Priest Ioan Istrati
Once, a lady came to me and she was very disturbed. Talking with her I saw she had serious problems and troubles. From a word to another I found out that she had had many abortions.
I gave her a canon of prayer for all her life. I told her that she must always cry in secret for the dear babies who wanted to kiss her and call a mum someone who killed them.
The woman began to cry.
The tears are those who will take you out of the Red Sea of the shed blood and out of hell.
It was cold outside.
Then I told her:
I will give you a canon. Buy caps and give them as gifts to all the children you meet.
`Yes, father` said the woman determined.
About two years passed. The woman who was from another locality came again to our church. I recognized her. She embraced me. A few old women from the church nodded their heads disapprovingly.
`How are you, my lady?`
`Well, father. I have been crying in secret and prayed for two years for the killed babies. I gave hundreds of mohair caps to all the children. Even now I have three. She took them out of her bag and showed them to me.
I was overjoyed how my word bore fruit in her heart.
`Two weeks ago I dreamt four small babies, two girls and two boys, the babies I killed…`
She burst into tears.
`They had mohair caps on their heads and they said: `thank you, mum. They spoke like some grown-ups.
I blessed the woman and told her:
`We continue the prayer and the giving of caps as gifts.`
`Yes, father, until death.`
