Photo: tsargrad.tv I would like to tell you about the miraculous help that I, the unworthy servant of God Nadezhda, received from the holy Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky).
I was under the supervision of an ophthalmologist (Dr. L. D. Ridyk), for a long time (about ten years). I was at risk the whole time, and I often saw the professor of ophthalmology from the Moscow Regional Scientific Research and Clinical Institute. Then in 1998, in April, during another consultation, Professor of Ophthalmology Y. M. Karetskaya suggested that I immediately undergo an operation for glaucoma, but I refused, out of fear. I relied on the will of God in everything, and started fervently praying to the Lord, the Mother of God, and righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye for healing of my soul and eyes. I promised the Lord I would never complain or ask for help, no matter what diseases were sent to me in the future for my sins, if only the Lord would preserve my eyesight.
Time passed, and my eyesight drastically declined. I couldn’t distinguish bus numbers, prices in stores, and I trimmed my fingernails by touch. In church, I couldn’t recognize familiar priests ten-fifteen feet away. Since the summer of 1999, I could barely read the Psalter in large font; I read with difficulty in lighting of 100 watts even with glasses.
I was a little disheartened by my obstinacy, and inwardly said, “Thy will, Lord.”
I would approach the holy relics of St. Hilarion with little faith, coldly and rarely. But then one day, in July 1999, after the Divine Liturgy, approaching the relics, I thought that if he is truly holy and glorified in the holy Church, then he will help me. I asked him to beseech the Lord for forgiveness of my sins and healing of my eyesight. I prayed, and forgot about it.
In the evening, having arrived at my dacha, I picked up an Orthodox calendar, but I couldn’t find my glasses. And lo and behold! Suddenly, I clearly and distinctly saw the lines and letters of the text, which became easy to read. I couldn’t believe it. I started grabbing other books with various fonts. I could read them all freely and easily, without glasses, with normal lighting.
Thank the Lord, I can still read everything I need to without glasses.
In the commotion of the day, I, a sinner, did not attach any meaning to the miracle that had happened to me. Only a week or two later did I start to analyze and look for the cause of my healing. Then I remembered how before all this I had venerated the relics of St. Hilarion with hope.
Lord, Thy mercy endures forever!
Nearly a year passed, and I went to the ophthalmologist. She did an examination and was surprised by the results, and I asked, “What about the operation?” to which she replied with a smile that there could be no talk of any operation. She asked me how I had been treated. I told her the truth, but it’s difficult for her to understand.
Thank Thee, O Lord, for sending me the glorious healer, the Hieromartyr Hilarion.
The sinful servant of God Nadezhda
October, 2000, Moscow
