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Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Saint Gerasimos and the Woman Who Suffered from a Violent Demonic Possession

 
The Well of Saint Gerasimos

A short time after the repose of Saint Gerasimos in 1581, there came to his monastery a certain woman seeking to be cured of being tormented by an unclean spirit.  Daily she would go to the tomb of the Saint, fall before his relics, and fervently entreat him to deliver her from her oppression that tormented her by using violence.

One night, the spiteful demon, desiring only the destruction of the unfortunate woman, dragged her along the ground and cast her into the well which can found in the courtyard of the monastery. As this was being done, the nuns heard the voice of Saint Gerasimos say to them: "Come quickly, because the demonized woman is in extreme danger and needs help!"

Since it was dark outside, the nuns came running together with lamps and searched everywhere, but were unable to find the unfortunate woman. The Saint then beckoned them to look down the well, where they beheld the woman miraculously standing on top of the water, as though someone was holding her up. She shouted to them: "Throw me a rope that I might come out!" They did so, and she emerged weeping with joy and gratitude.

When the nuns inquired of the woman how she was preserved unharmed without sinking into the water, the woman cheerfully explained to them: "As you can easily understand, I was cast into the well by the activity of the demon. But as I was falling down deeper into the shaft, a monk appeared before my eyes who caught me and held me above the water. He then spoke to me, saying: 'Fear not, you shall suffer no harm, but will be freed from the unclean spirit.' When he uttered this, you found me and cast down the rope that I may be drawn out."

The woman then ran with the nuns to the tomb of the Saint inside the church, where with joy and gratitude they rendered thanksgiving to God and to His servant Gerasimos.