Sometimes one can fit a lot of events into a short space of time. The planned itinerary however has a way of being changed. God has a way of surprising us and altering our plans.The visit to St Dimitrios shrine was full of such delightful God- intervening surprises. K. and I had been talking about the visit of the ladies choir from Thessaloniki some years ago to Holy Cross for Great week. Lo and behold who should walk into St Dimitrios but Maria the ladies choir director! K. and I then sang the supplication to St Dimitrios and the apolytikion for Holy Cross and Ti Ypermaho for the Mother of God. A lady asked me for a blessing who was surprised i was an English Orthodox as she lived in London. Then another lady spoke to me about a certain pilgrimage she was on led by a certain Abouna Justin from Lebanon from whom we learned that he was a student at Balamand of Abouna Samir some years ago.After our two hours with St Dimitrios we went for a long walk to various churches and bumped into Maria again quite by “coincidence.”

Outside the Holy Church of the Virgin Mary Acheiropoietos (Ιερός Ναός Παναγίας Αχειροποιήτου) Holy Church of the Virgin Mary Acheiropoietos (Ιερός Ναός Παναγίας Αχειροποιήτου), we met a fr Spyridon who gave us a beautiful icon of the Mother of God. Then we went to the 4th c. St Sophia’s Church in the city centre followed by veneration St Gregory Palamas in his church. An amazing coincidence I had said the Jesus prayer for all the passengers!Later as we were seated at a local fine taverna toasting our Dmitry we learned of Dmitry’s success at his PhD. Strange that we had been with St Dimitrios most of the evening. 🤔

C.S. Lewis once wrote:
“A secret Master of the Ceremonies has been at work. There are no “coincidences” when you walk with Jesus”

“Life of the soul is union with God, as life of the body is union with the soul. As the soul was separated from God and died in consequence of the violation of the commandment, so by obedience to the commandment it is again united to God and is quickened. This is why the Lord says in the Gospels, ‘The words I speak to you are spirit and life’ (Jn. 6:63).”St Gregory Palamas