With one week until our Monastery’s patronal feast day in honor of the Birth of our Heavenly Intercessor, Saint John the Baptist, we decided to publish a few more miracles of this “heavenly man and angel in the flesh” that took place recently, as a kind of invitation to his upcoming celebration. On the day of his birth, his grace is especially present and through his glorious and miraculous Bigorski icon, he listens and fulfills the prayers of those who call him with love and faith. This is the day when “the greatest among those born of woman” pours out his God-given grace on all who faithfully honor his memory. Just as everyone rejoices when their friends join in the celebrations for their special occasions, then how much more do the Saints of God love those who honor them! May the prayers of Saint John the Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord be with you all!
Saint John delivers a young man tormented by an unclean spirit
On October 31, 2021, thirty-two-year-old V.D. from Gostivar, Macedonia came to our Monastery and personally told us his unusual history.
According to his own testimony, for a long time, he felt like he was not in reality. He was tormented by the thought that he might have some mental disorder. He even felt a certain heaviness during dreams and could not sleep, and at times he suffered from paralysis. During the night, he woke up screaming loudly five to six times. He shouted and screamed for help. He heard voices in his head telling him to look away and saw shadows or illusions of people. He lost his breath and focus and could not concentrate on anything.
On the evening of August 17, 2019, he was out with his friends. When he came back he went to sleep. He did not use drugs, nor did he suffer from excessive alcohol use. During the night, he woke up completely deranged and while in this unconscious state, he tried to strangle his mother. Fortunately, this is when his father intervened and stopped him. His body was covered with bruises and his clothes were torn. When they asked him what was wrong with him, addressing him by name, he shouted in a wild voice: “I’m not V., I’m L.!” He was completely lost, and everything in the room was thrown everywhere and the wall was covered in scratch marks. When he lit incense to sanctify their home, he began to choke and wanted to throw himself from the terrace, but his family stopped him. It should be stated that he had previously visited witch doctors, who had given him a certain impure water to drink. Of course, this was all a harmful and demonic thing to do.
Seeing him in such a difficult condition, his cousin advised him to go to Bigorski to be prayed over. He was not particularly religious, but he still believed in God. At first, he refused to go because he didn’t really believe that it would help him, but finally, he agreed. Before, when would go into a church, he would start shaking and crying. The same thing happened to him when he entered the Bigorski church.
That day was the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, August 19, 2019. The service was about to end, and he was constantly going in and out of the church. When he went to receive antidoron at the end of the Liturgy, some invisible power prevented him from kissing the cross, although he himself wanted to kiss it. Our abbot, Elder Partenij, who had presided at the service, put his hand on him and asked him his name and how old he was. When he left the line, he heard a dark voice. He squeezed his mother and wanted to run away. The voice whispered to him to run out of the church and jump off the porch. However, with kindness and humility, our Elder stopped him from leaving with the Cross and led him to pray in front of the miraculous icon of Saint John the Baptist. When the Elder began to pray, the young man began to shiver as if extremely cold, tore his clothes in anger, and fell to the ground. The Elder bent down with him to hold and pick him up. The suffering man felt something coming out of him and finally began to breathe freely. He fell to his knees and, embracing the Elder by the leg, said to him: “Help me.” The Elder picked him up and straightened him out. He was completely exhausted, but now completely lucid and free from evil. With tears, he began to thank Saint John and our Elder for this great healing. The following week he came to Liturgy in Bigorski again. He cried profusely with tears of gratitude, and was full of grace and humility. Since then V. D. comes to Bigorski regularly and leads a sacramental life in the Church, including repentance, confession, fasting, prayer, and Holy Communion.
Saint John miraculously grants children to three married couples at once
Since our family originally comes from the beautiful village of Lazaropole in the Mijak region, Bigorski Monastery has a special place in our hearts. Ever since we were children, my sister and I have been visiting Bigorski Monastery and always enjoy the Monastery’s spiritual peace. Every time we visit Monastery, our souls feel full of peace and tranquility.
After several years of marriage with my wife Emče and two failed pregnancies, one day we decided to visit the Monastery to pray to Saint John to ask him to grant us the joy of having a child. My sister Elena and brother-in-law Darko also came with us that day. They were in a similar situation, after several years of marriage they had a pregnancy that ended prematurely, with a baby who died a few days after his birth and it all brought great sadness to the family. My sister’s good friends Natasha and Marijan were with us too, and they had already had several unsuccessful attempts to have a child.
After we got out of the car at the Monastery, we felt all felt a huge burden falling away from us, and the sun’s warm rays in our souls. A month later my sister found out that she was pregnant and we were all so happy for her. Three months later, my wife and I found out we were going to be parents and shared this wonderful news with our family. But the miracle did not stop there: after a few months, my sister’s friends also had the same wonderful news that they would become parents. We realized that the good news that we would become parents came to us in the same order that the Elder had read a prayer for each of us.
In November 2019, my sister Elena and brother-in-law Darko welcomed the beautiful Klara into this world. Three months later, on February 17, 2020, with the blessing of God and through the prayers of Saint John, we also welcomed our daughter Jovana, and my wife Emče and I were overjoyed. In July 2020, my sister’s friends, Natasha and Marijan, had their son Damjan, and thanks to Bigorski Monastery, all three children are alive and well.
We will be grateful to the Saint and the brotherhood of Bigorski Monastery until the end of our lives. This summer, we came with our children to thank the Holy Forerunner, and our Jovana received holy baptism and accepted the Orthodox faith. I will never stop loving and visiting Bigorski Monastery and I will be sure to tell everyone about what we experienced there.
Respectfully,
Jovica Markovski“
(Letter received at bigorskim@gmail.com on November 10, 2021)
Finally, we ask everyone who has experienced the miraculous power of the icon and relics of St. John the Baptist, as well as other Saints in Bigorski Monastery, to share their experiences at our email address: bigorskim@gmail.com. We also ask those who have previously given us their testimonies about the miracles of Saint John to send them again because some of them have been lost, and in the fire of 2009 the notebook in which the miracles were recorded was also burned. At the same time, we would like to emphasize that the testimonials will not be published without the consent of the sender, and also, if someone does not want to write their full name, they can send us just their initials.
To the witness and glory of our Great Intercessor before the Throne of God. May his blessing be with you! Thank you!
