How does Saint Luke of Crimea help? Posthumous miracles of St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) of Crimea

Krymsky is one of the most revered saints in Orthodoxy. Thousands of people make pilgrimages to his relics. I know many stories miraculous healings people who did it. Therefore, I will share with you details from the life of Luke and how prayers addressed to his icons help.

Saint Luke of Crimea: biography

St. Luke was born under the name Voino-Yasenetsky. In worldly life, this man is known as a surgeon, the author of his own monograph. Later he was awarded the title of saint.

Here are some facts from the life of St. Luke Krymsky:

He was born in Crimea, but later moved to Kyiv, where he studied to become a doctor. He managed not only to make a medical career and become a professor, but also to give birth to new trends in medicine of that time. He was predicted to have a great future in the world of medicine, but fate had other plans for him.
In 1921, Luke became a deacon and accepted this honorary rank. From that moment on, he decided to devote his life to serving God. Two years later he took his hair and received his church name. An important condition, which was given to him, was the wish not to stop his activities as a doctor. He committed himself not only to serve the Lord, but also to heal people with his medical knowledge.
Life has prepared many challenges for Luke. He had to suffer for his faith. He was arrested three times and sent into exile. But the hardships of life did not break his spirit. Even far from home, in exile, he never refused to help people, treated them and preached Christianity. Didn't disdain heavy physical work in hospitals, nor tedious services in church.
In 1946, he managed to return to his homeland, Crimea, where he was born. There he tried to make every possible effort to establish the diocese. He worked to ensure that existing churches were not closed, but, on the contrary, that new churches were built and opened. He especially advocated for the construction of temples in remote areas, villages and hamlets.
Luke treated violators strictly and uncompromisingly church rules, tried to eradicate heresy and sectarianism, fought very actively against them.
He lived to a fairly old age, and until his death he did not stop practicing medicine. He held an honorary position in a military hospital and performed the most complex operations. His gift for diagnosing patients and making treatment prognoses was obvious, and therefore he stood out among all other doctors.
Luke received the sick at home. People believed him, unquestioningly followed all the instructions and quickly got better. There was even a belief that if you touch the saint’s cassock, healing will come quickly, and you can be cured even from an incurable disease.
He sometimes lectured at medical universities. But even during these hours he did not take off his church clothes and did not turn into a worldly person.

The saint's death occurred in 1961, and 34 years later he was canonized. His icon is considered miraculous and healing, so people with various diseases often turn to the face of Luke in their prayers.

What do they pray to Luka Krymsky for?

Believers turn to the icon of St. Luke with a variety of requests. The most frequent “guests” who come to the image are doctors and their patients.

What can you ask a saint for in your prayers:

Ask for blessings for parents who suffer from any illness. It is believed that such prayer gives strength and grants healing to your loved one.
At difficult and turning points in life, you can ask for more vitality and energy, to charge you with self-confidence and confidence that everything will be resolved in the most prosperous way.
You can pray for the health and healing of children, for their prosperity, success, career, successful studies or happiness in their personal lives. It is important not to try to influence their lives, but simply ask for support and blessings.
They ask Luka to give him happiness in his personal life, to improve family relationships, mutual understanding with his spouse and sincere love.
About protection, help and support before the important operations that lie ahead of you. So that the surgical intervention goes well and brings healing.
And most often, of course, the saint is asked for healing from a variety of diseases. You can hear more than one amazing story about how seriously ill people were healed for no apparent reason, thanks to divine support.
Doctors can ask for help in establishing an accurate diagnosis for a complex patient and about successful operations.

What is important: remember that your wishes do not always come true instantly. Sometimes it takes time. Therefore, do not despair, pray again and again so that sooner or later you will receive what you ask for. It is equally important to sincerely believe in the power of your prayer and God, to speak from the heart, and not to read texts on a piece of paper.

Watch the video

Nowadays, few people believe in miracles, and it is difficult to convince modern people that they happen. And yet, I modern man, must tell about the miracle that happened to me and try to find simple convincing words - without anything,

which may seem deceitful, far-fetched, or at least slightly contrived.

This happened several years ago, and I, the writer Alexander Segen, still did not dare to testify in writing to the miracle, limiting myself only to oral stories. I was always stopped by the thought: either they openly wouldn’t believe me, or they would just pretend that they believed me. Or they won’t trust you. Since the spring of that year, my heel began to hurt. I wasn't particularly worried. It will pass. But it didn’t go away, but, on the contrary, it hurt more and more. I had to go to the doctors. They made different diagnoses, prescribed ointments, pills, but nothing helped. In the summer, my son Kolya and I were planning to go to Gurzuf for three weeks, and I thought about the sea - it often saved me, many sores healed when you swim for many days for a long time, walk on the coastal pebbles. But this time the sea did not help, and when the time came to leave, I could no longer step on my heel, every step caused such hellish pain. We arrived from Gurzuf to Simferopol, there were three hours left before the train.

“We must go on foot to St. Luke,” I announced my decision to my son.

- What a walk! – Nifkolasha doubted. “You can’t walk, daddy.”

