Elder Cleopa related us another hidden miracle that took place in the church of Sihastria monastery. In the winter of 1971 I was on duty at the holy altar. I arrived at the curch at 4 o’clock in the morning and I was making my prayers for the Holy Eucharist before the Holy Table. After not very long time a woman who had come to the monastery the night before entered to pray. I didn’t know her.
She prayed in a whisper before all the icons and she prostrated herself all the time. She didn’t know there was someone else in the church, because, being winter time, it was very dark. Hearing that there was someone who prayed so fervently, I looked through the Holy Doors to see who it was. The woman was on her knees in the middle of the church, with her hands raised up in the air and she was saying from the bottom of her heart these words: God, don’t leave me! God don’t leave me!
Then I saw a pale, yellow light around her head and got frightened. Then the woman bowed with her face down to the ground and started to pray in secret, speechlessly. The ray of light above her grew bigger and was getting higher around her head. After some time the light faded away slowly and the woman got up and went out of the church. She was a country woman. See then who has the gift of prayer! See who surpasses so many! I was busy with the Proscomidy and because of the great emotion I started to cry with the holy copy in my hand.
Only God knows how many chosen people He has in this world!
Source: Archimandrite Ioanichie Balan. The life and ascetic struggles of the archimandrite Cleopa Ilie, The Publishing House of the Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bucovina, Iasi, 1999
