– Father, there is a young man waiting for Father Elijah.
I look: indeed, there is a man in a sheepskin coat standing and crying. And the boy is with him. I ask the young man:
— Why are you crying?
– I would like to see Father Elijah!
– Why are you crying?
– I can’t live without tears… What happened!
– What happened? – I’m interested.
And he began to tell:
— My family and I flew to Turkey in the fall and stayed there for two weeks. We returned back on a night flight. We left at midnight. The plane took off, we spent two hours in flight, but the engine suddenly failed. One engine failed, and the plane tilted and began to fall… There was turmoil in the cabin: everyone was running somewhere, getting up from their seats. Everyone sees that the plane is faulty…
In general, this man who was telling all this, first shouted: “Lord, help me! Most Holy Theotokos, save us!” And then I suddenly remembered how I once went to Optina, met with Father Elijah there and took his blessing. And then he still deeply sank into his soul. And at the last moment,” the man said, “he shouted: “Lord, through the prayers of Father Elijah, help us!” – fell into a chair and lost consciousness.
“Before me,” he continued, “such a night vision appeared. I see a cloud and Optina below… Silence, not a soul in the yard. Only Father Eli runs with a stick, hurries, knocks on all the cells, wakes up all the brethren (and it was two in the morning!): “Brothers, get up! Get up, the plane is falling!”
And suddenly — time! — the vision ends. I looked and the plane was righting itself: it trembled and stood up at exactly the same moment! The engine started and the plane flew normally.
Holy Land Charitable Foundation
Investment in the Soul!
Orthodox stories from life