I almost never dared to disturb the saints with requests about my arrangement in life. Only occasionally. When Kolya was supposed to be born, they appointed C-section on June 1, and this freethinker decided that it was time for him, and began to demand release on the morning of May 31. Having learned about this over the phone, I got scared and ran to the Church of the Nativity of Christ in the village of Izmailovo, knelt before the icon of St. Nicholas and prayed for a long time. At some point it seemed to me that St. Nicholas smiled at me. I hurried home, called the maternity hospital and learned about the successful outcome.

- No, we have to go.

- Let's at least take a taxi.

- No, only on foot. 234

And we, leaving our things in the storage room, went to the healer Luka (Voino-Yasenetsky). From the station to the Holy Trinity Cathedral, in which, after canonization, the relics of the saint rest, it takes about 15 minutes on foot, if with cheerful legs; if with a tired step, then 20-25 minutes. I, leaning on my son, trudged for over an hour, sweating from pain, but overcame it by talking about the person we were going to. I talked about how Valentin Feliksovich Voino-Yasenetsky, who was born into a Catholic family, was fond of Tolstoyism in his youth, then, despite the protests of his parents, he converted to Orthodoxy; about how famous a doctor he became in his youth, how, having mourned his wife who bore him four children, he accepted monastic tonsure. While in Tashkent, he was brought in as an expert in a court case, and the famous security officer-executioner Peters asked him: “Tell me, priest and professor Voino-Yasenetsky, how do you believe in God, in the immortality of the soul? Have you seen God? And when did you have surgery in chest, have you seen a soul? “No,” the healer calmly answered, “I have not seen God or a soul. But I have performed craniotomy more than once, and I haven’t seen the mind either.” For bold judgments and statements, Valentin Feliksovich, and in the rank of bishop - Bishop Luka, was arrested and spent 11 years in camps and exile. And during the war years, his work “Essays on Purulent Surgery” was published, thanks to which tens, if not hundreds of thousands of lives of Soviet soldiers were saved. And for this healing book, he, a recent prisoner of the Gulag, was awarded the Stalin Prize, 1st degree! There I knelt before the saint’s tomb and prayed to him, without boring me with too long a petition. I bought oil blessed on the relics of the saint and a flannel wrap, which I was advised to use to wrap the sore spot after anointing with the oil. The journey from the temple to the station was even more tiring. I no longer had the strength to talk about anything. I don’t know why, but I decided to anoint my leg with oil upon arriving in Moscow. Kolya and I returned on Sunday afternoon. In the evening I remembered about the oil. Hand on heart, I didn’t really believe in a miracle, although hope for the saint’s help glimmered in my heart. Well, I thought, at least the pain would be relieved a little... What happened next was that the hair on my head literally began to move, and goosebumps ran across my skin. As soon as I anointed my leg with oil, a kind of pleasant seething was created in my leg: like in a glass where champagne or Narzan had just been poured, thousands of bubbles were running inside, and in a matter of seconds the pain disappeared, dissolved in this wonderful boil. I wrapped a flannel wrap around my leg and walked back and forth. Great, nothing hurts! I couldn't believe my feelings. I was afraid to tell Kolya. Moreover, after half an hour the pain returned, and after another hour it became unbearable again. In the middle of the night I woke up and smeared myself again. And the same thing happened again. Only this time the seething was not so lively. The pain went away, I lay down and tried to sleep before it hurt again. When I woke up early in the morning, I felt almost no pain, but I still lubricated my heel again. Now there is almost no champagne and narzan. It just became even easier. I loved walking my son to school in the morning. We always talked about something interesting and pleasant. On Wednesday, the third day after he and I returned from Crimea, we left the house, and I said:

- Nikolasha, do you want me to show you a miracle?

- Look!

I dashingly ran 100 meters forward and came back running the same way.

- And where is the miracle?

- Well, hello, face me!

And a few days ago...

- Wow, exactly!

- I saw...

We walked in silence for some time. Finally Kolya stopped, looked at me and said:

- Well, what did you want? This is a saint.

The Son of God, God the Word, out of his immeasurable love, came down to earth and took upon himself human flesh in order to save a lost man. He took upon himself all human pain and sins. On earth, he taught people, healed them, helped them in their needs, and died for them. After His Resurrection, the Lord commanded His disciples to preach the Gospel to all creation - to enlighten, baptize and heal. And the apostles “went out and preached everywhere, with the Lord working together and confirming the word with signs following” (Gospel of Mark, 16-20).

The Holy Apostles do not work miracles with their own power and not at all in order to impress or gain glory and fame for themselves, as all sorcerers and deceived people do. The apostles have the Glory of God and the salvation of people as their only goal.

The deeds confirm the words of Christ: “He who believes in Me will do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do” (Gospel of John, 14-12).

This promise of Christ could not refer only to apostolic times. Christ does not stop working His miracles today in the Church through the saints. And today He has not stopped showing His love. And if the saints, in the apt expression, “are Christ - penetrating through the centuries,” then it is not at all surprising that, by performing miracles, the saints heal people, and thereby continue the work of Jesus Christ.

Saint Luke is one of the links in that long chain that originates in apostolic times. He loved Christ and people. He served the image of God - man, and especially the suffering, and served with incredible love and dedication. Saint Luke counted the sick greatest thing, which is an imitation of Christ himself.

