the holy new martyrs of eastern russia - Coptic Orthodox teaching

236
"I saw that there was a great number of snakes in his cell, and I thought
that he had collected them... But he said:
"I didn't take them or bring them here. They come here of themselves in
order to tempt me during prayer, and I don't believe them. I pray, and they
immediately die.'
"We left his hut and he said:
"'Go straight ahead, don't turn to the left and also not to the right. Go
straight on.'
"After a time I suddenly saw some houses. A man came out and I asked
him where the house on the address was. He showed me the house and I
went in.
"There were many cobblers there sewing boots. I gave them my package.
They tore it up and immediately all stood up. And from men they turned into
demons.
"'So you've been tonsured!' they said and began to tear my cassock into
shreds.
"'We'll give you a tonsure!' they shouted.
"I ran away from them, but they got hold of my cassock and tore it to
pieces. I got hold of one piece, stuck it on, and it became one whole cassock. I
kept running and suddenly I saw a church. The doors were shut, and there
was an open space under the church. I ran into it. It was dark, and the
demons were still tearing at me. I fell on my knees and shouted:
"'Mother of God, save me!'
"And suddenly a light appeared in the corner and all the demons
disappeared, and it turned out that there was an icon in the corner, the Kazan
Mother of God. It was all shining, and diamonds were glittering on it. And
above the icon of the Mother of God was an icon of the Saviour wearing a
crown of thorns. And above the Saviour - the Crucifixion. And from the icon
of the Mother of God a voice spoke to me:
"'Fear nothing, I will always help you in everything.'
"At that point I woke up.
"The bell was ringing, and I went into the church. When I went up to ask
the igumen's blessing, he said to me:
236