I no longer have any doubt about relics.

[eoe]

I have to admit that I have had reservations about relics. On an academic level I knew that the body was the temple of the Holy Spirit but I suppose I never really "got" it.
That was before today.
I went downtown today to Saint John the Wonderworker to see my friends there (please pray for Calvin). After a while I went up into the nave to pray as there was not much going on at the time. I had never really looked around and as they have quite a number of icons on the walls I spent some time looking them over and venerating them. There were too many relics to even attempt to list but several cought my attention including a large (8"x3"x2") piece of wood from the original coffin of Blessed Seraphim Rose (hey.. that is neat). I then came across the shrine to St John Maximovich for whom the church is named. Among the numerous relics that are held at this shrine is a thigh shield, a beard hair..various small items... and.... a robe.
A whole complete robe that was worn by St. John. Wow! That is neat. I figured that I would ask Fr. Jacob about it. When I did I got a big surprise and a very special treat.
He told me to go back upstairs, make the sign of the cross and wrap the robe around myself and sit in prayer for a while.:eek:
A bit in shock I did as he said.
It was like an invisible hug. An intense feeling that I can not discribe came over me and brought me to tears. I sat for a little while and then folded the robe back up, kissed it and placed it back in its reliquary. Even now I can still feel the effects from this. I have no words at all to describe it.
Needless to say I now have a far deeper appreciation for relics. If you are skeptical about relics - seek them out and experience it for yourself. I do not know that I could have ever really "gotten" them without first hand experience.

[The Prokeimenon!]

That's awesome!!

LK

[Monica, child of God]

Awesome E! There are soooo many stories about St. John's interaction with the living since his repose. He is definitley still with us.

M.

[Dewi Sant]

That sounds more than amazing!

I remember that before the new Crown Jewels house was built (for the British Monarchy), those who came to visit would be allowed to try them on.


To actually be cloaked in the robe of such a man must be beyond coprehension.

[Michael the Iconographer]

:bow:

[rusmeister]

That is a blessing.

[OrthodoxyUSA]

I'm sitting here crying.

That is so beautiful!

Thanks for sharing!

Forgive me....

[repentant]

That is really special. Let me ask you, did the robe have a fragrace to it?

[eoe]

I did not notice a fragrance from the robe but there was a thigh shield that was under glass that reportedly does give off a fragrance from it's center. I did not open the glass so I can not confirm this.
I think that maybe it was a good thing for me personally that it did not have a fragrance as that can be faked. What I experienced can not be explained with a few drops of essential oil. By saying that I an not doubting that things do give off a scent - I am simply saying that for me prior to this experience - it would not have been something really floored me.

Now that I have had a chance to look back on all of this I do have a few things to add.

I have considered that maybe I was in an emotionally charged state and that this was possibly just my imagination. I know that this is not the case because of a few things:
1 - The experience that I had was not an emotional one. It was not a "Happy" or a "Joy" or "Sad" per se. It was not what I expected it to be. If I had simply been emotionally charged I beleive tht the experience would have been more predictable. i.e. "Just like I imagined it."
2 - The sensation was tactile. I could feel something but I was feeling it in a way that is different from feeling a warm blanket. Even though the experience had tactile qualities - I can not explain or describe it in physical terms. Again - if it were a situation of being emotionally charged I think that it would have been a "gooseflesh" or a "warmth" - I can not describe what I experienced in these terms.
3 - When I wrapped the robe around myself I was not expecting anything. I was not reaching out for an experience. I was calm and simply wanted to pray. If I had been in a charged state or an expectant state I would be far more critical of myself.
4 - The experience did not happend suddenly - i.e. "I touched the robe and wham! fell to the floor!" but came on gradually and deliberately. I think that if it were just me it would have been differently as that is how I expected it to happen.
5 - The sensations, duration, and onset of the experience were not at all what I expected and not anything that I have ever experienced before. Again - if it were a situation where I was emotionally cranked up and seeking an experience I think that my psyche could have taken prior expereinces and put them together in some way maybe but to invent totally new sensations and to have them come about in an unexpected and seemingly deliberate way does not make sense to me.

In other words - I know that this is not an instance of being all hyped up or inventing this for myself. I am not saying that anyone is being critical here but I wanted you to know that I have personally gone over the experience in a critical manner and I can not explain it in the way that you can explain other pseudo-spiritual experiences.

[vanshan]

That is an awesome account. Thanks for sharing.

I have not been blessed to venerate any relics, yet, but I think I have felt a little of the deep experience you've described. At one of the services of Holy Week, I felt very unworthy of God's mercy, especially when I call to mind so many around me who have not been illumined with the true faith. I felt a deep joyful sorrow, which made tears well up within my eyes. It wasn't a normal emotional reaction for me, it felt as though it was welling up from a deeper, interior place. It felt as though it was a gift of mercy from God, and I was joyful for receiving it, yet sorrowful, knowing my unworthiness of His mercy.

Basil