Archimandrite Nektarios (Antonopoulos)

In one of his sermons he clarifies his understanding of this issue. And we clearly understand the motives that prompted him to devote himself medical science. Not for the sake of money and fame, not for the sake of some other goals, but in order to serve, alleviate, heal a suffering person.

Saint Luke said: “...Have you ever thought about why the Lord sent His disciples not only to preach, but also to heal the sick? If the Lord considered the treatment of diseases to be so important matter, which put it on a par with the preaching of the Gospel, then this means for us that this is one of the most important deeds of man. He didn’t say, “Preach the Gospel and teach people how to organize their social lives.”

He says absolutely nothing about this. But he gives the apostles the commandment to heal the sick. Why is that? Because Our Lord Jesus Christ himself healed people, cast out demons, raised the dead, and gave the commandment to his disciples to heal the sick. For illness is the greatest pain and the most a big problem humanity.

There are many diseases, terrible illnesses that torment a person, destroy his life and lead him to despair. But the Lord is a lover of mankind and good, and he demands from us that we be merciful and do deeds of love. And the first work of mercy is the healing of the sick. In this way we show our compassion and our love for our unfortunate brothers who are suffering.”

Luckily for us, the head of the orthopedic clinic, Mr. G.P., came to the operating room that day. and took full responsibility for making the decision and carrying out the operation. It was this surgeon who overturned the decision to amputate and, as we were told later, literally fought to save the child’s legs and defended his position contrary to the opinion of all other doctors. As a result, the boy’s left leg was completely preserved, and only the heel on the right was amputated.

After the operation, our son spent a whole month in intensive care at the Aglaia Kyryakou Children's Hospital in Athens. Many doctors who participated in the consultations doubted that the legs would be saved in the future. Various infections and complications were feared. The series has begun plastic surgery at the St. Sophia children's clinic. All the doctors unanimously stated: the child’s legs were left, but one of them would never move, there were no blood vessels, no nerve fibers, no skin left on it. This leg will remain lifeless forever.

On November 26, 2005, our son for the first time mentioned the name of his, as he said, friend, some Luka. This friend, according to the child, woke him up after anesthesia and said: “Konstantin, wake up and go to mom.” This was repeated, according to our son, after each operation. We thought that we were talking about a specific doctor working in this hospital. They started asking. We were told that there was no doctor with that name in the hospital. And so, after the next operation, Konstantin told us quite specifically: “Today I saw St. Luke.” We asked plastic surgeon Mr. N.P., what do these words mean? The doctor with a smile took out an icon with the image of St. Luke from the pocket of his robe and said: “This is who Constantine tells you about all the time. This saint really appears during the most difficult operations, like the one your son had.”

It should be noted that we knew nothing about this saint before. On the advice of our doctor, we read a book about St. Luke of Crimea. Seeing a book about St. Luke in my hands, Konstantin pointed to one of the photographs and said: “Here, mom, you see, this is my friend.”

The miraculous appearances of St. Luke continued. It was the holiday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. Our boy's leg had already begun to function, and he could even move his fingers. The doctors, seeing the recovery process, just threw up their hands and said: “Yes, Constantine has his own saint.”

Saint Luke appeared to our child several times right in the operating room (the boy underwent a total of more than 30 operations of varying degrees of complexity). On March 27, the saint appeared in the operating room in his bishop’s vestments, over which a medical robe was thrown, and said: “Konstantin, you pray, and I will try to cure you.”

Psychologists working at the hospital tried to encourage Konstantin and told him that all the treatment would end well, only in the future he would not be able to ride a bicycle like all the other children. However, Konstantin, after being discharged from the hospital, not only began to walk and run perfectly, but also successfully mastered the bicycle! Complete restoration of leg mobility is a true miracle!

We very quickly forgot our grief and all our experiences. But what do our experiences mean in comparison with the great grace of God that was so generously poured out on us through the prayers of St. Luke?

M.T., Livadya."

3. “I came to operate on you”

“On the afternoon of January 15, 2006, completely unexpectedly, my right ear began to hurt. One of my acquaintances, who greatly reveres St. Luke, gave me a book with his life. The first thing that came to my mind was to ask the saint to help me; in my heart I believed that he was a great saint. I put a piece of cotton wool in my ear, anointed my ear with oil from the lamp, put an icon of St. Luke on top and tied my head with a scarf.

My relative Mother A. and I began to think about whether I should go to the emergency hospital or not. In the end, I decided not to go anywhere. Although I understood that I would not be able to sleep due to the unbearable pain. However, I soon fell asleep. In a dream, Archbishop Luke himself appears to me in his bishop’s vestments. In his hands he had some medical instrument, similar to a long needle. A.P. stood next to him. - that friend of mine who gave me a book about St. Luke. The saint tells me.

“I am Saint Luke and I have come to operate on you. Don’t be afraid, it won’t hurt you.” And then he turns to my friend and says: “Watch how I now perform the operation.”

He put the phone in my ear. I felt a kind of puncture, but there was no pain.

When I woke up in the morning, I realized that my ear did not hurt. The cotton wool in the ear was completely saturated with pus. I went to the ENT doctor Mr. A.G. for inspection. He confirmed that the eardrum had been punctured and diagnosed acute inflammation of the middle ear. “My lady,” the ENT doctor asked in conclusion, “who operated on you? The surgeon who performed the surgery is truly a supreme master.” And I answered him: “Doctor, I see on your table, you are a believer, so I’ll tell you.”

