Russia (bbabo.net) - "Literary kiosk" in Staraya Russa, which is a joint project and the newspaper "Staraya Russa", will be replenished with copies of the new book "I will not abandon my own!" The book is a collection of stories about the modern miracles of St. John of Kronstadt and was prepared by St. Petersburg journalists based on the results of communication with those whose lives were transformed or were saved through the prayers of the saint. So far, the book has been published in a small edition and has already become a rarity. The publisher is the John's Family Charitable Foundation, which unites 220 parishes and about 80 Orthodox social service organizations from twenty countries of the world.

- John of Kronstadt is the saint to whom most of the Orthodox churches in other countries are dedicated. And the very idea of ​​the book was prompted by life itself. At the meetings, many parishioners talked about them, and it was impossible not to start collecting these testimonies, - said Andrey Smirnov, chairman of the fund's board.

John of Kronstadt went down in history, and not only in church history, as a man who sowed good compassion around him. For example, it was thanks to his efforts that the Houses of Diligence began to appear in Russia, which became the beginning of the development of the social security system. By the way, at those of the houses that were intended for young mothers with babies, nurseries were also created. So that moms can work and provide for themselves and the child. Father John named the institution in which the children are cared for, the manger, in honor of the Bethlehem creche. And the concept of a nursery as a children's institution has become firmly established in the country already under Soviet rule. Almost all boys and girls in the country attended a nursery-kindergarten. The nursery is still in operation. Actually, this is also a small miracle, a reminder of the deeds, the beginning of which was laid by Father John.

As for the miracles taking place in our time, their spectrum is wide. From healing seriously ill patients, as well as those who had alcohol and drug addiction, to helping in ordinary life situations, such as finding a lost phone with a list of very necessary contacts to saving a family's beloved lemon tree, which has begun to dry up. Amazing, fateful meetings of people who, if we consider the situations logically, should not have happened, are also miracles. And in general, if each of us analyzes his life more deeply, he will see: there are events that took place due to some inexplicable influence from the outside. And how many nonbelievers in critical situations turn to God, asking for help!

By the way, regarding the salvation of the lemon tree. It grew in the apartment of Father John's great-grand-niece Galina and delighted not only with greenery, but also with the scent of blossoming flowers and real fruits. But in 2008, the tree began to wither for an unknown reason. And then the saint appeared to Galina, baptized her, said "Don't worry. Everything will be fine," and disappeared. As Galina recalled, everything was so unreal and surprising that words could not convey. The lemon was saved and delighted the family for a long time.

A separate section of the book is dedicated to Archpriest Nikolai Belyaev, a scientist-astronomer of the Research Institute of Applied Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (one of the minor planets is named after Belyaev), who at the peak of his career went to serve in the Orthodox Church. For many years he was the senior priest of the Ioannovsky convent in St. Petersburg.

From the book you can also learn about the difficulties faced by parishes in the name of the saint located in countries where the dominant religions are not Christian. For example, about Orthodoxy in Pakistan, where the only native Orthodox priest, John Tanveer, was at first a Catholic and then converted to the Orthodox faith. His wife, an Oxford graduate, translates the book of John of Kronstadt "My Life in Christ" into the local language.

Now we are working on the sequel to the book. It will include new testimonies from both the past and the time after the completion of the first book. It has already been noted that people, having seen a real book with documentary evidence of the saint's intercession, are ready to tell themselves what they have hidden for a long time, considering it secret and not intended to be presented to the public.

bbabo.Net