Miracles of Saint John Maximovitch

[Euthymios]

I was wondering if anyone here has ever experienced a personal miracle from St. John Maximovitch. I think I did once. One time I attempted to pull an ear plug out of my ear, and it broke. Part of it was embedded in my ear canal, and I couldn't get it out. So I prayed to St. John, and immediately I got a firm grip of the ear plug and was able to pull it out. Wondrous is God in his saints! St. John Maximovitch is one of my heroes, and a true example of holiness and piety.

 

[ArmyMatt]

not St John, but I have with St Nektarios of Aegina and Elder Ephraim.

 

[The Liturgist]

not St John, but I have with St Nektarios of Aegina and Elder Ephraim.

I experienced something miraculous with Elder Ephraim in 2015, and also with his opposite number, Abouna Mousa, at the Coptic Orthodox Monastery of St. Anthony in California.

I do have a file where I record particularly miraculous things, but I feel that disclosing the details of much of it would be wrong as much of it is highly personal to me. But in the case of Elder Ephraim of Arizona, I have no qualms about stating what I experienced, and I was impressed with him quite a bit. A very loving man.

 

[ArmyMatt]

I experienced something miraculous with Elder Ephraim in 2015, and also with his opposite number, Abouna Mousa, at the Coptic Orthodox Monastery of St. Anthony in California.

I do have a file where I record particularly miraculous things, but I feel that disclosing the details of much of it would be wrong as much of it is highly personal to me. But in the case of Elder Ephraim of Arizona, I have no qualms about stating what I experienced, and I was impressed with him quite a bit. A very loving man.

nice

 

[Euthymios]

I experienced something miraculous with Elder Ephraim in 2015, and also with his opposite number, Abouna Mousa, at the Coptic Orthodox Monastery of St. Anthony in California.

I do have a file where I record particularly miraculous things, but I feel that disclosing the details of much of it would be wrong as much of it is highly personal to me. But in the case of Elder Ephraim of Arizona, I have no qualms about stating what I experienced, and I was impressed with him quite a bit. A very loving man.

I would like to hear about the miracle of Elder Ephraim. I had an instant answer to prayer, once when I prayed to Saint Phanourius, the patron saint of lost items. One time I lost my drivers license, and could not locate it anywhere. I prayed to St. Phanourius for help, had barely finished the prayer, and took one step forward with my right leg, when I saw my drivers license to my left, on the floor, leaning against my couch.

 

[The Liturgist]

I would like to hear about the miracle of Elder Ephraim. I had an instant answer to prayer, once when I prayed to Saint Phanourius, the patron saint of lost items. One time I lost my drivers license, and could not locate it anywhere. I prayed to St. Phanourius for help, had barely finished the prayer, and took one step forward with my right leg, when I saw my drivers license to my left, on the floor, leaning against my couch.

I’ve described it recently on the forum but basically he and I communicated wordlessly. It was very profound. He was still alive at the time, of course, and he and I were in the same room which was in fact his office which I inadvertantly bumbled into in my first night at the monastery while he was presumably preparing himself to attend the impending midnight liturgy in the Catholicon and I was trying to find my mother, and vice versa, as I had collapsed in the men’s dormitory after lunch and had slept tnrough vespers, dinner and compline owing to the ardour of desert driving in the summer months, which can encroach on one. At any rate it was extremely pleasant, and then I met my mother in the nave of the catholicon and we enjoyed the Divine Liturgies which are at St. Anthony’s celebrated in the most excellent and solemn manner.

I’ve always liked nighttime services, and so naturally I love a monastery where the Liturgy is prayed at midnight. And the gardens at St. Anthony’s are splendid.

 

[Berserk]

How should a newbie explore praying to saints, when it is utterly alien to his theological background?
How do you pick saint to ask for intercession?

 

[ArmyMatt]

How do you pick saint to ask for intercession?

some are specific for certain things (like St Nektarios of Aegina helps people with cancer because he had cancer), but you really can ask any for their intercession for anything.

 

[prodromos]

How should a newbie explore praying to saints, when it is utterly alien to his theological background?
How do you pick saint to ask for intercession?

I would read what I can on the life of the Saint. You may learn some things about them that really resonate with you or a situation you are in, which may naturally lead to seeking their intercession. Their is certainly plenty to learn about some of the more recently canonized Saints in the Church, such as St Paisios and St Porphyrios, as well as St Nektarios among the Greeks, and St John Maximovich, St Luke the Physician and St John of Kronstandt among the Russians

 

[Euthymios]

I’ve described it recently on the forum but basically he and I communicated wordlessly. It was very profound. He was still alive at the time, of course, and he and I were in the same room which was in fact his office which I inadvertantly bumbled into in my first night at the monastery while he was presumably preparing himself to attend the impending midnight liturgy in the Catholicon and I was trying to find my mother, and vice versa, as I had collapsed in the men’s dormitory after lunch and had slept tnrough vespers, dinner and compline owing to the ardour of desert driving in the summer months, which can encroach on one. At any rate it was extremely pleasant, and then I met my mother in the nave of the catholicon and we enjoyed the Divine Liturgies which are at St. Anthony’s celebrated in the most excellent and solemn manner.

