After the saint went out of the emperor and returned to his own affairs he was received in the house of a certain man fond of Christ. There a stranger woman came who didn`t know how to speak in Greek and she brought her dead son in her arms. She put him at the feet of the saint and cried without saying anything as nobody knew her language and only her tears expressed the fact that she was begging the saint to resurrect her son. But he was afraid of vain glory and refused to do such a great thing. But being merciful and impressed by the bitter cry of the woman who was weeping, he asked his deacon, Artemidot:
`What to do, brother?`
`Why do you ask me father ? What else can you do except to call Christ the Life Giver who listened to your prayers so many times? If you healed the emperor, could you ignore the poor and wretched?`
After a good advice like that, the bishop felt inclined to even more mercy. He bent his knees and prayed with tears and great warmth to God. And God Who through Elijah and Elisha gave life to the son of the woman from Zarephath and to the son of the Shunnamite listened to saint Spyridon and returned back the spirit of life in the child of that foreign woman who, when he was resurrected in an instant, began to cry. The mother seeing her son alive out of her overwhelming joy fell dead. Not only the great pain and trouble kill the man but sometimes even the excessive joy makes the same thing. Seeing the woman dead of joy all those who were overjoyed by the resurrection of the child saddened immediately to tears.
Then the saint asked his deacon again :
`What shall we do then?`
That one gave him again the same advice. Then the saint returned to prayer and raising his eyes to heaven and his mind to God prayed to the One who gives life to the dead and with His will transforms everything.
Then he said to the woman who was lying dead on earth :
Wake up and stand up on your feet.`
That one woke up like from a sleep, got up and took in her arms her living son. Then the saint asked the woman and those who were present there not to tell to anyone what they had seen taking place there. Only after the repose of the saint his deacon, Artemidot confessed these for making all the believers know about that and not hiding the glory and powers of God which had been manifest through saint Spyridon, who was greatly loved by God.
Excerpt from The good shepherd – The life and miracles of Saint Spyridon, the bishop of Trimitund, the miracle maker – Archimandrite Antonios Pakalidis, Evanghelismos.
