The Holy Altar in Flames

The following two accounts are taken from the new publication of Uncut Mountain Press, Miracles and Revelations During the Divine Liturgy, now available here.

In the past century in Asia Minor lived a holy but obscure Levite, Father John. He was married with a family, from Gelveri in Cappadocia. On weekdays, he worked in the fields, while on Sundays and feast days he celebrated the liturgy in the church.

During the Divine Liturgy, he almost always broke into tears and sighs. Especially at the moment of consecration, his compunction reached its peak. The chanters would sing “We praise Thee…” as slowly as they could, but he would delay five, ten, fifteen minutes or more. So they would repeat the hymn up to five or six times.

Finally, they once approached the church wardens and told them their problem. The wardens in turn conveyed it to the celebrant.

“Father John, you often delay at the time of consecration. The chanters and the people outside wait for you for a long time. Can’t you say the prayer more quickly, so there isn’t such a gap?”

“How can this be done?”

“It’s easy. Where you are lying face down, you can rise, make the sign of the cross over the precious Gifts, say the prayer, and finish.”

“I know the prayer, it is written in the service book, but I cannot.”

“Why can’t you, Father? Forgive us, but it is not difficult!”

“This does not depend on me,” answered Father John. “As soon as I begin to read the prayer, the Holy Altar is surrounded by divine fire that reaches two or three meters high. So I cannot approach to seal the precious Gifts. I am seized with fear and trembling. I don’t know what to do. I fall to the ground, weep, sigh, and implore the Lord to part the flames so I can continue. Then I lift my eyes. If the flames have disappeared, I rise and seal the precious Gifts. If not, then I continue my supplication with tears and sighs until the fire goes out, or another way is found that will allow me not to be burned. Occasionally, the fire goes out and everything becomes as before. Other times the flames part to the right and left forming an arch, so I make the bold move, approach trembling, and seal the precious Gifts.”

Hearing these extraordinary things, the Christians didn’t bother him again. He was, after all, very devout and exceptionally reverent when celebrating the liturgy. For this reason, faithful from neighboring villages would attend church in his parish, walking for hours to arrive.

Occasionally, a thousand or more faithful would come to the liturgy. And all of them would be moved to compunction and weep. Indeed, at the end of this Divine Mystagogy,

the floor of the church would be wet from their tears, as if someone had spilled water!

Ὁ μελισμός (The Dividing), 14th-century fresco, St. Andrew's Church, Matka Gorge, Skopje.

A Convincing Proof

In the Holy Church of the Holy Cross at the Lavra of Saint Alexander Nevsky, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the following extraordinary event once occurred:

During a Divine Liturgy, the officiating bishop, Stephen, after reciting the prayer “I believe, O Lord, and I confess…,” lifted the cover of the Holy Chalice and stood stunned. Inside, he saw human flesh and blood! Turning to the deacon, who later became Starets Samson (+1979), he

asked: “Do you see this, Father?”

What could they do? The bishop placed the Holy Chalice on the Altar, knelt down, and pleaded with the Lord for mercy. How could he distribute human flesh to the faithful? Who would dare to receive it?

After praying for a quarter of an hour with his hands raised, he looked again into the Holy Chalice. The flesh and blood had transformed back into bread and wine. He then went out and communed the faithful.

The clergymen who learned of this miracle said that God allowed it to strengthen their faith. Deacon Samson, who held the Holy Chalice, confessed that this event gave him extraordinary strength and consolation. He believed absolutely and undoubtedly that the Holy Eucharist is truly the precious Body and Blood of the Savior.

He was convinced himself, but also shared it with others so that all who heard about it would gain strength and joy. This miraculous sign, as he said, was also an occasion for clergymen to acquire greater humility and recognize their unworthiness.

Miracles and Revelations During the Divine Liturgy, Uncut Mountain Press, 2025, pp. 50-51.

Get the book here: https://uncutmountainpress.com/products/miracles-and-revelations-during-the-divine-liturgy