"Whatever I want, I simply ask the Saint for it,
and he grants it to me..."
Once, while I was a monk, I was cleaning the sanctuary
of Saint David of Euboea.
Saint Iakovos Tsalikis entered and went before the
icon of Saint David—unaware that I was also inside the sanctuary—and began
speaking to the Saint; he read him a letter and spoke about a sick person,
asking him to go and heal him.
He spoke with such deep emotion and reverence, as if
Saint David were standing right there beside him.
I accidentally dropped the dustpan I was using to
sweep, and he asked:
"Who is in here?"
"It’s me, Elder," I replied.
"My dear Ilarion, you’ve been here a while—you
heard what I was saying. Please don't misunderstand; I’ve taken some heart
medication and I’m having hallucinations; I’m disoriented and dizzy." (Of
course, he said this to conceal the virtue of his prayer—his frequent, direct
conversations with the Saint).
He said to me:
"Father, don't say a word about what you heard or
saw; let's not give people cause to mock us."
"God bless, Elder." Later that afternoon, he
saw me in the kitchen—where I was serving as assistant cook to Fr. Kyrillos—and
said to me discreetly:
"My dear Ilarion, a thousand apologies for lying
to you this morning in church.
I wasn't feeling dizzy, nor did I take any pills; I
simply wanted to conceal the virtue of prayer and the communion I share with
the Saint (David), lest I fall into vainglory and be lost.
Whatever I desire, I ask of the Saint in this way, and
he grants it to me."
Saint
Iakovos Tsalikis
