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| Elder Ambrose (Lazaris) of Dadiou |
Elder Ambrose had the blessing to speak with Saint Nektarios many times - God knows how many. As far as I know, he helped him escape twice from surgery. On the day before the surgery, he would always make him well, and after he would leave him to fight the intolerable pain, with patience, and without complaining. He would only pray and glorify God, continuously.
The first time was in Switzerland when the Bishop there brought him for better treatment. The examination showed that he had a stone the size of a walnut that only surgery could remove. The Elder tells us: "On the eve of the surgery, at night, while I was alone in my hospital room, a monk appeared to me. It was Saint Nektarios. He told me: 'Can you come out so we can speak?' We then went out to the hallway and sat down. We spoke for about fifteen minutes, about different things, and I told him about my surgery and the stone in my kidney. After encouraging me, he blessed me and left."
The first time was in Switzerland when the Bishop there brought him for better treatment. The examination showed that he had a stone the size of a walnut that only surgery could remove. The Elder tells us: "On the eve of the surgery, at night, while I was alone in my hospital room, a monk appeared to me. It was Saint Nektarios. He told me: 'Can you come out so we can speak?' We then went out to the hallway and sat down. We spoke for about fifteen minutes, about different things, and I told him about my surgery and the stone in my kidney. After encouraging me, he blessed me and left."
Whe Saint Nektarios left the Elder felt the need to urinate, so he urinated in a small toilet, with terrible pains. Then he came out with the urine and the stone the size of a walnut. (I myself have seen it). With a paper towel he took it and put it in a drawer at his bedside.
The next day was his surgery. The Swiss doctor came in and said: "Get ready for the surgery." He responded that he didn't need the surgery. As he said: "I opened the drawer and showed him the stone." When the doctor saw it, he said: "You Orthodox have a living faith; we felt it."
The surgery did not take place, and the stone remains at Dadiou Monastery until today.
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| St. Nektarios of Aegina |
The second time Saint Nektarios did his miracle was at Evangelismos, for a twisted intestine. I remember his bed was in a large chamber opposite the toilet, next to the door, which made things more difficult since there was not a moment of silence. But he persistently refused to be transferred to another hospital room, which his spiritual children wanted to do out of much love and they offered to pay for it.
Every day I would visit the Elder, taking Eldress Parthenia to the hospital to keep him company. His patience was something unreal. He was sober and calm with knots of sweat coming from his face when he was in a lot of a pain, and he didn't complain for a second, but only glorified God. He responded to every question visitors would ask him as if he had no pain.
We went to see him on the morning of the surgery, and he jubilantly told us how Saint Nektarios visited him the night before, and he saw him pull out his intestine with his hands and unfolded it, then placed it back inside his body.
Of course, no surgery took place, we took him home, glorifying God, full of joy and gratitude.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.