… I saw that I was standing alone in the middle of the room; To my right, surrounded by something in a semicircle, all the medical staff crowded. I was surprised by this group: there was a bunk in the place where it stood. What was it that attracted the attention of these people now, what were they looking at when I was no longer there, when I was standing in the middle of the room? I moved and looked where they were all looking. There, on the bed, I was lying! I don't remember feeling anything like fear at the sight of my double, I was only perplexed: how could it be? I felt myself here, and meanwhile I was there too... I wanted to touch, to take my left hand with my right hand - my hand went through, I tried to grab myself by the waist - my hand went through the body again, as if through empty space... I called for the doctor, but the atmosphere in which I was was not at all suitable for me: it did not perceive or transmit the sounds of my voice, and I realized my complete separation from everyone around me, my strange loneliness, and panic fear seized me. There was really something terrible in that unspeakable loneliness. I looked, and only then did the thought come to me for the first time: has not happened to me what in our language, the language of living people, is defined by the word "death"? This occurred to me because my body lying on the bed had the appearance of a dead man.

Remembering and thinking over my state of mind at that time, I only noticed that my mental faculties acted even then with such amazing energy and rapidity. I saw how the old nurse crossed herself: "Well, the Kingdom of Heaven be to him," and suddenly I saw two Angels. For some reason, I recognized one as a guardian angel, and I did not know the other. Taking me by the arms, the Angels carried me right through the wall from the ward to the street. It was already getting dark, it was snowing big, quiet. I saw it, but I did not feel the cold and in general the change between the room temperature and the outside temperature. Obviously, such things have lost their meaning for my altered "body". We began to climb up quickly. And as we ascended, more and more space opened up before my eyes, and at last it assumed such terrifying proportions that I was seized with fear from the realization of my insignificance before this endless desert... The idea of time had faded from my mind, and I do not know how long we had been climbing upwards, when suddenly I heard at first a vague noise, and then, swimming out from somewhere, a crowd of ugly creatures began to approach us with a cry and a cackling. -Demons! I realized with extraordinary rapidity, and was stunned by some peculiar horror hitherto unknown to me. -Demons! "Oh, how much irony, how much sincere laughter would have been aroused in me only a few days ago if someone reported not only that he had seen demons with his own eyes, but that he admitted their existence as creatures of a certain kind! As befits an educated man at the end of the nineteenth century, by this name I understood bad inclinations, passions in man, which is why this word itself had for me the meaning not of a name, but of a term defining a certain concept. And suddenly this "well-known concept" appeared to me as a living personification! Surrounding us from all sides, the demons with shouts and hubbub demanded that I be given to them, they tried somehow to seize me and snatch me from the hands of the Angels, but, obviously, they did not dare to do this. In the midst of their unimaginable howling and hubbub, which was as repulsive to the ear as they were to the eye, I sometimes caught words and whole phrases. "He is ours, he has renounced God," they suddenly shrieked almost with one voice, and at the same time they rushed at us with such impudence that for a moment all my thoughts froze with fear. "That's a lie!" It's not true! I wanted to shout, coming to my senses, but obliging memory tied my tongue. In some incomprehensible way, I suddenly remembered such a small, insignificant event, moreover, belonging to a bygone era of my youth, which, it seems, I could never remember. (Here the narrator remembered a case when, during conversations on abstract topics, one of his fellow students said: "But why should I believe, when I can equally believe that there is no God? And, perhaps, He does not exist?" To which he replied: "Maybe not"). This accusation, apparently, was the most powerful argument for my destruction for the demons, they seemed to draw from it a new strength for the boldness of attacks on me, and already with a furious roar they circled around us, blocking our further path. I remembered prayer and began to pray, calling for help all the saints whom I knew and whose names came to my mind. But this did not deter my enemies. A miserable ignoramus, a Christian only in name, I almost for the first time remembered the One Who is called the Intercessor of the Christian race. But probably my impulse to Her was hot, probably my soul was so filled with horror, that I barely remembered Her name, when suddenly a kind of white mist appeared on us, which began to quickly cover the ugly host of demons. He hid it from my eyes before it could separate from us. Their roaring and cackling could be heard for a long time, but from the way it gradually weakened and became muffled, I could understand that the terrible chase had left us... Then we entered the realm of light. Light came from everywhere. It was so bright, brighter than the sun. There is light everywhere, and there are no shadows. The light was so bright that I could not see anything; as in darkness. I tried to cover my eyes with my hand, but the light passed freely through my hand. And suddenly, from above, imperiously, but without anger, the words "Not ready" were heard, and my rapid downward movement began. I was returned to the body again. And at the end the Guardian Angel said, "You have heard God's decree. Come in and get ready." Both angels became invisible. There were feelings of embarrassment and coldness and deep sadness for what was lost. I lost consciousness and woke up in the ward on a bed. ... Doctors who observed K. Uexkul reported that all clinical signs of death were present and the state of death lasted 36 hours. "Uexkul K. "An Unbelievable for Many, but a True Incident". (Trinity Leaflet No 58. Sergiev Posad, 1910)

