A sailor inhabitant of the same city of Tremithus, sailed in various places for trade for twelve months. In that time his woman who was a harlot got pregnant.
When the merchant returned back home and saw his pregnant wife understood that she had sinned and becoming angry started to beat her. Not wanting to live with her anymore he cast her out of the house. Then he went to the archbishop of God, Spiridon and telling him his reason asked from him a useful advice. This one getting sad in his soul for her sin and for her husband`s anger called the woman. He didn`t ask her if she had sinned as long as her pregnancy was the real proof of the fact that she had sinned only told her:
`Why did you betray the faith for your husband and brought shame over your house?`
The woman losing her shame started to lie saying that she didn`t have the baby from someone else but from her husband. Those who heard her got angry more for her lie than for debauchery and told her:
`Your husband was absent for twelve months and how you say that it is from him ? Can the baby stay in the womb twelve months or more?`
She answered by saying:
`The baby who was in my womb was waiting for the return of his father from his far away journey and only after that to get out of the womb.
Saying these and lying even more and beating all with her words she caused a quarrel as if she had been the slandered and oppressed. But the meek saint Spiridon wanting to bring her to repentance told her:
`Oh, woman as long as you fell into such a great sin a great repentance stays before you. There is still a hope for your salvation as there is no sin which does overcome the mercy of God. But I see that from debauchery you turned to despair and from despair to shamelessness. It is right to receive the true punishment for your deed suffering a great punishment but being offered to you a time for repentance. I tell you that your baby won`t get out of your womb until you confess your sin cause the truth can`t be covered by a lie even the blind can see, as the saying goes.
These words of the saint were fulfilled in no time. When the time of the birth came the women got those terrible pains which tormented her womb awfully as the bay didn`t get out. But this one being with a hardened heart did not want to confess her sin and she died in that terrible pain not being able to give birth.
The archbishop of God being announced about this cried and regretted that he had judged her with such a punishment.
I won`t pronounce any more judgment against people if my word is fulfilled so quickly in deed.
Excerpt from The Good Shepherd– The life and wonders of Saint Spiridon the bishop of Trimitunde the wonder maker – Archimandrite Antonios Pakalidis, Evanghelismos Publishing.