I told him about what happened at night, told him about Saint Luke and gave him a book with the life of the Saint and his icon.

The doctor agreed with me. He prescribed antibiotics and added that it was fortunate that the pus had come out, otherwise you could have lost your hearing.

A week later I went to the doctor again, and he told me that I was absolutely healthy.

S.P. Athens."

4. “I came for surgery”

“My name is Maria K. In my letter I would like to express my gratitude to Saint Luke for the miracle of my spiritual and physical healing.

In 2008 I needed to do surgery in gynecology. The operation was to be performed at the Metaxas Hospital in the city of Piraeus. In difficult times life situations I always turned to God and the saints for help. And yet my faith was weak, I was a so-called person of little faith.

Three years ago I read a book about Saint Luke. I was literally shocked by the martyrdom of this man and his feat as a doctor. When I had to make a decision about the operation, I boldly turned to God and Saint Luke in prayer, asking for help. For the first time in my life, I completely relied on the will of God and trusted in the help of St. Luke. On the eve of the operation, I prayed to Saint Luke like this: “Saint Luke, I know that you will help me during the operation and tell the doctor how to act. You yourself are present at the operation.” For the first time, I felt like I could ask for help.

After a few minutes, the anesthesiologist asked again: “Please tell me who you are?” The answer was: “I’m going to see this girl for surgery.” Then the anesthesiologist leaned over to me and quietly asked: “Who is this? Your relative? Did you ask him to come to you for the operation?” “No,” I answered. - I do not know this person". Then the doctor spoke again: “This operation will be performed by Mr. K.V. Why are you here?” And the third time the answer was: “I came to this girl for an operation.” The doctor, unknown to us, spoke quietly and then left.

I calmed down, my heart started working normally. I remember that in the book about St. Luke his words were quoted as follows: “A person is always afraid before an operation, he is in a state, his heart is breaking... The doctor must not only calm the heart with drugs, but also try to relieve the patient’s fear and psychological stress...”

At that moment, I could not even imagine that St. Luke himself came into the operating room. Meanwhile, the nurses and anesthesiologist commented on this event as follows: “I was probably mistaken. Most likely he should have gone for another operation. Why was he so confused, he didn’t know which operating room he should go to?”

My operation was successful. The doctor who operated on me, talking to my husband, said: “You know, I have performed thousands of similar gynecological operations, but, I assure you, none of them went so calmly and easily. It was as if my hands were moving on their own!”

The next day I asked to bring me a book about St. Luke. It is difficult to convey my excitement when I realized that the doctor who came into the operating room was exactly like St. Luke when he was a doctor at a hospital in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky in 1910. St. Luke's help meant more to me spiritual meaning than physical. Saint Luke literally tore out from my heart the thorn of lack of faith that long years tormented me. I realized that a miracle happens to a person only when he completely surrenders himself to God.

Very soon my husband and I went to the Sagmata monastery in Thebes to serve thanksgiving prayer Saint Luke. We were very worried. Tears kept flowing from my eyes. I couldn't say a word. And my husband was still thinking about what we should donate to the monastery in gratitude to the saint. He had the only valuable thing with him - a watch, a gift from our godfather. 19 years ago this watch cost 2 thousand dollars. The husband loved them very much and never parted with them. But he decided to leave a monetary donation. Some inner voice told him: “No, leave your watch here.” He doesn’t listen to this voice and counts out the money. He heard this voice three times, and in the end he donated his precious watch to the monastery. “As soon as I left them here,” he told me, “it seemed to me as if I had freed myself from something that strongly tied me to this thing.”

“St. Father Luke, teach us to love God as you do.”

M.K., Zakynthos island.

5. “In intensive care”

Instruments that belonged to St. Luke

At the end of June 2009, 24-year-old Elena K. from the island of Leros underwent surgery to replace a heart valve. The doctor said that after the operation the patient would be in intensive care for two days. However, after this period, the girl did not return to normal, “did not wake up.” She was in this state for 27 days.

A friend of the family, having learned about what had happened, sent the girl’s parents a book with a biography of St. Luke, the text of a prayer service to St. Luke and oil from his relics from Simferopol. The parents began to pray to Saint Luke. Two days later, the patient finally opened her eyes and began to speak. Everyone joyfully thanked the Lord and Saint Luke for their help.

Meanwhile, the nurses from the intensive care unit said the following. During the next duty, the day before the patient “awakened,” a strange doctor appeared in the department, dressed in an old-style white long robe made of thick fabric. Without saying a word, he walked past the guards on duty. separate block where the patient was. The strange doctor closed the door tightly behind him and drew the curtains glass partition. After a while, he appeared at the door again, silently walked past and left the department. The nurses hurried to the patient’s block and... saw her awake and reacting absolutely adequately to those around her.

6. “When it was all over...”

My name is E.H. I am 37 years old. I am originally from Morphou. Now I live in Limassol. I work as a flight attendant and teach Italian. On June 28, 2008, Sunday morning, I woke up very early and felt slightly unwell. It turned out that I had a fever, and I decided to go to the clinic and ask for some kind of injection so that the weakness would go away. My mother and I had a trip to Andros Island planned, and we didn’t want to postpone it.

