On November 22, the Church celebrates the memory of the “Quick to Hearken” icon of the Mother of God, the great shrine of the Docheiariou Monastery on Mount Athos.
In 1997, the Monastery decided to renovate the miraculous icon, for the first time in many centuries. The restorer Antonios Glinos removed the gilded cover and discovered a canvas attached with small nails to what turned out to be the ancient image from 1563, used in the 17th century by the Mother of God to admonish the manciple Nilus. The later icon written on the canvas was then separated from the discovered image and placed next to it, giving the brethren and the pilgrims an opportunity to reverently worship both great relics.
The miraculous “Quick to Hearken” icon has helped many people praying before it with sincere faith. Here are just a few of the relatively recent miracles.
A Stutterer Suddenly Spoke in Front of the Miraculous Icon
A monk witnessing this miracle in early December 2016 once shared:
“This story, testifying to the tangible grace coming from the miraculous “Quick to Hearken” icon of the Mother of God, happened in the Docheiariou Monastery on Mount Athos. The abbot of the Monastery, the honorable Elder Gregory and his brethren sing psalms, serve prayers and pray for hundreds of people every day.
An 18-year-old boy from Strumica, suffering from severe stuttering, visited the Docheiariou Monastery to worship the miraculous image. The young man never spoke in his life, and was only able to make inarticulate sounds. When he came to the Monastery and stood in front of the miraculous icon “Quick to Hearken”, he suddenly shouted out in his native language, “Mother Maria, grant me good health!”
Everyone who came with the young man and knew his situation was amazed. At the end of the prayer, continued calmly by one of the Docheiariou brethren, the young Macedonian turned to all present and said, “Thank you all, I feel much better already”.
Miracle with a Newborn Girl
37-year-old Catherine, a mother of two, and a native of the city of Arta in northern Greece, once shared a miracle that had happened with her.
There is a “Quick to Hearken” icon of the Mother of God in Arta, that was once brought there from Athos. Catherine always lit a candle in front of this icon and prayed for the intercession of the Mother of God.
Catherine had been barren for 11 years and asked the Mother of God for help in bearing a child, promising (if it were to be a girl) to name her Mary in honor of the Mother of God. Catherine’s prayer was answered. First she gave birth to a boy, whom she named George, in honor of her father. After 19 months, Catherine had a girl. She had not forgotten her promise to the Mother of God, but decided to name the girl Vasiliki, in honor of her mother-in-law.
Unlike Catherine’s first child who was born without any complications, her second baby ended up in intensive care, at the point of death. Catherine’s spiritual brothers urgently got in touch with the Monastery of the Archangel Michael on the island of Thasos and with the Docheiariou Monastery in Athos. The brethren told the mother that she needed to urgently baptize the child herself.
Turning in prayer to the Theotokos, Catherine asked Her to heal the girl. Then, with the words “The servant of God Mary is baptized, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”, she made the sign of the cross over the baby three times and again asked the Mother of God for help. Since then, everything has changed. Within a week, the mother and the child were at home in Arta. Thanks to the Mother of God, the girl completely recovered. The doctors called it a real miracle.
Catherine went to meet with the abbot of the Docheiariou monastery, Fr Gregory (Zumis) and expressed her deep gratitude to the Mother of God and to the brethren, for their prayers. Elder Gregory then told her to baptize the child with the name Maria.
Healing after an Accident
The late Archimandrite Gregory of Docheiariou often said,
“The Quick to Hearken” Icon is like a mother to us. Sometimes God pretends not to hear our requests. But the Most Holy Theotokos always answers our prayers through Her icon”. Once Elder Gregory shared another miracle: “This happened quite recently. One girl was involved in an accident and suffered a serious head injury. Seeing that the injury affected the girl’s brain, the surgeon in Thessaloniki refused to perform the surgery. He said that she would not live until morning. The girl was her father’s only daughter. What was he to do? He rushed to Mount Athos, came to us and with tears began to pray in front of the Miraculous Image. All the brethren felt his grief, and the whole church prayed for the girl. In the morning, when the surgeon came to see how the child was feeling, he saw her sitting on the bed smiling.
It is difficult to count the miracles happening after prayers to the “Quick to Hearken”. At one time we tried recording all the healings. But it simply cannot be done… Truly, Holy Mount Athos is an Abode of the Mother of God “.
