By Constantine V. Triantaphylos
On our way I was told about two wondrous events that took place at the Sacred Lavra of Saint Savvas.
1. One night there was a full moon, and a Palestinian Muslim, a resident of the village of Apentia, went to the Monastery to do the olive harvest from the few olive trees found at the entrance of the Sacred Monastery. He put the olives in two sacks, loaded them onto his harmless donkey, and made the nod for them to depart. But at that moment the full moon disappeared and because of the darkness the donkey would not go. Wondering about the phenomenon, he left the donkey behind and like a small child, crawling, he departed. But when he arrived a little ahead, the full moon reappeared, so he returned for the donkey. When he returned, the full moon disappeared again, and there was darkness, so once again he left crawling. Having reached the same place as before, the full moon again appeared. And again, when he returned for his donkey the darkness came. Then he understood that this event was a miracle of Saint Savvas, so he penitentially remained there until dawn. At dawn he went to the blessed Fr. Seraphim and confessed all his wrongs. "Since you became tired from the harvesting," the Elder told him, "let us share the fruit." He gave him one sack and the other stayed at the Monastery.
2. The Holy Sabbaite fathers created around and above the Monastery a groove in which rainwater would be led to tanks in the Monastery. Recently, an irreverent resident of Apentia threw manure from his sheepfold into the above mentioned groove. When the respected fathers asked him to remove it, first he refused and then he said the following insulting phrases: "I fear no one, neither you, nor your Saint, nor your God, not even the Jews." But a few days later, with sorrow and tears he went to the Monastery and asked forgiveness because of the following event. His brother had done some act of sabotage against the Jews, and they in turn sent a helicopter with small rockets, resulting in his death with that of his son. The fathers therefore forgave him and gave him a certain blessing, or gift, so the irreverent man cleared the area of the manure, and he both neither appeared again at the gate of the Monastery nor in the surrounding area.
The Holy Sabbaite fathers, not only gave this irreverent man a gift, but with love they economize, and they give according to their ability to all the Palestinians, whether they be Orthodox Christians or Muslims.
Source: From the book ΕΤΩΝ ΠΕΝΤΗΚΟΝΤΑ- ΑΙΤΩΝ 50 ΨΑΛΜΟ. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.