“And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us” (Ps 90:17): 3. Saint John

 

Lo, Thy care for thy flock in its sojourn prefigured the supplication which thou dost ever offer up for the whole world. Thus do we believe, having come to know thy love, O holy hierarch and wonderworker John. Wholly sanctified by God through the ministry of the all-pure Mysteries and thyself ever strengthened thereby, thou didst hasten to the suffering, O most gladsome healer, hasten now also to the aid of us who honor thee with all our heart. (Troparion to St. John, Tone 5)

In March of 2018, six months after hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico and my family was evacuated off the island, I finally received a transfer and was able to move to Wisconsin and reunite with my family.

“And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us” (Ps 90:17): 2. The Ride

I suspect that some stories about miraculous help at the intercession of saints are factually incorrect. (Although, this does not necessarily mean that they are untrue, as there is a great deal of difference between what we presently consider to be facts and the Truth.) I myself have been the subject of such “fake news” at least on one occasion. It was reported on the “world wild web” that a child had been miraculously brought back from the dead by the intercessions of Saint John of Shanghai, and that I, utterly unworthy that I am, was somehow involved. This report was mostly factually incorrect.

“And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us” (Ps 90:17): 1. The Covering

Some stories are best written down. If not, in time they are forgotten or distorted, and even the people whose stories they are can no longer agree on what happened or whether it happened at all. How many of these stories have already been forgotten and will never add to the beauty of our human experience in this world? To remember is not simply to archive or to catalogue, but to make real and meaningful. Some things in life are too beautiful to forget, or archive, or to catalogue. Thus, I shall now attempt to keep them diligently, “lest [I] forget the things which [mine] eyes have seen, and lest they depart from [mine] heart…” (Deut. 4:9)