Return from the Dead in Modern Greece

About four years ago, we received a call with a request to commune the Holy Mysteries of an elderly woman, a widow living in the suburbs of Athens. She was an Old Calendarist and, being almost completely bedridden, could not go to church. Although we do not usually perform such services outside the monastery and send people to the parish priest, nevertheless, in this case I had a certain feeling that I had to go, and having prepared the Holy Gifts, I left the monastery. I found the sick woman lying in a poor room: having no means of her own, she depended on the neighbors to bring her food and other necessities. I set down the Holy Gifts and asked her if she wanted to confess anything. She answered: "No, there is nothing on my conscience for the last three years that has not already been confessed, but there is one old sin that I would like to tell you about, although I have confessed it to many priests." I replied that if she had already confessed it, she should not do it again. But she insisted, and this is what she told me. When she was young and had just got married, about 35 years ago, she became pregnant at a time when her family was in a very difficult situation. The rest of the family insisted on an abortion, but she flatly refused. In the end, however, she succumbed to her mother-in-law's threats, and the operation was performed. The medical control of clandestine operations was very primitive, resulting in her contracting a serious infection and dying a few days later without being able to confess her sin. At the moment of her death (which was in the evening) she felt that her soul was separated from her body in the way it is usually described: her soul remained nearby and watched how the body was washed, dressed and placed in the coffin. In the morning, she followed the procession to the church, watched the funeral service and saw the coffin placed in the hearse to be taken to the cemetery. The soul seemed to fly above the body at a low altitude. Suddenly, two "deacons" appeared on the road, as she described, in shining sticharions and oraria. One of them was reading a scroll. As the car approached, one of them raised his hand and the car stopped. The chauffeur got out to see what had happened to the engine, and in the meantime the Angels began to talk among themselves. The one who was holding the scroll, which undoubtedly contained a list of her sins, looked up from his reading and said: "It is a pity that there is a very grave sin in her list, and she is destined for hell, because she did not confess it." "Yes," said the second, "but it's a pity that she should be punished because she didn't want to do it and her family forced her to." "Very well," replied the first, "the only thing that can be done is to send her back so that she can confess her sin and repent of it." At these words, she felt that she was being dragged back into the body, for which she felt indescribable disgust and disgust at that moment. A moment later, she woke up and began knocking from inside the coffin, which was already closed. One can imagine the scene that followed. After listening to her story, which I have given here briefly, I gave her Holy Communion and left, glorifying God, who had granted me to hear this... (Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose). "The Soul After Death". St. Petersburg, 1994).