I’ve always liked nighttime services, and so naturally I love a monastery where the Liturgy is prayed at midnight. And the gardens at St. Anthony’s are splendid.

It sounds like telepathy. I'm curious what he actually communicated to you.

 

[Euthymios]

I’ve described it recently on the forum but basically he and I communicated wordlessly. It was very profound. He was still alive at the time, of course, and he and I were in the same room which was in fact his office which I inadvertantly bumbled into in my first night at the monastery while he was presumably preparing himself to attend the impending midnight liturgy in the Catholicon and I was trying to find my mother, and vice versa, as I had collapsed in the men’s dormitory after lunch and had slept tnrough vespers, dinner and compline owing to the ardour of desert driving in the summer months, which can encroach on one. At any rate it was extremely pleasant, and then I met my mother in the nave of the catholicon and we enjoyed the Divine Liturgies which are at St. Anthony’s celebrated in the most excellent and solemn manner.

I’ve always liked nighttime services, and so naturally I love a monastery where the Liturgy is prayed at midnight. And the gardens at St. Anthony’s are splendid.

Did Elder Ephraim give this interpretation, that you two communicated wordlessly, or is this just something that you believe?

 

[Euthymios]

I have mixed feelings about Elder Ephraim. Several years ago someone online claimed to be Scott Nevins, the man who later committed suicide near Elder Ephraim's monastery. I don't know if this is true, but he said this about Elder Ephraim:

"He's no ascetic either! He has two refrigerators full of expensive, imported foods all to himself, and his own, personal cook. He eats lobster, imported cheeses, and fine wine, daily."

Also, there was an article on line several years ago showing that Elder Ephraim held to a thoroughly unorthodox and non-biblical teaching on marriage. Allegedly, Elder Ephraim claimed that most married people are going to hell. This is blasphemous. But I don't know if he really taught this, because there are a lot of lies and slander on line. However, an Orthodox theologian said that Elder Ephraim's teaching on marriage was not Orthodox, and that he tells people to stay clear of Elder Ephraim.

 

[The Liturgist]

Did Elder Ephraim give this interpretation, that you two communicated wordlessly, or is this just something that you believe?

This was my interpretation of the event. Which I should note is all that was available considering that my relative ineptitude at vernacular Greek conversation would have made other communication impossible. Indeed this one occasion is the only time I met him, whereas I know his opposite numbers at the Coptic St. Anthony’s in California fairly well.

If a monastic were to provide a miraculous interpretation of one of these events my instinct would be to reject it as among Orthodox christians I am probably as incredulous as one you will find. For example, unlike Elder Ephrem I strongly doubt that the Holy Fire incidents in Jerusalem are anything other than the liturgical use of white phosphor, which is an extremely controversial opinion since many Orthodox including his monks are entirely convinced it is a miracle, but I myself am convinced that is a technological event related to Greek Fire. Perhaps if the words pyrotechnic and pyrophoric were not literally of Hellenic origin and perhaps if the Byzantine Empire’s most closely guarded state secret and also for many centuries their most effective strategic military capability were not literally a pyrophoric weapons system , I might be more credulous.

However I feel, controversially, that I can disagree with Elder Ephrem on issues like ecumenical relations with the Oriental Orthodox and whether or not Holy Fire is supernatural or merely a very impressive liturgical utilization of Byzantine pyrotechnics, while recognizing him as a great Christian who was authentically charismatic in a way that people of the Pentecostal churches claim but in fact are not, for what they claim to be speaking in tongues is plainly incoherent nonsense, and to suggest otherwise I might uncharitably but honestly describe as something I consider to be prelest.

 

[The Liturgist]

I have mixed feelings about Elder Ephraim. Several years ago someone online claimed to be Scott Nevins, the man who later committed suicide near Elder Ephraim's monastery. I don't know if this is true, but he said this about Elder Ephraim:

"He's no ascetic either! He has two refrigerators full of expensive, imported foods all to himself, and his own, personal cook. He eats lobster, imported cheeses, and fine wine, daily."

Also, there was an article on line several years ago showing that Elder Ephraim held to a thoroughly unorthodox and non-biblical teaching on marriage. Allegedly, Elder Ephraim claimed that most married people are going to hell. This is blasphemous. But I don't know if he really taught this, because there are a lot of lies and slander on line. However, an Orthodox theologian said that Elder Ephraim's teaching on marriage was not Orthodox, and that he tells people to stay clear of Elder Ephraim.

