The Healing of a Mute Girl
Maxim Jovovich from monastery of Ostrog documented this testimony:
“Five year old Joka M from the village of G. Do (municipality of Bar, Montenegro), whose physical development in early childhood has been quite normal, suddenly became mute and was unable to pronounce a word. Her parents were besides themselves with worry. They took her to the local doctor who had no answer or remedy for her sudden illness. The child returned home with no change whatsoever in her condition. Few days later they took the girl to Ostrog, with firm belief hat she would be healed there.
They spent the night in the monastery guesthouse. A vigil service was held for the girls health. Before they returned home, the monk read prayers for her health before the Relics of Saint Basil. Right after the prayer the child kissed cross on the Saint’s relics and then started speaking in a clear voice. Her parents were overjoyed. They returned home with joy and gladness and the little girl was never tormented with that affliction again. “
Saint BasilReveals His Mother’s Grave to a Villager
The Belgrade’s weekly newspaper “Vreme” in its issue of September 18th, 1937, features the following article by V.M:
“Eighty year old Tripko Milutinovich, a villager from Mrkonjic, has eracted a large stone monument in the vicinity of the Orthodox church in his native village in memory of the mother of Saint Basil of Ostrog. It is known that she died in the village of Mrkonjic; however, the location of her grave remained unknown until Milutinovich discovered it last year.
“It was right after the feast of Saint Basil day last year”, recalls the old man, “that I woke up early in the morning to put up stone fence around my vineyard. As I passed by the church, I met an old monk whom I had never seen before. A boy of about eight years of age was by his side. When I came close to him, the man greeted me and asked, in a strange voice, whether this was the village of Mrkonjic and whether this was the old Orthodox church. I assured him that it was, whereupon his asked me to come with his so that he can show me the grave of mother of Saint Basil of Ostrog. I followed him without saying a word. When we approached the church, he said: Here it is. Remember: the grave of mother of Saint Basil of Ostrog.” As I was looking at the tombstone and the cross, the monk disappeared.
The other villagers had also seen the old monk walking through the graveyard and near the church. The accountant Petar Miloshevich, says that he also had met him. After this , old Tripko Milutinovich decided to erect a monument at the grave of the mother of Saint Basil of Ostrog.”
Basil of Ostrog appears to a priest of Weak Faith
It was in 1940 that Bishop Nikai asked the very Rev. Jovan Boshkovich from Orja Luka (municipality of Danilovgrad), “Do you believe Reverend Father, that God’s saints live?”
“How can I not believe that, when they have themselves appeared to me and witnessed that they are living!”
One day my popadiya (priest’s wife) asked me to go to Ostrog and an offering for some misfortune that had occurred in our family. I was somewhat grieved and angry. “What should I offer?” I asked. “Live those dead relics/bones in the Ostrog cave to rest in peace! It is the living you ought to turn to for help!”
The day passed.
That night I had a vision of Saint Basil. He struck me with his cane and shouted at me, full of wrath, “I am alive, not dead as you think! And be not faithless, but believing!” In great fear I jumped from my bed and asked my wife for the offering she had prepared for my pilgrimage. I immediately went to monastery of Ostrog and took the offering to Saint Basil. Since then I have been firm in my belief that God’s saints are living, not dead.”
- to be continued…