On Tuesday, June 29, I didn’t feel better, and I decided to go to the doctor again. The time for the trip was approaching. At the clinic, my mother’s doctor examined me. They did tests, but found nothing. I had a slight fever and I felt dizzy. Just in case, the doctor suggested that I go to the hospital, but I refused and asked: “Can I go to bed after our trip? I’ll arrive and then go to the hospital.”

The doctor insisted, although he did not say anything about any serious illness. Weakness and fever don't count.

The next day, June 30, Tuesday, my sister-in-law came to the hospital and gave me a small paper icon of St. Luke. I didn’t know this saint before. I put the icon under the pillow.

On Wednesday, July 1, my health condition deteriorated sharply. I had a CT scan and were convinced that I had some kind of infection in my intestines. During the examination, I saw four eyes closely watching me.

I tried to look into the faces of the people around me, but I couldn’t. After the examination, I was transferred to intensive care, and I remember that I was upset that I had lost the icon of St. Luke. My daughter-in-law gave me another one, but soon the missing one was found - the icon somehow strangely stuck to my back. So I held both icons tightly in my hands.

At dawn on July 2, 2008, the infection caused complications in the lungs. And on Saturday, the doctors, who could not explain what kind of infection was in me, and could not cope with the disease, but only gave me the strongest antibiotics and did some intravenous infusions, they decide to subject me to surgery. Blood poisoning (sepsis) set in so quickly that they thought I wouldn’t live until evening.

And despite all the difficulties, I felt that I would recover and, with icons in my hands, I went for the operation. I gave the icons to the anesthesiologist to pick them up after the operation. I had my gallbladder removed, although in the end it turned out there was nothing wrong with it. A comatose state set in, in which I remained for three days. My health was so critical that everyone expected the worst. The doctors did not reassure my relatives. My infected lungs refused to breathe. But a miracle happened when they were talking about my end.

On Tuesday, Father P. came and brought with him the relics of St. Luke - a piece of his heart. As I was later told, he baptized me with relics (a piece of the saint’s heart). At that moment I opened my eyes for the first time. From that moment on, my body began to fight, and sepsis, in a completely incomprehensible way, began to recede. I was completely healed. It was incredible for the doctors. Believers said that a miracle happened. Someone tried to give this fact a scientific explanation, but this did not convince anyone.

They brought me a book to the hospital - the life of St. Luke - a doctor (my doctor - in my situation). And I thought that the Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian helped him.

And only then did I understand whose eyes were carefully looking at me during the tomography on July 1st. It was the day of remembrance of Saints Cosmas and Damian, and they were right hand St. Luke's in the operating room.

My daughter-in-law was that day in the city of Verria in the monastery. Everyone prayed for my health, and then the elder of the monastery said: “Saint Luke and Saints Cosmas and Damian will be with her.”

E.H. Limassol - Cyprus."

***

From left to right: Professor Georgiy Konstantinovich Papageorgiou, Archimandrite Nektarios (Antonopoulos), Natalya Georgievna Nikolaou, Chairman of the Conference Organizing Committee Valery Vladimirovich Marchik

This is only a small part of the miraculous healings performed. They are a confirmation not only of the holiness of Saint Luke, but also proof of the love of the Lord, who even in our time of apostasy does not leave us.

We humans are separated by distances, borders, and language. But we are united by the Church, in the bosom of the Church all differences, distances and boundaries are overcome. And they are not an obstacle to the saints, for the saints are supranational, they are above racial differences. They do not discriminate or show partiality.

I would like to end my speech with the words of another modern saint - Father Paisius, who wrote about the holy elder Father Arseny like this: “I think that the most active activity of our holy father begins right now, after his death.”

I think it is natural that he helps now more than when he lived on earth, for now he is close to the heavenly Father and, as His child, through his intercession, which he had before, he can receive Grace in abundance and go to the suffering people and help them by giving appropriate treatment.

His great deeds for the love of Christ, his love and humility, brought him great spiritual development, and today he soars with the angels and rejoices because he helps more quantity suffering people and that the name of God is glorified.

Today our Saint is already rushing to people with his non-physical legs, when, out of breath, he tried to keep up with every sick person in order to serve a prayer service and heal him, but now he flies like an angel from one end of the world to the other and can keep up with everyone who reverently calls for his help.

Translation: N. Nikolaou

Text provided by Irina Akhundova

You have read the article. Read also.

IN Orthodox tradition There are two icons of St. Luke that are especially revered. This is about different people, but each of them has a somewhat similar fate.

Next we will tell you about the icon of Luke, who was an apostle and saw Christ on Earth. We will also consider the veneration of the icon of St. Luke of Crimea, who served the Lord on Earth relatively recently, at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, although he did not see Christ with his own eyes, it is difficult to doubt his spiritual insight to the Lord. In fact, both of these saints were pleasing and close to the Lord, although they served at different times.

Veneration of the Apostle Luke

He was born in Antioch and was very educated. In his youth he studied Greek philosophy, medicine and painting. During the activity of the Lord Jesus on earth, Luke in Jerusalem saw the Savior face to face, heard the sermon and believed in it. Soon he was included among the seventy apostles and sent to preach, and on the way to Emaus he learned about the risen Lord.

