“Forgive me,” the humble Niphon answered him, “I’m crazy and I don’t know what I’m saying.” Don't listen to me and do as you please.
Meanwhile, the feast of St. Athanasius arrived. The monk, sending Mark to the Lavra for this holiday, said to him:
- When returning from the holiday, bring your brother with you.
Mark responded to this with Saint Niphon the same as before. But, approaching the monastery, he suddenly sees his brother at the monastery gates. Struck by the saint’s prophecy, he joyfully embraced the newcomer and, at the end of the Lavra holiday, returning with him to his elder, fell at the feet of the saint and asked him for forgiveness for his lack of faith. Soon after, Mark fell extremely ill, and the saint, reproaching him for his lack of faith and doubt in the miraculous power of God, anointed him with oil from the unquenchable lamp, and Mark rose from his sick bed.
- Be healthy; “If anyone does not sin, let him not suffer the worse,” Saint Niphon told him at the same time. Some time after this, Mark began to ask Niphon for permission to fish in the sea and heard the following from him:
– First learn to catch and notice unclean thoughts, and give up the sea and fishing, so as not to plunge into the sea of temptations.
Mark did not pay attention to the elder’s advice and, under the pretext of washing his soiled dress, went down to the sea, cast a fishing rod and enjoyed complete pleasure. The disobedience was not in vain. Just as Mark was completely immersed in his work, a huge beast suddenly jumped out of the sea and rushed straight at him. Mark was horrified and, prayerfully calling his elder for help, barely somehow got rid of the beast. Being beside himself with fear and at the same time holding the caught fish in his hands, he ran to the saint, but he said with paternal sympathy:
- Disobedient! He who was transformed into a serpent to deceive the forefathers, and now has taken the form of a sea dog for your destruction, and only Christ, who came into the world to abolish the enemy’s power, by His innumerable goodness helped you in anticipation of your repentance. As for the fish you caught, as the fruit of disobedience, I will not dare to touch it under any circumstances.
Touched by the old man's reprimand, Mark fell at his feet and cried tears of repentance. From that time on, he corrected himself and showed complete obedience to the saint until his death, which did not hesitate to visit him. After Mark's death, his nephew Gabriel remained in the service of the saint.
Even six months earlier, the Monk Niphon foresaw that Saint Maximus Kavsokalivit was already close to his exodus into eternity, and he said to his disciples:
- Let's go to Saint Maximus to receive the last blessing from him, because we will no longer see him in real life.
And so they came. Upon mutual greeting of each other, Saint Maximus said:
– Rejoice, beloved brethren! This greeting is already a farewell, from now on we will not see each other again.
As the Monk Niphon foresaw the death of the Monk Maxim, so it followed.
After many years had passed, a pestilence again appeared on the Holy Mountain, and Niphon’s novice, Gabriel, was mortally struck. At that time, Gabriel’s father, Dosifei, was still alive, and he wept inconsolably for him. Saint Niphon consoled him and said:
“Don’t cry, brother, your son, for the sake of obedience to my unworthiness, will not die now.”
Then, turning to the east, he prayed to the all-generous God in secret - and the sick man rose from his deathbed, praising God. Then the saint, talking with those who were with him, said:
- Our brother, with the help of God, recovered, but I had to die during Peter’s Fast. Finally, the fast of the holy Apostles arrived. On Saturday of the first week, getting up in the morning, the monk prayed, then took communion of the Divine Mysteries, and finally said to his disciples:
– Beloved children in the Lord! The time has come for my departure to the Lord, Whom from my youth I have loved with all my soul.
The disciples were embarrassed by the old man’s words.
“You should not be embarrassed and cry,” he said, noticing their confusion, “but rejoice, because in me you will have a prayer book before God for your salvation, if only His commandments are fulfilled on your part.”
The next day, i.e. on Sunday, the monk ordered them to first strengthen themselves with food, and then dig his grave and prepare everything necessary for burial:
“It’s time for me to go,” he said, “to the ground, from where it was not taken.”
When all this was completed, he got up from his bed and prayed for a long time with his eyes and hands raised to heaven; Finally, after completing the prayer, he blessed everyone, asked everyone for forgiveness, lay down on his deathbed and, crossing his venerable hands on his chest, peacefully gave up and gave up his spirit to God. Then the face of the righteous man, as a sign of his heavenly glory and boldness before God, shone like the sun. The Monk Niphon reposed on June 14, 1330. All the years of his earthly life were 96. He created many miracles during his life, of which, in addition to those mentioned, we offer here the following.
The spiritual and virtuous elder Theodulus once wished to see the Monk Niphon for the sake of spiritual benefit: he got up and went to him. But on the way, during one rapid, he slipped and hurt his leg on a stone so much that from the amount of blood that flowed out and from the pain, he became extremely exhausted and expected to die. Finally, in the spirit of faith, he bitterly groaned before the Lord and said: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God! If Niphon really has boldness and grace before You, deliver me, for the sake of his prayers, from inevitable death and suffering.” As soon as the elder said this, the flow of blood stopped, the illness completely subsided, and the elder, glorifying God and His saint, recovered.
One of the monks of the Lavra of St. Athanasius, having a feeling of love for the saint, sent him through a friend a vessel of oil. It happened that the one carrying this gift to Niphon stumbled on the way, fell - and other things that were with him were broken, but the vessel with oil remained intact. When the brother brought and gave this vessel to the monk, Niphon said with a smile:
“You see how strong the faith of the brother who sent the oil is.” His faith delivered you and you from trouble, and kept the vessel of oil intact, although everything else was broken.
Niphon's foresight amazed his brother, to whom he told everything that happened to him on the way - and the brother glorified God.
Another monk, who suffered from headaches for many years, instead of seeking help from above, turned to doctors, spent everything he had on them, and received no benefit. Seeing such futility of human aid, he finally came to the monk and, falling at his feet, begged him for the gift of healing.
“I believe, saint,” he said, “what you did not ask from God will be given to you.”
“On the contrary, brother,” answered the monk, “I am a sinful man, and God will not listen to a sinner.”
Meanwhile, the sick man, bursting into tears, did not stop falling at his feet and begging for healing from his illness. Then blessed Niphon, touched by his brother’s painstaking plight, read a prayer over the sick man’s head, and the sick man felt as if a noise or strong whirlwind had flown out of his head. After this, he was healed and, praising God, returned to his home, full of surprise and gratitude to his doctor.
The watchmaker of the sacred monastery was expelled from it for some mistake. When he came to the saint and, complaining about his unrighteous expulsion from the Lavra, asked permission to remain in obedience to him, the saint answered:
- Return to the Lavra, fall before the abbot, humbly admit your guilt, and you will be received again. If you do not listen to my advice, believe me, you will not be able to endure the cramped conditions of the desert here, and what is most important, you will lose your part and lot of the holy fathers of the monastery. And when you return, after a while you will be elevated to the rank of ecclesiarch, and then - abbot of the Lavra. Most of all, humble yourself.
Then Nifont continued with a smile:
- When, by the will of God, you become abbot, remember us too.