to 50 people. The virus was insidious, despite all the efforts of doctors, people died from dehydration within three days after infection. The same picture was observed in neighboring villages and small towns. The local authorities, realizing the scale of the tragedy, turned to the bishop with a request to send to the Mesolongs the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Prussiotissa". This image is very revered by the Greeks.
The icon was transported by rail throughout the contaminated area. The first village visited by the Virgin was the most "difficult". The epidemic claimed the lives of half the population of the village. In the first hours from the moment of arrival, the icons of death ceased, and those who were ill recovered. The authorities planned to leave Prusiotissa in the village for a few days, but people from other settlements asked urgently to give them an icon to stop the epidemic. In each village, the icon remained for three to four hours.
In November 1918, the image of the Virgin was awaited by the inhabitants of Mesolonga. The icon arrived at Finikia station in the morning, and the inhabitants waited for it all night in the pouring rain. The local authorities tried to disperse the crowd of people who were meeting, since a large crowd of people in an epidemic is not permissible. But the inhabitants of Mesolonga trusted the Virgin more than officials. They met the icon and with great reverence, in their arms, carried it to the town. Believers' expectations were justified; none of the participants in the procession became infected with a dangerous disease. A procession through the streets drove the infection outside the city, the sick people recovered, the epidemic stopped.
In gratitude to the Virgin and in memory of the miracles of the protection of God, the Orthodox Greeks gave the monastery a beautifully executed menorah. They made a list of the miraculous icon and placed it in the church of the Holy Martyr Paraskeva. The documented testimonies of the participants and witnesses of these miracles of God are nowadays stored in the Mesolonga city archive.
Willow in December
Another inexplicable event, repeated every year, on the feast of the Entry into the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The power of God is truly incomprehensible to the human mind. On the night of December 3 to 4, a willow blossoms for 20-30 minutes. This happens shortly before midnight. This can be easily checked, just go to any bush half an hour before midnight and see. If you do not touch the willow, it will close with the onset of twelve hours. If you break a branch - it will remain blooming.
Blood of St. Januarius
The holy martyr came from a noble family and early became a Christian. During the reign of the Roman ruler Diocletian, Januarius visited the deacons of Sozius and Proclus thrown into prison, performing the Divine Liturgy with them. During one service, he was captured by the Roman legates. Then the prisoners were tortured: they were thrown into the furnace, but the fire did not harm them. After an unsuccessful burning, they were given to the animals for food, but the animals did not touch the saints. In the end, Diocletian got tired of it and he gave the order to chop off their heads. Yanuari was only thirty years old during the execution.
In the middle of the fourteenth century, Catholics showed the world an ampoule with the blood of a saint. Hermetically sealed vessel with brown powder, which several times a year goes into a liquid state. Spectral analysis of the ampoule showed that there is blood inside. But to do more detailed research is impossible, since the Catholic Church does not give permission. Scientists are still arguing about the nature of the blood of Januaria: does this relate to the miracles of God or a chemical reaction unknown to science?
Phenomenon of the Virgin in Egypt
The Blessed Virgin Mary in the history of Christianity noted her visit to many places on the planet. In the middle of the last century, She was spotted in the suburbs of Cairo on the ridge of the temple of St. Mark. Faruk Muhammad Atwa, noticing a female figure standing on the edge, thought that a suicidal woman had climbed to the top of the temple. However, looking closely, he realized that this is the appearance of the Mother of God.
The Blessed Virgin was on the roof for about half an hour. A crowd gathered near the walls of the temple, someone even called the police. An investigation revealed that access to the roof was closed. From this, the investigators concluded that here one of the miracles of God and His Most Holy Mother takes place.
"And the waters will turn back ..."
It is known from the Gospel that during the Baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist, the Jordan River flowed for some time in the other direction. Another confirmation of the miracles of God on earth, witnessed by thousands of pilgrims, has occurred in our time. During the consecration of water, two bishops from different banks simultaneously threw silver crosses into the river. The water suddenly began to boil and the course began to go in the opposite direction. The phenomenon was observed by about five thousand people for several minutes.
Serpents celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin
On the Greek island of Kefalonia, to the temple, where the miraculous icon of Panagius Fedus is located, small poisonous snakes with black crosses on their heads crawl from all around. This event can also be attributed to the repeated miracles of God. Snakes do not react to the presence of man, do no harm to anyone. People are also not afraid of such unusual neighbors, the holiday unites everyone.
Snakes are very fond of the miraculous icon of the Virgin, crawling on it during the festive service. After the service, reptiles leave the church and return to their natural habitat. And then it’s better not to touch them: snakes are mortally dangerous to humans.
Blooming Icon of the Virgin
The place of the annual miracle is the same island of Kefalonia in Greece. On the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, parishioners bring white lilies to the temple, in memory of the one with whom the archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin. Ministers put bouquets in the icon case of the Mother of God "Panagia Krini" and leave them without water. Lilies are drying up, since Greece has a hot summer. The Feast of the Annunciation is celebrated on April 7th.
Five months later, in August, the Orthodox celebrate the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin. On this day, a small earthquake occurs annually on the island, although no seismic activity has been noticed in this area. After that, it rains, and snakes crawl to the temple. In the icon case, delicate white flowers bloom on the dry stems of lilies. After the Liturgy, a service of the Mother of God is served, then wonderful flowers are distributed to all comers.
Blooming icons in Odessa
To look at the lilies, you do not have to go to Greece. Another regular miracle happens in the St. Nicholas Church in the village of Kulevcha, Saratsky district, Odessa region. Parishioners bring Easter bulbs of lilies that they put in the icon case of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Soon, thin shoots stretch to the face of the Blessed Virgin. Bulbs, without water and air, without human intervention, bloom on the Trinity. The image of the Virgin is bordered by delicate flowers. If the appearance of sprouts can still be assumed, then scientists cannot explain the unusual form of flower growth.
A large number of pilgrims come to see the miracle. In addition to lilies, the church has four myrrh-streaming icons: the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, the Kasper Icon of the Virgin, the Calvary Cross, the icon of Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia.
The relics of Alexander Svirsky
Only two people in history were honored to meet God in three faces. The first case, known to us from the Bible, is immortalized by Andrei Rublev in his famous Trinity. The Lord in the form of three travelers appeared to the Old Testament Patriarch Abraham in the oak grove of Mamre before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The second contemplator was Alexander Svirsky - the only saint who saw God in Three Persons in the New Testament.
The life of an ascetic is full of secrets and mysteries. For example, in the nineteenth century the icon of the “All Russia Wonderworker Alexander Svirsky” was painted from life. His relics are incorrupt still, preserved hair, nails and skin of the saint. That is, he looks the same as in life. This inexplicable phenomenon made it possible to write from nature a miraculous face.