My name is Branko Soskic and I live in Loznica Podrinjska, Serbia. I am a sinner before God, but I believe that if I pray to the Lord wholeheartedly, with a heart filled with repentance, that my sins will be forgiven.
What I am writing goes beyond all of the so-called “The miracles” of this world, because it was indeed a miraculous healing that took place on September 23, 1997 next to the relics of St. Basil’s Monastery in Upper Ostrog
On the twenty-second of July 1997 my son was born. It was my long-standing wish that if I had a son he would be named Nicholas, after our family’s Patron saint -St. Nickolas of Myra. The very day he was born, he was placed in an incubator due to minor respiratory problems, and was removed from the incubator the next day. He was also vaccinated at Loznica Hospital, as were all other children.
When he was two months old, I noticed a swelling on the inside of his left leg hock. Every time we touched him there, even a slight pressure, he responded with a scream. So we took the baby to the doctor.
The next day, almost immediately, doctors diagnosed “septic arthritis,” inflammation of the ankle joint caused by sepsis. We were told that blood sepsis could easily lead to death, but that it was pure “luck” that the sepsis was on the ankle, the periphery organism.
They recommended an urgent hospitalization at the Institute for Mother and Child in Belgrade. But something simply lit my soul as we firmly decided to carry him straight to Ostrog. The decision was made without the knowledge of the doctors, of course, who had to hear from me that I will be taking the baby to Switzerland in order for them to give me the baby at all. So we packed up and went on our way.
Along the way, we stopped for anyone who stopped us. And, at the exit from Podgorica towards Niksic, we stopped for a young guy from the age of 16-17 who needed to go Bogetic. Through our conversation he learned that Nicholas was ill and then began such a sermon that, even if I did not believe, then I would have start believing in my baby’s safe healing. He spoke to us about the power of faith with the authority of the patriarch. And he was only 16-17 years old. When we parted at Bogetic, he told us: “Don’t be afraid, just believe, and he will be healed!” When I leaned out of the car to thank him, he was nowhere to be seen!
We arrived at the lower monastery and got the room key right away. We came to the room and saw the icon St. Nicholas on the wall: “Good, our Patron Saint is following us, Mayo!” – I said to my wife.
The next day, September 23, the first thing I saw from our room was a beautiful white cross on the hill above the monastery. “It’s Good, it’s all good!” – I knew somehow. I had a good feeling. We immediately went to the Upper Monastery without waiting. We listened to Father Joel’s sermon through the loudspeakers with fear and reverence. He talked about smoking, about the rich, about everything, and I was scared as if I was standing before God on the day of judgement. And, that’s exactly how I felt.
I carried Nicholas in his blue blanket. He is barely weighted over 5 kg, and at that moment he seemed to me so heavy, overweight.
We finally arrived. We walked all the way to the upper monastery, as it is recommended do so when visiting the Saint. Then Fr. Joel said, “I will give this to anyone who has been baptized, who does not smoke and who has neither eaten nor drank anything this morning!”
He came to a woman, gave her the Holy Communion, but skipped her son and then stood before us. The woman asked, “What about him?” – referring to her son. “He smokes!” said Father Joel. “No he doesn’t smoke.”
“Yes, he does!”
“Well, he didn’t smoke any cigarettes this morning,” said the frightened woman.
“I haven’t stolen anything this morning, and yesterday I did, twice,” told her Father Joel.
That astonished me. I realized that God had endowed him with the gift of clairvoyance.
“And you?” Father Joel asked us.
“We smoke and the little one is not baptized.”
“And, why not?”
“We didn’t get a chance to do it yet, but we planned …”
“Don’t smoke next to the baby so that the baby doesn’t get asthma!
“No, we won’t.”
“And what’s wrong with him?”
“His blood is contaminated, father” – I was kind of confused about formulating the cause of the disease.
I was watching Nicholas. He was cooing so beautifully and it made me laugh. And the next moment he could fall into a coma, abruptly, unannounced, because the swelling on the leg was huge.
We came to the church where the relics of Saint Basil are. Maya was holding a child, and I was wondering how to cross myself. Because I saw that some people would do it quickly, someone would do it in a strange way as if they were picking up something from the floor, some people would bow down and then make the cross sign… So, as I was so overwhelmed with thinking about how to “perform” that act, my turn came.
And then, my legs started shaking and kneeling as if someone had hit me from behind my knees and I fell to my knees and wept so bitterly as I never wept in my life. For two full hours I cried in the monastery, wherever I rested my head: I, a man, cried unbearably loud. And then I remembered Father Joel’s words as we climbed up the road, “You do not know that every stone here is sanctified – it is a Divine stone!”
We went down again, and I was already tired of waiting. Father Joel walked past us and said, “Who is there ready to venerate St. Basil’s relics come after me.” So we went. People who were already waiting for confession or prayer saw us and they let us pass through even though we didn’t ask for it
At the entrance, a priest from Novi Sad told us “that he will pray for little Nicholas, and that he will continue praying for him even when he returns to Novi Sad.” He told us that he also has one grandson named Nicholas.
When we came in, Fr. Joel asked us sternly, “What have you come for?”
– I told him I knew that God would cure Nicholas, because there is no one else that can.
And he said to me, “Don’t be afraid, Dad, your son will be healed today” – so he took an epitrail and put it over child’s head and said, “In the glory of God …” and something else, but I can’t remember what .
And he said to me, “Today you should baptize him in the lower monastery and believe.”
“I believe,” I said.
“Just believe!” – and thus Father Joel walked us outside.
While looking at some icons I saw among them an icons of, previously to me, unknown Saint, and suddenly I began to cry again. Only this time with some great happiness and relief. I stood next to that icon and wiped my eyes to see who is on the icon and saw “Holy Father Nicholas” written in Greek language.
“Look at this! They are both miracle workers and they look alike like real brothers!” I thought, referring to St. Basil and St. Nicholas.
We went to the Lower Monastery and baptized Nicholas. The godfather was Danilo Damnjanovic from Mojkovac, a student of Cetinje Theology who in the Lower Monastery was assisting the priest in baptism. As they were trying their best to get everyone that came baptized (an there were many people), Godfather Danilo and that dear priest were simply forcing us to leave immediately. And it was when we entered the city of Podgorica that I remembered that I hadn’t even paid for the Baptism! My wife told me that it was OK.
Since it was on our way we stopped in Berane to visit my uncle and to rest for a while. Mary went into the room to change Nicholas and suddenly screamed, “Bane! Come quickly, quickly! “
I heard and felt some tremendous joy in her voice and ran into the room, hoping to see a miracle.
Yes! There was no bump anywhere! I tentatively touched his foot, and Nicholas crinkled with laughter.
There was no pain or screaming anywhere. Not even that coughing and sneezing from the so-called “hospital virus” that made him sick in Belgrade at the Institute for Mother and Child.
How I abstained from the onset of feelings and bursting of emotions then, it is not clear to me. As I write this, I’m refraining from bursting again.
Holy Father, Creator, thank you for Your Love for us, sinners and little ones!
Thank you, Father, for loving my son, for helping us!
I stand before You, Holy Father, Lord and I confess that every word that is written here is true. I will give this to the monastery to be read, and that the dear monks who are praying for us sinners to You, Father, know that all this is from You, Father, through your Saints- St. St. Basil and St. Nicholas.
Thank You, Father, Who art in Heaven!
October 15, 2000 in Monastery Ostrog
