Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!
St. Ephraim of Nea Makri (source)
(Written by a Pilgrim to the Monastery on June 17, 1971)
"Venerable Mother, I will tell you about a dream I had today. I dreamt that I was in the Church and we had the prayer after Supper. When it was over, as we were leaving I turned my head back and I saw Saint Efraim in front of the Altar. With fear, I went to Him and I heard Him telling me, "I am Saint Efraim. Light the oil candles of the Holy Altar." I was very scared and I called one of the Sisters. Saint Efraim approached me and once again told me, "I am Saint Efraim and He started chanting with His sweet voice, "Restrained by many temptations..." (from the Small Paraklesis to the Theotokos).
Sts. Ephraim of Nea Makri and Nektarios of Aegina, two great Wonderworkers of the 20th Century (source)
He signaled us to stop, He sat down and started to tell us all about His sufferings; how much those bloodthirsty wolves, those infidel Ottomen had tortured Him. And he kept talking, "They were torturing me even after I had died. You don't know how much I have suffered. They put in my head big sharp nails and nailed it to the tree. He did His cross and said, "I suffered a lot", and did his cross again.
I wanted to cry, my Saint. To cry for your terrible ordeal, but I don't have this kind of tears that can reach you. My Saint, with your intercessions, purify my tears and accept them as a supplication of love to your Saintly martyr holiness.
My Saint, we most devoutly [venerate] your sufferings.
Don't stop mediating to the Lord to have mercy on us.
It is true that the Saint's grace has gotten outside our boundaries. A young woman from Kalamata told us that she had gone to Zakynthos to a Monastery and the Mother Superior had told her, "We are expecting a Saint to pass by here." When the young woman asked who that Saint was, she was told it was Saint Efraim, in glory and grandeur. Before Saint Efraim, a Nun with a lit candle was marching in solemnity.
It was September 14, 1971 that I was planning to come to the Monastery for my offering. A few days earlier, I saw the following dream: It was noon time and I was resting when Saint Nectarios along with some other Saint that I didn't know, appeared in front of me. That other Saint was dressed in an ascetic cassock. He was tall and very thin and had a calm ascetic and serious expression. When I asked them who they were, the Saint told me, "Efraim" and started telling me something about the 14th of September, the day of the Holy Cross..., but before I could understand what He wants, I woke up. Later I learned that the Saint was born on that day and on that day His sufferings started and ended on May 5, 1426."
Excerpt from the Book Visions and Miracles of the Great Martyr and Miracle-Worker Ephraim Neophanous
I wanted to cry, my Saint. To cry for your terrible ordeal, but I don't have this kind of tears that can reach you. My Saint, with your intercessions, purify my tears and accept them as a supplication of love to your Saintly martyr holiness.
My Saint, we most devoutly [venerate] your sufferings.
Don't stop mediating to the Lord to have mercy on us.
Sts. Ephraim of Nea Makri and Nektarios of Aegina, the Wonderworkers (source)
It is true that the Saint's grace has gotten outside our boundaries. A young woman from Kalamata told us that she had gone to Zakynthos to a Monastery and the Mother Superior had told her, "We are expecting a Saint to pass by here." When the young woman asked who that Saint was, she was told it was Saint Efraim, in glory and grandeur. Before Saint Efraim, a Nun with a lit candle was marching in solemnity.
It was September 14, 1971 that I was planning to come to the Monastery for my offering. A few days earlier, I saw the following dream: It was noon time and I was resting when Saint Nectarios along with some other Saint that I didn't know, appeared in front of me. That other Saint was dressed in an ascetic cassock. He was tall and very thin and had a calm ascetic and serious expression. When I asked them who they were, the Saint told me, "Efraim" and started telling me something about the 14th of September, the day of the Holy Cross..., but before I could understand what He wants, I woke up. Later I learned that the Saint was born on that day and on that day His sufferings started and ended on May 5, 1426."
Excerpt from the Book Visions and Miracles of the Great Martyr and Miracle-Worker Ephraim Neophanous
Sts. Nektarios of Aegina and Ephraim of Nea Makri, two great Wonderworkers and Healers of Christ in our days (source)
Christ is risen from the dead, by death, trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs, He has granted life!
Truly, the Lord is risen!
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