After the condescension of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, Luke returned to Antioch and worked with the Apostle Paul, with whom he traveled to Rome. At the request of Christians, the Gospel was written about 60 years ago, he is the author. Therefore, the icons of the evangelists include this ascetic.

After the death of the Apostle Paul, Luke preached the Gospel in Italy and Macedonia. He painted three icons Holy Mother of God and icons of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. This is why he is considered the founder of Christian iconography. In old age he continued to travel and preach in Libya, Upper Egypt and Greece. He wrote the Acts of the Apostles and was 84 years old when he was hanged from an olive tree at Thebes. Therefore, the icon of the Evangelist Luke may include this plot or signs of martyrdom. During the time of Emperor Constantine, the saint's relics were transported to Constantinople.

Icon of Luke of Crimea

This saint is revered as a miracle worker on a par with Nicholas the Pleasant and other saints especially valuable to Orthodox Christians. At first, he led the life of a simple educated person: in his youth he was engaged in painting, after which he received medical education and served as a surgeon, including during the period Russo-Japanese War volunteer.

Further, his story is connected with many years of surgical activity. At the same time, the doctor was highly religious and always had an icon in his operating room, which he touched before starting work.

After his wife died, Valentin Feliksovich (secular name) was ordained and began spiritual asceticism. As a result, he was first a priest in the temple, and then became a monk and became a bishop. At the same time, he conducted spiritual activities and sermons no less in the period from the 1920s, that is, precisely when churches were destroyed, and Christianity was not particularly popular, and other doctors were skeptical about Valentin’s activities.

However, now the icon of St. Luke Voino Yasenetsky (the saint’s surname) is in many homes, but they don’t even remember those doctors. What is surprising here is the continuous activity of the saint in the field of medicine; he continued to practice continuously and not only preached, but also wrote valuable medical books. They are still in demand.

Before World War II, he was persecuted and spent a lot of time in prison. At the end of the war, he managed to gain recognition and be amnestied.

After and until his death he was Bishop of Crimea and Simferopol, in this post he carried out active preaching activities and received the sick.

What does the icon of Luke of Crimea help with?

Until now, the icon of St. Luke of Crimea brings miracles to people. It helps in healing and is also highly valued by doctors and medical students. Miraculous icon Luke Voino Yasenetsky is located in the Simferopol temple.

The icon of Luke the Crimean is also located in Moscow in the Church of the Iveron Icon Mother of God on Bolshaya Ordynka. The icon of St. Luke can also be used for personal cell (home) prayer for health and healing. The saint is also revered as an assistant in getting rid of various passions and sinful thoughts.

Prayer to Luke of Crimea for healing

O all-blessed confessor, holy saint, our Father Luke, great servant of Christ. With tenderness we bow the knee of our hearts, and falling before the race of your honest and multi-healing relics, like the children of our father, we pray to you with all earnestness: hear us, sinners, and bring our prayer to the merciful and man-loving God, to whom you now stand in the joy of the saints and from the face of an angel . We believe that you love us with the same love that you loved all your neighbors while you were on earth.

Ask Christ our God to confirm His children in the spirit of right faith and piety: to the shepherds to give holy zeal and care for the salvation of the people entrusted to them: to observe the right of believers, to strengthen the weak and infirm in the faith, to instruct the ignorant, to reprove the contrary. Give us all a gift that is useful to everyone, and everything that is useful for temporary life and eternal salvation: the establishment of our cities, the fruitfulness of the land, deliverance from famine and destruction, consolation for the afflicted, healing for the sick, return to the path of truth for those who have gone astray, blessing for the parent, blessing for the child in distress. The Lord's upbringing and teaching, help and intercession for the orphaned and needy. Grant us all your Archpastoral blessing, so that if we have such prayerful intercession, we will get rid of the wiles of the evil one and avoid all enmity and disorder, heresies and schisms. Guide us on the path leading to the villages of the righteous, and pray for us to the almighty God, eternal life Let us be worthy with you to continually glorify the Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Report of the Abbot of the Greek Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Sagmata Archimandrite Nektarios (Antonopoulos) at the Third Scientific and Practical Conference “Spiritual and Medical Heritage of St. Luke - Professor V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky"(excerpts)

From the huge mass of evidence about the miracles of St. Luke, I have selected only a few that fully confirm the already quoted words of Christ: “...he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will also do, and greater works than these will he do” (Gospel of John, 14-12 ).

1. “I glorified God and Saint Luke, the patron saint of my family!”

Father G. knows Russian and professes Russian emigrants living in Greece. He told us an incredible story about surgical care, which Saint Luke gave him in May 2002:

“Due to compression of the root spinal cord intervertebral hernia between 4 and 5 cervical vertebrae stopped working left hand, her muscles were atrophied, and her hand could hardly function. Neurologists and neurosurgeons who observed me advised me to undergo surgery. One of the doctors, however, advised me not to rush. As a diabetic, I was recommended to take sea baths, undergo physiotherapy and engage in physical therapy. In the fall, I became convinced that all my efforts to improve my health did not bring results. I didn't go to the doctors anymore. I began to pray with faith to the holy doctor - Luke. Every evening an akathist was read to him in Russian. And Saint Luke answered my prayer.

