This Sunday at St Arsenios monastery, after the church services, Homily, Trapeza with Gerondas Theoklitos and a few obediences together with other pilgrims, Fr Synesios gave us a guest room to rest. At 4:00 we had Vespers, Supplication and … and eventually, we left together with Gerondas Theoklitos: we drove him to the airport. That was a most interesting drive as we spent all the time taking turns in the Jesus Prayer and its variations. We started with “Glory to God” a hundred times, then “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on us”, “Most Holy Theotokos save us”, and some variations like “Holy, Life-Giving Cross protect us”, “Baptist of Christ help us” (for repentance), “St. John the Evangelist help us” (for love), the Saints of the day, our Saints, all a 100 times repetitions each, first for the living, then for the departed . Very soon though we started praying using the following St. Paisios’ variation (*) to the Jesus prayer:
Our Lord Jesus Christ:
Do not abandon your servants who live far away from the Church. May your love convict them and bring them back to you.
Lord have mercy on your servants who are suffering from cancer.
On your servants who suffer either from small or serious ailments.
On your servants who suffer from physical infirmities.
On your servants who suffer from spiritual infirmities.
Lord have mercy on our leaders and inspire them to govern with Christian love.
Lord have mercy on children who come from troubled homes.
On troubled families and those who have been divorced.
Lord have mercy on all the orphans of the world, on all those who are suffering pain and injustices since losing their spouses.
Lord have mercy on all those in jail, on all anarchists, on all drug abusers, on all murderers, on all abusers of people, and on all thieves. Enlighten these people and help them to straighten out their lives.
Lord have mercy on all those who have been forced to emigrate.
On all those who travel on the seas, on land, in the air, and protect them.
Lord have mercy on our Church, the bishops, the priests and the faithful of the Church.
Lord have mercy on all the monastic communities, male and female, the elders and eldresses and all the brotherhoods of Mt. Athos.
Lord have mercy on your servants who find themselves in the midst of war.
On your servants who are being pursued in the mountains and on the plains.
On your servants who are being hunted like birds of prey.
Lord have mercy on your servants who were forced to abandon their homes and their jobs and feel afflicted.
Lord have mercy on the poor, the homeless and the exiled.
Lord have mercy on the nations of the world. Keep them in your embrace and envelope them with your holy protection. Keep them safe from every evil and war. Keep our beloved Greece (the Elder’s home country; we could substitute the USA) in your protective embrace day and night. Embrace her with your holy protection defending her from all evil and war.
Lord have mercy on those who have been abandoned and have suffered injustice. Have mercy on families that are going through trying times. Pour your abundant love upon them.
Lord have mercy on your servants who suffer from spiritual and bodily problems of all kinds.
Lord have mercy on those who are despairing. Help them and grant them peace.
Lord have mercy on those that have requested that we pray for them.
Lord grant eternal rest to all those who have passed on to eternal life throughout the ages.
Then, back to Thessaloniki centre and straight to St Demetrios for the Myron Service. Gerondas Theoklitos was the catalyst for a most bountiful “harvest” of 15 cotton balls and an extra Myron cotton roll equivalent to 50 more! Everybody present is normally given only one piece of cotton, but we were collecting for the faithful in the UK and other countries.
* The following prayer of his was given to Souroti convent which had asked the Elder for a prayer rule that could be used by the nuns in their evening vigils. This directive was given to the nuns during the final years of his life. The main emphasis of this prayer is his profound love for all of humanity.
This prayer can be used by every Christian believer since it takes in all the issues of life that need our prayers. Even the children can understand it easily since it is expressed in simple words. It can be used by families during their evening prayers.
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN FAITH AND LIFE 
Are all of the cotton balls spoken for? Is there perhaps a tiny piece that could be spared?
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Dear MelissaBishop, I need to make inquiries and will let you know before these cotton balls go.
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Further on to the matter, may I please have here or at the email your full address and may I know if anybody is travelling from the USA to Greece so that I can send it to you?
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I’m not able to send an email to you. Here is mine but you’ll need to read between the lines. I’ve done it this way to hopeful prevent bots from finding it and sending me spam. dancing teacup at g mail dot com. I do not know of anyone traveling but I am happy to pay postage and to even send an envelope to you that is self addressed and stamped if need be. Once you contact me via email I will send my address to you depending on what we have worked. Out. Are all myrrh streaming icons/relics healing?
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Thank you. I meant to send all details to the blog’s email address: anastasioskefalas1961@gmail.com
Further on, I will send an email to you through anastasioskefalas1961@gmail.com, and once I get a reply from you, I will know that the line is working. It is not for the postage expenses but I was told by my little spiritual father “to pray and wait for a while 40 days to see if God sends someone to you”. In general, we always wait for God to reveal someone who is travelling whenever we are sending primary and secondary relics, myrrh, anything holy. So, let us wait and pray and maybe someone on either side may come up. Surely, Saints can travel anywhere, and this includes their relics and myrrh. Let us wait for the solution Saint Demetrios may offer to us. As to your last question, I do not know because Saints interact in different ways with each person through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a matter of faith and God’s providence for us. One may not be healed in the way he expected but still, be strengthened. I was told the following real story about a young woman suffering from a crippling condition. She wanted to venerate the wonder-working icon of Theotokos in Tinos. So she asked the blessing from her spiritual father. “And what if our Lady does not heal you from your specific condition. Do you still want to go?” And she answered “Whatever the Theotokos decides ‘May it be blessed!’ ” So she went and returned. Exactly in the same condition. But she had Joy. So her spiritual father asked her “what happened?” And she replied: “When I went there and saw all those suffering from various ailments, I prayed to the Theotokos:’Our Lady if a miracle is to take place today, do not heal me from my disease but heal those little children I see today here.'” And, her prayer was heard … Your prayers
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Evlogeite… May we all have the blessing of our holy Geronda Efraim-Eonia h mnimi☦️
Re: Melissa
I live in San Francisco if you are near the bay area let me know ..I have some cotton from St Demetrios! I may forget to check this blog again so please email me: sophiacorpus@hotmail.com
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Evlogeite. isn’t it amazing how we are all surrounded and inter-connected with the Saints? To hear that they are all related and St Demetrios’ cotton and the Theotokos’ myron is all over the world is no surprise to me since in that spiritual fellowship and circle of grace that we inhabit we will no doubt encounter those who know those whom we know- in that holy communion of saints to which we are called. The holy Apostle Paul expressed this so well as the Body of Christ. Christ is Glorified in His Saints! How fervently should we strive to enter His Uncreated Church even from this life! Glory to God for all things. Your prayers
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