The Living Dead

In the city of Roslavl, Smolensk province, there lived a poor noblewoman Oknova, who had her own house here. After a long illness, she died; as usual, they washed her and put her in a coffin, and on the third day the assembled priests were already preparing to carry her body from the house to the church, when, to everyone's amazement, she rose from the coffin and sat down: everyone was terrified, and when they were sure that she was alive, they took her out of the coffin and put her back to bed. Her illness did not go away after being revived. The revived one lived for several more years. About this event (which took place in the early 30s of the XIX century) she told the following: "When I was dying, I saw myself lifted up through the air and was presented to some terrible judgment seat (presumably, the toll-house), where I stood before some men of very formidable appearance, before whom a large book was unfolded; They judged me for a very long time: at that time I was in unspeakable terror, so that when I now remember it, I tremble; here they presented many of my deeds, done from my youth, even those that I had completely forgotten and did not consider sinning. By the mercy of God, however, it seemed to me that I had been forgiven in many ways and was already hoping to be acquitted, when one formidable man sternly began to demand an answer from me why I had brought up my son poorly, so that he fell into debauchery and perished from his behavior. With tears and trepidation, I justified myself, explaining my son's disobedience and that he had become corrupt when he was already of age. The trial for my son lasted for a long time, then they did not heed either my requests or my cries; Finally, this terrible man, turning to another, said: "Let her go, so that she may repent and weep for her sins properly." Then one of the Angels took me, pushed me, and I felt as if I was descending, and when I came to life, I saw myself lying in the tomb; lighted candles are burning around me, and priests in vestments are singing." "I was not so severely judged for other sins," she said, "as for my son, and this torture was unspeakable. Oknova also told her that her son had become completely depraved, did not live with her, and had no possibility or hope of correcting him.

***

A certain pious woman, always spending her days in prayer and fasting, had great faith in our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and always besought Her protection. This woman was always tormented by her conscience about some sin she had committed in her youth, which, out of false modesty, she did not want to reveal to her confessor, but when announcing it, she vaguely expressed herself in these words: "I repent even of those sins that I either did not declare or did not remember." In private, in her secret prayer, she daily repented of this sin of the Mother of God, always beseeching the Lady to intercede for her at the judgment of Christ for the forgiveness of sin. Thus, having lived to a ripe old age, she dies; when on the third day they were preparing to bury her body, suddenly the dead woman rose and said to her frightened and amazed daughter: "Come closer to me, do not be afraid; call my confessor." When the priest came, she said in front of all the people: "Do not be terrified of me. By the mercy of God and the intercession of His Most-Pure Mother, my soul was returned to repentance. Scarcely had my soul been separated from my body, when at the same moment the dark spirits surrounded it and were preparing to cast it into hell, saying that it was worthy of it because through false modesty it had not revealed its secret sin, which it had committed in its youth. At such a fierce moment, our Most Holy Lady, the Helper, appeared and, like a morning star or like lightning, instantly dispersed the darkness of evil spirits and, commanding me to confess my sin before my spiritual father, commanded my soul to return to my body. And so, now, both before you, holy father, and before everyone, I confess my sin: although I have been pious throughout my life, the sin that lay on my conscience and which I was ashamed to confess to my spiritual fathers out of faint-heartedness, would have brought me down to hell, if the Mother of God had not interceded for me." Having said this, she confessed her sin, and then, leaning her head on her daughter's shoulder, she was transported into eternal and blessed life. ("Secrets of the Afterlife". Compiled by Archimandrite Panteleimon. Moscow, 1996)

Dying

I will tell you about one toiler, Pelagia, who lived sixty years ago in the village of Shipilovka, Kostroma district. This peasant woman lived in the same house with two daughters-in-law, whose husbands were away for most of the year to earn money. Their house was small and not rich: in addition to one cramped hut in which they were accommodated, there was also a barn for livestock in the yard. At first, Pelagia lived with the children in the same room; but then, for the secret nocturnal feats of prayer and contemplation of God, she began to go into the vestibule, where she spent whole nights, going to bed only before dawn. Finally, in order to hide her exploits from people's eyes, she decided to stay forever in that stuffy hut, and only occasionally did one of her beloved daughters-in-law spend the night with her. She didn't want anyone but this daughter-in-law to see her prayer. And while the latter was sitting in this hut and doing needlework, Pelagia went into the vestibule and prayed. Her food was the coarsest; She even invented a special food for herself: she stirred rye flour thickly and used this raw dough instead of bread, and even then very little, while she took other food very rarely. During the day she spun flax as usual, and divided the money she earned into two parts: one part she gave to the church, and the other to the poor, so that at night she went to the house of the poor and quietly put her alms on the window, opening it a little, or threw the money at the beggar. One night, the toiler, as usual, prayed in the vestibule, and the daughter-in-law slept in the hut. Before morning, the daughter-in-law woke up and saw that her mother-in-law was kneeling in a prayer position. After standing for a few minutes in fear and confusion, she said to her: "Mother, mother!" But there was no answer: Mother was already cold. Then another daughter-in-law came for homework. Seeing that their mother-in-law was dead, they dressed the deceased and laid her on the table; And on the third day they put her in a coffin and were about to take her to church, when suddenly her face came to life, she opened her eyes, threw back her hand and crossed herself. The family was frightened and rushed to the stove corner. After a while, the revived woman said in a low voice: "Children.. Do not be afraid, I am alive," and then she got up, sat down, and with the help of her family rose from the coffin. "Calm down, children," she said again. "Were you frightened when you thought I was dead?" No, I am destined to live a little longer. God, in His goodness, desires the salvation of everyone, and, leading us to blessedness by mysterious destinies, He arranges everything in such a way that both death itself and the return to life will serve for the benefit of many!" What happened to her when she was considered dead, she said almost nothing about it, only with tears she exhorted her children to live piously and to shun all sin, affirming that great bliss awaited the righteous in heaven and terrible torments for the wicked in hell! After this, she continued her toiling life for six weeks, tenderly directing her mind's gaze to the land of her heavenly homeland, and finally moved to the heavenly dwellings. (Novgorodsky P." Paradise Flowers from the Russian Land". Moscow, 1891; "Secrets of the Afterlife". Compiled. Archimandrite Panteleimon. Moscow, 1996)