At dawn on December 8, 2002, Saint Luke appeared to me in a dream in his bishop’s vestments. On top of his vestments he was wearing white robe doctor, and on his head is wearing a cap, which is usually worn by surgeons during an operation. In his left hand he held scissors and bandages, and in his right hand a scalpel. Saint Luke, turning to me, says: “I was sent to you. I know how much you love Russians, how you help them spiritually here in Athens. Therefore, out of love for you, I will operate on you myself. Turn your back." I turned around and in one second the operation was done. Again I hear the voice of Saint Luke: “That’s it, you’re healthy now. Tomorrow you will be able to calmly raise your hand, and in three days I will come to you.” A few minutes later I woke up.

It was 4:30 am. I got up, went to the mirror, began to move my hand up and down and realized that I was healthy! The arm was fully functional. There were no traces of atrophy left. What struck me most was the fact that drops of blood were visible on the T-shirt, right on the sore spot!

I glorified God and Saint Luke, the patron saint of my family!

After everything that happened, I decided to go to my doctor. The surprised doctor asked me what happened and how my health was restored so quickly. In response, I handed him a book about Saint Luke and said: “Doctor, read this book and then you will be able to understand what happened to me.”

I began to wait for Wednesday. After all, Saint Luke promised to visit me in three days. On Wednesday I went to the temple and Mr. D.G. literally followed me into it. and handed me an icon of St. Luke with a particle of his relics! This icon now resides in our church!

2. “Saint Luke was here...”

Mrs. T. from the city of Livadya sent us a letter to the magazine with the following content:

“On September 18, 2005, our son Konstantin was in a car accident, which resulted in a severe fracture of both legs. We, his parents, were on a business trip at that time. Having learned about the accident, we began to pray to God to preserve the life and health of our child.

A helicopter was urgently sent from Athens to Livadia to transport the boy to the central city children's hospital. Due to the large loss of blood, the results of the first tests performed were depressing. All doctors were in favor of amputating both legs. We could not change the doctors’ decision with our will. We just prayed to God and asked to arrange everything so that the child would not remain disabled.

After the operation, our son spent a whole month in intensive care at the Aglaia Kyryakou Children's Hospital in Athens. Many doctors who participated in the consultations doubted that the legs would be saved in the future. Various infections and complications were feared. A series of plastic surgeries has begun at the St. Sophia children's clinic. All the doctors unanimously stated: the child’s legs were left, but one of them would never move, there were no blood vessels, no nerve fibers, no skin left on it. This leg will remain lifeless forever.

On November 26, 2005, our son for the first time mentioned the name of his, as he said, friend, some Luka. This friend, according to the child, woke him up after anesthesia and said: “Konstantin, wake up and go to mom.” This was repeated, according to our son, after each operation. We thought that we were talking about a specific doctor working in this hospital. They started asking. We were told that there was no doctor with that name in the hospital. And so, after the next operation, Konstantin told us quite specifically: “Today I saw St. Luke.” We asked plastic surgeon Mr. N.P. what these words mean. The doctor with a smile took out an icon with the image of St. Luke from the pocket of his robe and said: “This is who Constantine tells you about all the time. This saint really appears during the most difficult operations, like the one your son had.”

M.T., Livadya."

3. “I came to operate on you”

My relative Mother A. and I began to think about whether I should go to the emergency hospital or not. In the end, I decided not to go anywhere. Although I understood that I would not be able to sleep due to the unbearable pain. However, I soon fell asleep. In a dream, Archbishop Luke himself appears to me in his bishop’s vestments. In his hands he had some kind of medical instrument that looked like a long needle. A.P. stood next to him. - that friend of mine who gave me a book about St. Luke. The saint tells me.

“I am Saint Luke and I have come to operate on you. Don’t be afraid, it won’t hurt you.” And then he turns to my friend and says: “Watch how I now perform the operation.”

He put the phone in my ear. I felt a kind of puncture, but there was no pain.

When I woke up in the morning, I realized that my ear did not hurt. The cotton wool in the ear was completely saturated with pus. I went to the ENT doctor Mr. A.G. for inspection. He confirmed that the eardrum had been punctured and diagnosed acute inflammation of the middle ear. “My lady,” the ENT doctor asked in conclusion, “who operated on you? The surgeon who performed the surgery is truly a supreme master.” And I answered him: “Doctor, I see you have icons on your table, you are a believer, so I’ll tell you.”

I told him about what happened at night, told him about Saint Luke and gave him a book with the life of the Saint and his icon.

The doctor agreed with me. He prescribed antibiotics and added that it was fortunate that the pus had come out, otherwise you could have lost your hearing.

A week later I went to the doctor again, and he told me that I was absolutely healthy.

S.P. Athens."

4. “I came for surgery”

“My name is Maria K. In my letter I would like to express my gratitude to Saint Luke for the miracle of my spiritual and physical healing.

In 2008, I needed to undergo gynecological surgery. The operation was to be performed at the Metaxas Hospital in the city of Piraeus. In difficult life situations, I always turned to God and the saints for help. And yet my faith was weak, I was a so-called person of little faith.