Regarding Scott Nevins, I had the opportunity to spend some time with the monk who was on duty as the night watchman when that incident occurred, and I think it is likely based on the veritable arsenal Nevins had with him before he self-terminated when confronted by the watchman that his original plan would have been to massacre his former brethren, or at least some of them, and potentially even visiting pilgrims. I would also note that this opinion was certainly not spoonfed to me by the watchman, for we did not discuss the incident in question.

At any rate I myself do not put much credence in the opinion of people who drive to monasteries with trucks filled with loaded firearms and then commit self-murder. Frankly, if Elder Ephraim was dining on lobster, it would not surprise me considering they served very excellent shellfish to the visiting pilgrims including myself. Indeed I rather hope he was partaking of food of the same quality he gave to his guests and the other monks. Controversially perhaps I don’t regard the eating of shellfish as some inherently sinful act, whereas, on the other hand, driving to a monastery with a truckload of loaded firearms and shooting oneself is gravely sinful, and a terrible thing to do, in every respect.

People who are excessively ascetic tend to fall back on pride as a means of sustaining their ascetic endeavors, and pride is of such extreme danger for monks that this is a primary theme in the Arena of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, and in the Philokalia, and the Desert Fathers, etc.

 

[abacabb3]

I’ve described it recently on the forum but basically he and I communicated wordlessly. It was very profound. He was still alive at the time, of course, and he and I were in the same room which was in fact his office which I inadvertantly bumbled into in my first night at the monastery while he was presumably preparing himself to attend the impending midnight liturgy in the Catholicon and I was trying to find my mother, and vice versa, as I had collapsed in the men’s dormitory after lunch and had slept tnrough vespers, dinner and compline owing to the ardour of desert driving in the summer months, which can encroach on one. At any rate it was extremely pleasant, and then I met my mother in the nave of the catholicon and we enjoyed the Divine Liturgies which are at St. Anthony’s celebrated in the most excellent and solemn manner.

I’ve always liked nighttime services, and so naturally I love a monastery where the Liturgy is prayed at midnight. And the gardens at St. Anthony’s are splendid.

How do you know you werent hearing voices in your head? Honest question.

 

[abacabb3]

I have mixed feelings about Elder Ephraim. Several years ago someone online claimed to be Scott Nevins, the man who later committed suicide near Elder Ephraim's monastery. I don't know if this is true, but he said this about Elder Ephraim:

"He's no ascetic either! He has two refrigerators full of expensive, imported foods all to himself, and his own, personal cook. He eats lobster, imported cheeses, and fine wine, daily."

Also, there was an article on line several years ago showing that Elder Ephraim held to a thoroughly unorthodox and non-biblical teaching on marriage. Allegedly, Elder Ephraim claimed that most married people are going to hell. This is blasphemous. But I don't know if he really taught this, because there are a lot of lies and slander on line. However, an Orthodox theologian said that Elder Ephraim's teaching on marriage was not Orthodox, and that he tells people to stay clear of Elder Ephraim.

Elder Ephraim believed in marital fasting. Apparently this has been blown out of proportion.

 

[The Liturgist]

How do you know you werent hearing voices in your head? Honest question.

Well simply put the experience did not lend itself to such an interpretation.

 

[abacabb3]

Well simply put the experience did not lend itself to such an interpretation.

I know mentally ill people so honestly this does not really prove to much. There must be some tangible verification. Ive seen bonafide miracles like deleted tapes all of the sudden not being deleted after i checked again subsequent to prayer. Sure, i can be making stuff up so i dont claim thats some irrefutable truth claim, but the point is i have tangible verification that because i know i am not lying, i know i am also not mistaken .


I see a possibility here of being mistaken unless you are aware of something tangible.

 

[The Liturgist]

I know mentally ill people so honestly this does not really prove to much. There must be some tangible verification. Ive seen bonafide miracles like deleted tapes all of the sudden not being deleted after i checked again subsequent to prayer. Sure, i can be making stuff up so i dont claim thats some irrefutable truth claim, but the point is i have tangible verification that because i know i am not lying, i know i am also not mistaken .


I see a possibility here of being mistaken unless you are aware of something tangible.

Forgive me, but you asked a very specific question, that being whether or not I considered it possible that I was “hearing voices.”

Since the experience was wordless, such a particular error could literally not be the case, since an auditory hallucination must have a component that could be characterized as audition, aside, I suppose, from the experience of laughter or other non-verbal sounds, which would have been both unusual and highly disturbing.

 

[abacabb3]

Forgive me, but you asked a very specific question, that being whether or not I considered it possible that I was “hearing voices.”

Since the experience was wordless, such a particular error could literally not be the case, since an auditory hallucination must have a component that could be characterized as audition, aside, I suppose, from the experience of laughter or other non-verbal sounds, which would have been both unusual and highly disturbing.

Not really. Schizophrenia has voices that are not always audible.