By Antonios Tenedios (Skalohori, Mytilini, Greece)
ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ: Ένας άθεος καρκινοπαθής
Quite a few years ago the
following real-life story took place. This story was told to me by my
good friend, Fr. Demetrius, the parish priest of the St. Vasilios Greek
Orthodox Church located at Sahtouri Street, Piraeus, Athens, Greece. I
present this story to you just as it was narrated to me by Fr. Demetrius
himself.
“One morning after the Divine
Liturgy, I went to the Church office. A fifty year old man came in to
talk to me. I did not know him neither had I ever seen him before in my
Church. He spoke to me about a forty-two year old man who was admitted
to the hospital in Piraeus, Athens, Greece. He was diagnosed with
cancer. The disease had spread throughout his body and had metastasized
into his brain. Following an examination, the doctors had told him
that there nothing that could be done to save his life. He was taking
large doses of medicine but they did not help him. This gentleman told
me that the hospitalized man was a close relative of his. He requested
that I go to the hospital as soon as possible in order to give him Holy
Communion.
As requested, I went to the
hospital to fulfill this obligation to administer Holy Communion to the
sick man. As soon as I entered the patient’s room, it became apparent
to me that he was in bad shape. It was further verified to me that the
disease had spread to the brain and there was no chance of survival.
His days were numbered. The patient was the only person in the room.
The other bed was empty. At a certain point, the patient awakened from
his coma and opened his eyes. He immediately saw me and with great
difficulty told me the following story:
“My family admitted me to this
hospital facility thirty-five days ago. An eighty year old man was
already in the room that I was assigned to. This patient was suffering
from bone cancer. He was suffering horrific pains. In spite of his
pain, he would continuously pray: “Glory to you Oh God, Glory to you, Oh
God” and this would be followed by a series of prayers. I was an
atheist and I was hearing this for the first time in my life. I had
never in my life stepped foot in a Church. This is why I became so
startled when I observed that after saying his prayers he would calm
down and sleep peacefully for two or three hours. But when he woke up
again he would groan from unbearable pain. And then he continued to
pray “Glory to You, Oh God!”
I was also groaning suffering
from immense pain and yet he, in spite of his pain, continued to glorify
God. But I, in my frustration from my pain blasphemed the name of
Christ and His Holy Mother. The old man was actually thanking God for
giving him cancer. Hearing him go on like this constantly and I,
suffering my own pain, became upset with him. In addition to his
constant praying, he would daily request to receive Holy Communion.
I, the filthy one, swore at him
constantly. I would say to him “shut up, shut up finally! Can’t you see
that the God that you glorify is torturing us severely with this cursed
illness? What God? There is no God!” The old man would calmly hear me
and reply: “He exists, my child, God does truly exist and He is a
loving Father. Through the illness that He has given us, we are being
cleansed of our many sins.” These replies of the old man made me angrier
and I began once again to blaspheme both God and demons. I started
yelling out and saying: “God does not exist! I don’t believe in
anything; neither in God, His Heavenly Kingdom nor in the other world.”
Following this exchange between
us, the old man would calmly reply: “Wait and you will see with your own
eyes how the soul of a believing Christian is separated from his body.
I am a sinner but the Grace of God will save me. Wait, you will see
and believe!” He continued to glorify God and His Holy Mother. He
would say a specific prayer that repeated the word “hail” for the Virgin
Mary (taken from the Salutations of the Akathist Hymn). He also chanted
the hymns “Oh Virgin, Birth-Giver of God” and “It is truly meet to
bless you.”
At one point, he suddenly
stopped praying and I heard him say: “Welcome, my guardian angel! I
thank you for coming with such a resplendent party of angels to take my
soul.” In great shock, I opened my eyes to see before me the heavenly
host. The old man then made the sign of the Cross; crossed his arms on
his chest and took his last breath. Suddenly the hospital room was
filled with brilliant light that was brighter than ten suns. I, the
unbeliever, the atheist, the materialist, saw this miracle with my own
eyes. Then an extremely beautiful fragrance filled the room. I was
dumbfounded by what I saw because I realized at that point that the old
man was right all along.
I then
called my parents and told them everything that I had witnessed and
experienced. I angrily told them off because they had never spoken to
me about the existence of God. I then invited my friends and relatives
to come close to me and asked them to tell me everything about faith in
God which I had never been taught by anyone. Dear Father, I now believe
that God truly exists. This is why I am asking you to hear my
confession and for you to give me Holy Communion.
GLORY TO GOD IN HIS SAINTS
Click:
Death! Death! DEATH! (The Mystery and the Process of Death)
ATHEISM (tag)
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου