The Year 1952
In
1952 there occurred a great miracle in the bakery of Chelije Monastery.
In the monastery there were forty sisters, and Mother Nina was assigned
to the kitchen. Having prepared bread for supper, she realized that
there remained only one cup of flour. As she lamented this problem to
the other sisters during dinner, Fr. Justin said: “Pray to Godthe Lord
will take care of us!” Early the next morning, as Mother Nina entered
the bakery, she found two large canisters of flour. Fr. Justin, Mother
Sarah and all the other sisters witnessed this miracle, and all together
gave thanks unto God.
Stojka Jankovich from the village of Leskovac, in the vicinity of the city of Valjevo, had been ill for twelve years from demonic possession. She frequently saw demons, which beat, tortured and wounded her.
When her family censed the house, she saw the demons fleeing from the incense. She went frequently to Fr. Justin for Holy Confession and Communion, and was eventually healed. Later she accepted the mo-nastic vocation, and is now Sister Tatijana.
The Year 1959
The daughter of one Nicholas, from Strmne Gore near Lelich, was ill. For three years she lay immobile in her bed. Once, they took her by car to the monastery and, using a blanket, carried her into church. Fr. Justin read a prayer service over her. After the prayer service she was able to sit up, and after three years she was able to walk. As she had the first time, she again came to the monastery by car and was carried into church. After the prayer service, she walked back to the car by herself. The engine, however, would not start. The men began to push the car, but all was in vain. But when she got out of the car, the motor did start; however, as soon as she entered the car again, the motor stopped. Then she said, “I’ll walk up the hill” (there are a number of hills around the monastery). She was accompanied by a small child. Taking the child by the hand, she proceeded to walk up the highest of the hills.
The Year 1963
On the Feast of the Transfiguration, Fr. Justin was serving the Di-vine Liturgy. The church was full and all partook of Holy Communion. Present among the people was a Muslim who was in the employment of a construction company (“Zhegrap”) that was working on the railway from Belgrade to Bar (a coastal city in Montenegro). His name was Ismet, and until then Fr. Justin had never met him. When the people came forward for Holy Communion, he went forward with them. When he came before the Holy Chalice, Fr. Justin looked at him and said, “You cannot commune, since you’re not baptized.”
***
Radisha Miljokovich, a
six-year-old boy from the village of Trlicha, in the vicinity of the
town of Ub, suffered from fainting spells. Fr. Justin held a prayer
service for him, and he was healed.
Slavko Molovich from the
village of Pambukovice, in the vicinity of Ub, did not have children. He
came to Fr. Justin for a prayer service. He was subsequently blessed
with two sons.
***
Milovan from the village of Stave,
in the vicinity of Valjevo, a teacher by profession, was severely sick
spiritually. One evening, his mother brought him to Chelije Monastery
for Vespers, and they spent the night there. At four in the morning they
arose for Matins. Walking to the church with Sister Anisija, at the
entrance Milovan became ill and fell unconscious. His mother knew that
when this state came upon him, calamity and dangers followed, so she
shouted to the sister to flee. At that time, the chapel was being built
in the monastery, and twenty workers were present. Every morning, at
four a.m., they first went to the church for services and then proceeded
to work. Milovan began to throw stones at his mother, forcing her to
flee to the building where the workers were staying and preparing to go
to church. In front of the building there was a lamp. Throwing stones,
Milovan damaged all the doors and walls of the building. He threw stones
at it without ceasing, so that it was impossible for anyone to exit.
Besides the workers, Frs. Makarije and Mardarije from the Rezhvich
Monastery, the construction manager, and some other men were present in
the building. The whole time he was throwing stones, Milovan was
shrieking, “Black one, white one, yellow one, help! Strike! Rapid
fire!”and he continued to heap stones before the door.
Above the monastery was a hill with a road on it. People who were traveling on the road heard what was happening. Their astonished voices could be heard in the monastery: “What’s happening in the monastery? This is something dangerous!”
For two hours, Fr. Mardarije and Fr. Makarije were unable to sub-due Milovan. When at last they caught him, they bound him and took him into the church. In the church they bound his hands and feet and, during the Divine Liturgy, five men guarded him. After the Divine Lit-urgy, Fr. Justin performed the Holy Mystery of Unction over him. For the first half of the service he showed no sign of change. At the halfway point, he said: “Untie my hands, they’re hurting me.” By the end of the service, he had fully recovered. He had breakfast with the tradesmen and returned home with his mother, completely healthy and normal. A few days later, Fr. Justin went to Belgrade. When he returned, Milovan, now completely normal and healthy, approached him with thanks. Thereafter, he and his mother came frequently to the monastery.
Above the monastery was a hill with a road on it. People who were traveling on the road heard what was happening. Their astonished voices could be heard in the monastery: “What’s happening in the monastery? This is something dangerous!”
For two hours, Fr. Mardarije and Fr. Makarije were unable to sub-due Milovan. When at last they caught him, they bound him and took him into the church. In the church they bound his hands and feet and, during the Divine Liturgy, five men guarded him. After the Divine Lit-urgy, Fr. Justin performed the Holy Mystery of Unction over him. For the first half of the service he showed no sign of change. At the halfway point, he said: “Untie my hands, they’re hurting me.” By the end of the service, he had fully recovered. He had breakfast with the tradesmen and returned home with his mother, completely healthy and normal. A few days later, Fr. Justin went to Belgrade. When he returned, Milovan, now completely normal and healthy, approached him with thanks. Thereafter, he and his mother came frequently to the monastery.
***
In
the village of Stubo, in the vicinity of Valjevo, lived three sisters:
Milenja, Obrenija and Krynija. All three suffered from neuroses. Milenja
was the first to become ill and, after a few years, so did the other
two. All three came to the monastery. Fr. Justin read prayers for them,
confessed and communed them. All three recovered to full health, and
Krynija became the nun Paraskeva.
The Year 1964
A mother from the village of Velika Plane brought her daughter Slavka, who suffered from demonic possession, to the monastery. Slavka was twenty-six years old, and the demon spoke through her. Fr. Justin prayed much for her. On the eve of the Feast of the Holy Archangel Michael, the church was filled with people, and Fr. Justin was reading the Holy Gospel, when the demon spoke through the girl. Fr. Justin stopped and said: “It is not she who is speaking, but the demon in her!” To this the demon replied: “I would enter into you, but I can t.
Slavka was in the monastery for a long time and Fr. Justin read prayers for her every day. Three times he performed the Holy Mystery of Unction over her. During this time she went to Holy Confession and Holy Communion, but her condition did not improve. Fr. Justin said: “I am ceasing my prayers; there is some great unconfessed sin here.” He instructed the sisters that perhaps Slavka did not know what sin encom-passed, and that they should converse with her regarding this.
In conversations with the sisters, Slavka confessed her sin: “My par-ents had myself and my brother. My brother became engaged to a girl named Dushica. She was an only child and worked as a telephone oper-ator, as did my brother. He asked my mother and me to come and see his future wife. The girl was fine and pretty, but she had a clubfoot; this was unacceptable to both of us, and we were against the engagement. My brother called her on the phone while she was at work and canceled the engagement. Later, her fellow workers said that although she had always gone home the same way, on this day she had gone down a road that crossed the railway. From a distance a train was approaching and she began to run. At that moment, an elderly gentleman (who later told of all this) approached her, grabbed her by the hand, and said: “Where are you going, child?” She freed herself from his grasp and at the last moment threw herself in front of the train. In relating this to the sisters, Slavka did not realize that she had committed a sin.
Afterwards, Slavka went to Confession, and sent an appeal to the bishop that a funeral service be held for Dushica. The funeral service was performed at Dushicas grave, and Fr. Justin served forty Divine Liturgies for the departed. When all was completed, Slavka then de-parted for home completely healthy.
The Year 1972
Z. from Valjevo was very ill for six years. He had a certificate that he was a lunatic. He was brought to Fr. Justin, who read prayers for him. He departed with his health restored. Since that day he comes to the monastery two or three times a year, and performs voluntary labor.
***
Marija Petrovich from read more… Valjevo gave birth to a baby girl. In the hos-pital, the doctors informed her that the child’s right hand was paralyzed. At once, Marija became an amnesiac, and had no idea who she was. She underwent therapy in Valjevo and Belgrade, but her condition grew no better. During her sickness, she became hostile to those around her, beating people with stones and whatever else she could place her hands on. All fled from her. Once she threw herself into a well fifteen meters deep. She sank, but the water raised her to the surface and, by the will of God, she climbed out of the well by herself and without any injuries. She underwent therapy for another six years, but was finally committed to the mental hospital in Kovin, where she was given the strongest possible drugs. Even these did not help. Her mother heard about Fr. Justin, and she brought some of Marija’s clothes and some sugar to the monastery. Fr. Justin read prayers over the clothes and sugar, and her mother took these items to the hospital. Marija wore the clothes and ate the sugar. She recovered completely, and frequently comes to the monastery.
The Year 1976
Boshko Pashich from Futog, in the vicinity of Novi Sad, was ill for four years. He had frightful visions both while he slept and while he was awake, and therefore could not sleep. Fr. Justin read prayers for him, and he recovered completely.
The Year 1977
One Sunday, Fr. Justin was serving the Divine Liturgy. The church was filled with people, and among them was a Turk by the name of Rasim. Fr. Justin had never seen him before. When Rasim came for-ward to take antidoron, Fr. Justin explained to him: “You can’t receive antidoron, because you’re not baptized.”
The Year 1978
Ranka Begovich, a medical doctor from the village of Brezovice by the town of Ub, was suffering from a spiritual sickness. Fr. Justin often prayed for her and read prayers over her. She recovered completely and is employed in Belgrade as a doctor.
***
Zhivko and Malisha, stonecutters from the village of Divaca, located in the vicinity of the city of Valjevo, were not pious, and both enjoyed drinking. They often spent days and entire nights in cafes. Their relatives came to Fr. Justin asking for his intercessory prayers for them. His prayers freed them from their affliction. Upon renouncing alcohol, they came to Fr. Justin to express their gratitude. They sincerely repented for the time and money they had wasted in cafes. “Why did we not know to come here [to the monastery] before?” they said. These men became true Christians and often visit the monastery.
It is impossible to mention individually each of the many, many individuals who, thanks to Fr. Justin’s prayers, renounced alcohol. Against every evil in the worlddiscord, malice, broken marriages, children abandoning parents, parents degrading childrenFr. Justin’s prayers restored things to what they should be!
***
During the time that Fr. Justin was alive on earth, the following event occurred. A woman (Kovachevich), from the village of Lelich, was in the maternity ward of the Valjevo hospital. After giving birth, she suffered a nervous breakdown and was transferred to the psychiatric ward. When her husband arrived with their family, they were shocked by the turn of events. Obtaining her discharge from the hospital, they immediately brought her to Chelije, to Fr. Justin, that he might read prayers over her. At the conclusion of the prayers, she came to herself and felt better. She has since recovered both physically and mentally.
The Year 1979
On St. Sava’s Day there were many people in church. There were many childrenthirty-five of them recited short speeches. Fr. Justin gave the sermon and said: “Today we have gathered to celebrate St. Sava; may we all see one another in heavenall of us gathered around St. Sava! May we all celebrate him there, in heaven!” We all heard these words and, though their effect was chilling upon each of us, we passed over them in silence. When Fr. Justin fell asleep in the Lord, we remembered his words, and concluded that Fr. Justin knew he was going to die, and that this had been his last celebration of St. Sava here on earth. Many individuals said to the sisters that what Fr. Justin said on St. Sava’s DayMay we all meet in heaven!was a sign that he knew he was to die. In previous sermons he had always said: “Thanks be to God that many of you are here in church and, especially, many children. May we together celebrate St. Sava here on earth for many years!”
On the third day after Fr. Justin’s death, the first miracle occurred. We were all gathered around Fr. Justin’s coffin, reading telegrams of condolence. All the sisters were overcome with weeping and sobbing when, suddenly, like a wave, a strong, pleasant fragrance manifested it-self. We were all surprised and, simultaneously, we exhaled and ex-claimed: “A fragrance! Do you smell it?” A little later, the same fragrance was noticed again.
On the day of Fr. Justin’s funeral, Bishop Jovan of Shabac-Valjevo entered the church, venerated Fr. Justin, knelt down, and placed his head on the stand on which the coffin rested. For a long time he knelt and wept. When he arose, he said: “Fr. Justin is sleeping. He has not died.” Father’s face was radiant, even though he had died four days earlier.
On the day of Fr. Justin’s burial, Bishop Domentijan related in his sermon how Fr. Justin, upon meeting a person (previously unknown to Fr. Justin), had addressed that person by name. That individual had later related the story to Bishop Domentijan.
***
M. P. from Belgrade was seriously ill. He had an ulcer on the esophagus and was greatly anemic. He was treated for a number of years, and was finally directed to a hospital for an operation. At Fr. Justin’s fortieth-day memorial service, he prayed at Fr. Justin’s grave, and felt as though something was turning in his stomach. The next day he went to the hospital, where they performed the preparations for an operation (x-rays and analysis). However, a great miracle had occurred: the x-rays could not even find a scar, and all other analyses and examinations could not reveal any illness. The specialist-surgeons, all capable doctors, were amazed by the comparison of the old and new x-rays. Since then, M. has enjoyed perfect health.
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