Some time
ago, in the 1990s, our parish invited a local "tree surgeon," Leo M.,
to cut down a couple of dead trees in the back of the church property. He came
and worked with his wife, Kathleen, doing the job quickly and with kindness to
the rest of the surroundings. But they strongly resisted being paid, insisting
on offering their work gratis to our church. They were non-Orthodox, and we
wondered about the reason for such generosity. The reason, as we learned from
them later, was to be found in something that happened a few years before, just
after they had been married.
Both Leo
and Kathleen were serious enthusiasts of mountaineering and rock climbing, and
so for their honeymoon trip they decided to go to Alaska to bag the highest
peak of North America, mount Denali (aka McKinley), 20,320 feet. While living
at the camp at the foot of the mountain, they thoroughly prepared their
expedition: talking to guides, studying the maps, checking the equipment, and
waiting for a long stretch of good weather.
When they
finally started their exciting, but extremely difficult, ascent, everything
went just fine for a few days. But at the end of one day, on a narrow path,
they met an old, strange-looking man in a long dark robe. He was walking in the
opposite direction, down the mountain. In a friendly manner he greeted them and
advised them to turn around and return to the base camp as quickly as possible
because the weather was changing into a severe storm. Soon, he said, it will be
very dangerous around here. And, as if in answer to their unasked question of
how could he know such a thing, he explained that he was local and knew the
climate very well. Leaving them surprised and uneasy, he continued on his way.
Some
minutes later, after Leo and Kathleen made the wise decision to turn back, and
then tried to recall the appearance of the old man, they realized that they
hadn’t seen a backpack or any other hiking gear with him. How could he have
made it up so high in the bare, rocky mountain in sub-zero temps, without any
food or protection?!
A few
days later, almost at the bottom of the mountain, they were indeed caught by a
severe storm. They survived it, constantly in their minds thanking the old man
who had warned them of the danger. A week later, still staying at the base
camp, they learned that some other climbers, who happened to be at higher
elevations than they were during the storm, never came back.
Then, as
if in answer to their curiosity, Leo and Kathleen noticed something at the camp
cafeteria. It was a picture of their rescuer, pinned on a bulletin board
between some miscellaneous ads and photos of the mountain. They recognized him
at a glance. When they asked the waiter for his name, he told them, " It's
an Orthodox saint who lived in Alaska. His name is St. Herman." And the
photo showed the icon of St. Herman from the Orthodox church nearby.
The Saint
had told them the truth. He was indeed a local guy...
"By
enduring the trials of nature, the storms' cold and wind together with hunger,
thou didst kindle spiritual peace, warmth and satiety, and become unaffected by
the elements, truly a heavenly man and earthly angel, O wondrous Herman; so
wishing to honor thee as is meet we cry out: Rejoice, conqueror of nature's
hardships! Rejoice, thou who wast arrayed in the virtues! ... Rejoice, O
venerable Father Herman, adornment of Alaska and joy of all America! "
(From Akathist to St Herman)
Matushka Galina Tregubov and Lee Browne-Beed
Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church, Claremont,
NH
Source: http://orthochristian.com/43717.html
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