Once
there lived in the city an officer of the palace court. One day he was
sent by the king to someone as a messenger. On the road, he found a dead
person, who was naked. The officer was saddened with this lamentable
image of misfortune and said to his servant, ‘take my horse and go on a
bit’. The officer dismounted and approached the dead man. Taking off
some of his clothing, he covered the dead man with them.
A
few days after this incident, the officer was once again dispatched in
the service of the king. But as soon as he left the city, he fell from
his horse and broke his leg. He was immediately taken to his house,
where he was beset by horrendous pain. The doctors looked after the ill
man, but without result. After five days, his leg turned to black. When
the doctors saw this symptom they became very concerned and, so that
the rest of his body would not become infected, decided to amputate his
leg.
On
hearing this decision of the doctors the officer became very upset,
wept over his misfortune, and, because of his sadness, could not even
sleep. The night after he learnt this terrible news he remained
completely sleepless. The lamps in his room thus being lighted, around
midnight there came to the attic window an unknown man who approached
him. ‘Why are you crying and why are you sad?’ The officer answered him,
‘Sir how could I not cry? For no good reason I broke my leg, and
tomorrow the doctors are going to amputate it.’ This unknown man then
said to the suffering officer, ‘show me your leg.’ He began forthwith to
anoint the leg of the sick man and to massage it. After a short time,
he said to the ill man, ‘Get up and walk.’ ‘I cannot, Sir, because it is
broken.’ ‘Do not be afraid,’ the man told him, ‘lean on me.’ In fact,
the officer of the palace guard rose up from his bed and walked; he had
become perfectly well.
After
this strange miracle, the unknown man said to the healed officer; ‘See,
you have become perfectly well. Lie down and rest from your night time
vigil and your sufferings and do not worry.’ Continuing he spoke a few
words about the value of charity, based on the words of Holy Scripture:
‘Blessed are the meek (poor): for they shall inherit the earth’ (Matt.
5:5) and ‘For He shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no
mercy’ (James 2:13).
Following
this short dissertation, the unknown man bid farewell to the healed
officer: ‘Good bye and be always healthy!’ Saddened by the impending
departure of his benefactor, the officer asked him: ‘Are you leaving?’
‘What else do you want?’ he said. ‘You are now completely well.’ The
officer said back to him: ‘In the name of God, who sent you? Tell me who
you are.’ ‘Look at me carefully’ – the unknown man said – ‘and see if
you recognise what I am wearing.’ ‘Yes’ the officer said, ‘Those are my
own clothes.’ ‘Well, then,’ said the unknown man, ‘I am the same one
whose body was tossed aside naked on the street and which you – with
succour and mercy – covered with your clothes. It is thus that God sent
me to cure you. For this you should always thank him.’
Having
finished his words, he climbed up again, through the attic window from
which he had come, and became invisible. From that time forward, the
healed man never ceased to thank God and to distribute alms to the poor.
Gerontikon
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