"The Holy Spirit enlightened him".

 

Elder Bessarion was traveling to Chalkida. The bus stopped for a while at the intersection to Thebes. A police unit arrived there, from which the officers took down three prisoners, whose hands were tied with handcuffs.

A police officer got on the bus from the back door and told the passengers in the back seats to go to the front. He wanted to put the prisoners in the back seats to control them. All stood up except one, Father Bessarion.

"Get up too grandpa, didn't you hear what I said?" the policeman told him.

"My child, I want to sit here, I don't want to get up."

"But father, you must stand up. There is a reason."

"Please, child, don't bother me."

The policeman respected him and did not insist any longer. He put the prisoners on the bus and one of them sat next to the elder.

The Elder saw the handcuffs and asked the prisoner: "What have you done? Why are you tied up?"

"We killed a man, father, and they are taking us to the prisons of Chalkida."

The elder chatted with him for a long time. He heard his sorrows and soothed his soul.

"The others, father, also want to confess, we asked for spiritual help in the prison and they didn't bring it to us".

With the consent of the policeman, one by one they came next to the elder and the other two prisoners and confessed. When he got off the bus, he went to the holy church of St. Paraskevi and read the prayer of forgiveness.

O Lord of Your wonders! Was Father Bessarion disobedient and unruly? No. He was enlightened by the Holy Spirit, because this is how the Grace of our God acts who "wants all people to be saved and to come to an awareness of the truth".

Arch. Damaskinos Zacharakis