Story of the saint’s help recorded by the sisters of the Nea Makri Convent:
My name is T. M. I live in Sweden, although I’m Greek. Twelve years ago, I was convicted of a crime I hadn’t committed. They sentenced me to three years in jail. They locked me in a dark cell. I was waiting five months for my appeal, which was due on Friday, December 18, 1981.
All of a sudden, I woke up at three o’clock in the morning on Thursday before the trial. I jumped onto my feet without even realizing that I was awake. There was a man standing in front of me and smiling. He was barefoot and wore a white robe. He was tall and skinny, with a dense beard and a bare head. His eyes were blue, clear and kind.
I asked him in Swedish, “Who are you?” He smiled again and replied in Greek, “You’ll be released tomorrow.” I repeated, “Who are you? How do you know that?” He told me again with a smile, “You’ll be free tomorrow.” I was shocked and turned to see if the door was open. The door was shut. I turned to the visitor and gazed at him. It was at that moment that I saw something I will remember for as long as I’m alive: the man rose to the upper corner of my cell and disappeared. I was sure that I saw a miracle made by Christ. I made the sign of the cross and went back to bed.
The following morning, I was brought to court. I spent several hours there. Finally, the judge declared, “You are free now.” I fell to my knees, crossed my heart, and left the courthouse. I called my parents to inform them that I had been released. I was surprised to find out that they had known that already. “How?! How could you know that?!” I exclaimed. They replied that my sister had told them about it after praying to Holy Martyr Ephraim in Nea Makri.
I called my sister. She told me how she had gone to the monastery of Saint Ephraim on Thursday to pray for me. While praying, she clearly felt that St. Ephraim had heard her prayer, and that I would be released the next day. She called our parents and told them about the event, which was to happen only on the following day! It was even more mind-boggling because none of them had known the date of hearing of my appeal.
Several days later, my sister sent me an icon of St. Ephraim and a book about him. I immediately recognized my mysterious guest on the icon. I traveled to Greece and visited the monastery to thank the saint for the mercy that the Lord had revealed to me thanks to his prayers.
T.M. CarussellV, 2131 Hagersten, Stockholm, Sweden
Translated by The Catolog og Good Deeds