On November 11, 2008, everything was ready for the operation. When I was no longer on the operating table, my heart began to pound. An anesthesiologist and three nurses approached me. Seeing my strong anxiety, the doctor began to calm me down. At that moment, a doctor wearing a surgeon's robe entered the operating room. He sat down on the edge of my bed and began to look at me carefully. I will never forget this look in my life. I said to myself: here is a true doctor who is very worried about me and truly sympathizes with me. Suddenly I hear the anesthesiologist asking him: “Who are you? Unfortunately, I don’t know you.” The unknown doctor answered her: “I came to this girl for an operation.” After a few minutes, the anesthesiologist asked again: “Please tell me who you are?” The answer was: “I’m going to see this girl for surgery.” Then the anesthesiologist leaned over to me and quietly asked: “Who is this? Your relative? Did you ask him to come to you for the operation?” “No,” I answered. - I do not know this person". Then the doctor spoke again: “This operation will be performed by Mr. K.V. Why are you here?” And the third time the answer was: “I came to this girl for an operation.” The doctor, unknown to us, spoke quietly and then left. I calmed down, my heart started working normally. I remember that in the book about St. Luke the following words were quoted: “A person is always afraid before an operation, he is in despair, his heart is breaking... The doctor must not only calm the heart with drugs, but also try to relieve the patient’s fear and psychological stress...”

The next day I asked to bring me a book about St. Luke. It is difficult to convey my excitement when I realized that the doctor who came into the operating room was exactly like St. Luke when he was a doctor at a hospital in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky in 1910. The help of St. Luke had more spiritual meaning for me than physical. Saint Luke literally tore out from my heart the thorn of lack of faith that had tormented me for many years. I realized that a miracle happens to a person only when he completely surrenders himself to God.

Very soon, my husband and I went to the monastery of Sagmata in Thebes to serve a thanksgiving prayer to St. Luke. We were very worried. Tears kept flowing from my eyes. I couldn't say a word. And my husband was still thinking about what we should donate to the monastery in gratitude to the saint. He had the only valuable thing with him - a watch, a gift from our godfather. 19 years ago this watch cost 2 thousand dollars. The husband loved them very much and never parted with them. But he decided to leave a monetary donation. Some inner voice told him: “No, leave your watch here.” He doesn’t listen to this voice and counts out the money. He heard this voice three times, and in the end he donated his precious watch to the monastery. “As soon as I left them here,” he told me, “it seemed to me as if I had freed myself from something that strongly tied me to this thing.”

“St. Father Luke, teach us to love God as you do.”

M.K., Zakynthos island.

5. “In intensive care”

Meanwhile, the nurses from the intensive care unit said the following. During the next duty, the day before the patient “awakened,” a strange doctor appeared in the department, dressed in an old-style white long robe made of thick fabric. Without saying a word, he walked past the attendants into a separate block where the patient was. The strange doctor closed the door tightly behind him and drew the curtains of the glass partition. After a while, he appeared at the door again, silently walked past and left the department. The nurses hurried to the patient’s block and... saw her awake and reacting absolutely adequately to those around her.

6. “When it was all over...”

The doctor insisted, although he did not say anything about any serious illness. Weakness and fever don't count.

The next day, June 30, Tuesday, my sister-in-law came to the hospital and gave me a small paper icon of St. Luke. I didn’t know this saint before. I put the icon under the pillow.

At dawn on July 2, 2008, the infection caused complications in the lungs. And on Saturday, the doctors, who could not explain what kind of infection I had, and could not cope with the disease, but only gave me the strongest antibiotics and gave me some kind of intravenous infusions, decide to subject me to surgery. Blood poisoning (sepsis) set in so quickly that they thought I wouldn’t live until evening.

They brought me a book to the hospital - the life of St. Luke - a doctor (my doctor - in my situation). And I thought that the Holy Unmercenaries Kozma and Damian helped him.

And only then did I understand whose eyes were carefully looking at me during the tomography on July 1st. It was the feast day of Saints Cosmas and Damian, and they were Saint Luke's right hand in the operating room.

E.H. Limassol - Cyprus."

7. Wonderful are Your works, O Lord!

A boy in Athens fell seriously ill. It was so difficult that the doctors refused to perform the operation, but suggested going to one of the best medical centers in Germany, equipped with the latest technology.

And so they did.

The boy was also accompanied by Father Nektary. And after many hours of a complex operation, the surgeons come out and say:

It’s unclear why you brought your child to our center if you yourself have such a wonderful specialist!

Which specialist? – Father Nektary was surprised.

Well, the one who advised us, gave valuable instructions, led the operation. Professional the highest level! We can say that thanks to him the operation went brilliantly.

It’s strange, but no specialist was with us, you’re confusing something...

Well, of course, this one - in an old-style medical gown, there are no such people anymore, with a gray beard... yes, he just left the operating room in front of us, how did you not notice him?..

The amazed father Nektary asked to show him the registration log. Opposite the boy’s last name were the names of the surgeons who performed the operation on him, and the last in the row was a handwritten entry in Russian: “Archbishop Luke”

Wonderful are Your works, O Lord!

*****
This is only a small part of the miraculous healings performed. They are a confirmation not only of the holiness of Saint Luke, but also proof of the love of the Lord, who even in our time of apostasy does not leave us.

His great deeds for the love of Christ, his love and humility, brought him great spiritual development, and today he soars with the angels and rejoices because he helps more suffering people and that the name of God is glorified.