![]() ![]() It was there that I was baptized my husband lived at the Synod for over a year, and it was there that we baptized our first- born Nikolai. ![]() We arrived at the very beginning of the service, and so had no time to look around. Sergius of Radonezh, the lower church at the Synod, where daily services were held. The Akathist was served in the little church of St. Then life was on automatic: Two moody little children, a husband with a difficult job, a new country with which I had practically no contact, the church of the Kazan Mother of God near which we lived… and no help, everything beyond our power, and us on our last legs. In such cases, there was no question: we would get ready, put the children in the car, and rush to New York. We got a call informing us that at the Synod in New York, they were going to serve an Akathist to the newly-revealed Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God. I believe that even now, he still remembers to mention us sinners before the Throne of God … His ever tender, welcoming smile when we would meet, his words, spoken with a great Spanish accent, "I pray for you and your family every day, Irina!" - continue to sound in my ears. To the contrary, it leaves a deep mark on our soul, and each time we think about it, we have an opportunity to clearly apply that holiness to ourselves like a template, and once again confirm that our way of thinking and acting, our behavior, is distorted.īrother Joseph, our dear Jose. It seems to me that each time they depart, they take with them a little piece of our hearts that is why it hurts for so long… For reasons unknown, some invisible thread connects and ties people to one another, and sometimes that tie is stronger than time or family ties.Ĭontact with holiness does not happen without leaving its mark. It seemed that they would always be with us, that there would still be time to talk with them, there would still be the opportunity to just be near them, and surely there would always be time to say goodbye… It is especially difficult to retain memories of those who have left suddenly and unexpectedly. Time passes, life goes on, one by one our loved ones depart, and little by little our memory of their dear faces become muffled. And even knowing that it was to him that the Most-holy Theotokos revealed her miraculous Icon, even understanding that this man was chosen by God, we nonetheless cannot fully appreciate those moments, that great mercy shown to us in all likelihood he was an example given for us to follow, to simplify the muddle of our lives. ![]() Yet, here there is someone living among us, right next to us, a person with whom we associate, with whom we talk, with whom we share current events. We try to remember and deposit in our souls their every word as it is being said, and then later make sense of it, understand it, and strive to live by it. When we set out on a pilgrimage to holy sites or to meet people who are living a holy life, to elders of all-Russia, we prepare, whether we want to or not, for such meetings. ![]()
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