Miracles of St. Joasaph

Your Reverence, Father Archimandrite Evgeny! I have the honor to bring to your attention the miraculous restoration of my son's health through the prayers of St. Joasaph, who rests with his relics in the Holy Trinity Monastery in Belgorod. It would be desirable that this restoration of health be recognized as miraculous both on your part and on the part of others who read this letter; otherwise, it cannot be placed among the miracles performed through the prayers of St. Joasaph. It was like this: on August 29, 1881, my first son was born, who was named Alexander in holy baptism; A month after his birth, he was visited by an uninvited guest - a cough called "whooping cough". I went to the doctors, but they would not help him in his illness; one of them even said: "Father John, I will tell you frankly: we have no means to cure whooping cough, and therefore you do not worry any more; It can go away on its own either in 6 weeks or in 3 months, and if it lasts up to six months, then consider your son dead."

After this I began to weep and, being in tears, mentally turned for help to the local saint of God - St. Joasaph with the following words: "Your Grace Joasaph, for your true Orthodox faith and good deeds the Lord has glorified you with the incorruptibility of your relics, give us the opportunity to glorify you and together with you and God, wondrous in His saints - do this, that my dying son may come to life (at the same time I promised to go to the veneration of the relics with him and his mother and sister)," but before he had time to say so, to finish his prayers, the son opened his eyes and at the same moment began to show their movements, and then a smile; after two hours he began to seem to us thin, but not dying, and from that day his cough completely ceased. In May of this year, 1881, I fulfilled my promise. He told Father Benjamin, the treasurer of the monastery, about the miraculous restoration of his son's health, and at the same time expressed his desire that this miraculous restoration of health be recorded in the book of miracles performed through the prayers of His Grace Joasaph, but he advised me to report this in writing, to which I agreed. My late father told me about my middle brother, who is now a priest in the village of Kryukovo, Joasaph. He was born, according to his deceased parent, dead. His father was sorry to see him like this; he turned to God with the following words: "Lord, why hast Thou deprived me of the happiness of seeing my son alive, and with what have I sinned, that through me he will not now be worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven?!" After this he began to read akathists: to the Son of God and His Mother, the Queen of Heaven – and during the reading of the akathist to the Mother of God, he mentally turned to the Monk Joasaph with a request for the granting of life, and to his request he added that if he came to life, he would call him Joasaph, and he immediately cried out; then a priest was summoned, the Sacrament of Baptism was performed, and in it the infant received the name Joasaph. As for what is written in this letter, I testify that it was written as it happened, out of a clear Christian conscience, and I confirm it with my signature with the church seal attached. 1881, December 17. Kursk province, Timsky district, the village of Suvolozhye, priest Ioann Feofilov. ("Belgorod Wonderworker".Life, Works, Miracles and Glorification of St. Joasaph, Bishop of Belgorod. Moscow, 1997)

Father John of Kronstadt resurrects the dead