“Forgive Me, Son!”

This story happened a few years ago. My brother in Christ Monk Paramon told it to me. He is a simple and hardworking monk. His whole life is full of miracles, so it’s always interesting to listen to him. I want to say up front that this was not some kind of boasting on his part, but only a normal, friendly conversation between people who had known each for a long time.

Fr. Paramon’s mother was a deeply believing, pious, and devout woman, and although she was married, she led a life more like that of a monastic.

Fr. Paramon said that when his mom was pregnant with him, she was afraid to give birth, and tearfully prayed to the Mother of God to help relieve the painful pangs and sufferings, and she saw the majestic Lady in a dream, who blessed her and told her she would give birth on the feast of the Transfiguration, as subsequently happened. This dream encouraged, strengthened, and delivered Fr. Paramon’s mother from internal stress.

It is impossible to call his parents’ family life ideal. As Fr. Paramon said, conflict did not pass them by. The years passed… Fr. Paramon exchanged his father’s home for the habitation of the Heavenly Father. Already a monk, he found out that his father had left his family, and stopped helping his mother materially, so that the lives of Fr. Paramon’s loved ones became very difficult, because they had not enough money for medicine for their sick grandmother. They were on the brink of despair.

The heart of Fr. Paramon was tormented by the thought that he could not help financially, but he never gave up hope, because he was sure that once he had left for the monastery, God took the care of his family upon Himself and therefore they were in good hands. He involuntarily recalled a story from the Paterikon about a monk who, in order to take care of his parents, left his monastery. When this monk walked through the gates of his home, an angel met him. “Where are you going?” the monk asked. The angel replied that now he had no need to be in that home. Before, when the monk was in the monastery, the angel helped his family, but now that he had broken his vow and returned to his family, there was no need for the angel to stay there.

As Fr. Paramon recalled, it was during Great Lent. On Holy Friday, when people’s grief throughout the entire Christian world is focused on the funeral bier of the Savior, Fr. Paramon experienced a double pain for his internal family tragedy. Quietly prostrating before the shroud, he said, “Lord, help! There is no one who could materially support my loved ones. I left this world, but in my prayers I am obliged to pray for the world, including my own parents.”

Holy Saturday. A phone call. Fr. Paramon heard a worried voice.

“Son, forgive me,” his father uttered, stammering.

“What happened” Fr. Paramon asked.

“At night, when I was sleeping, someone poked me in the side. Opening my eyes, I saw a creature before me in white light, like an angel. It told me to help my wife, who is the mother of a monk.”

His frightened father went on to say a lot about the words of the mysterious stranger, which we do not have the right to write in this story.

Monk Paramon gave his father some advice, and he reconciled with his wife and fulfilled the orders given to him. The family’s relationships began to improve from that time. Fr. Paramon’s father became a Church person and lives according to the commandments of Christ.