And when the Queen becomes angry!
Myron of My Son!
This story was narrated by Pope Macarius III, the 114th Patriarch, about a man he knew named Uncle Yacoub, from the time when the Pope was the Metropolitan of Asyut.
The Pope recounts that Uncle Yacoub was a simple, God-fearing man who worked in the mountains cutting stones. One day, on his way back through the mountains among the cemeteries, a man called him by name. Yacoub did not know him, but the man said, "Come with me." Yacoub was carrying a bag, and the man asked him, "Give me some of the food you have with you."
Uncle Yacoub was deeply astonished. While they were eating, the food was quickly depleted as if there were other people with them, and Uncle Yacoub realized that he was dealing with a magician who used Satan. Indeed, the man told him that he used demons, but noted that he was unable to enter the homes of Coptic Christians on Sundays and did not know why, and that his demons were unable to work on that day either. Then, the man said, "Let me tell you a story that happened yesterday:
"Do you see the water surrounding this tomb? Yesterday, I saw with my own eyes—and I was not dreaming—a highly radiant lady surrounded by many guards. They came to the tomb of a recently buried man who had abandoned your religion. The lady said: 'Take out the man's body.' There was a pot filled with boiling water. When they threw the body in, an oil floated to the surface of the water, and the Queenly lady carefully collected it with a small spoon into a bottle, saying in a calm yet angry tone:
'Myron, my son! Myron, my son! He does not deserve it!'
"Then, they threw out the water as you can see, and the scene vanished. I was not asleep. What happened?!"
At this, Uncle Yacoub took courage and told the magician about Sunday, the Liturgy, the Resurrection of Christ, and Holy Communion. He explained that the noble lady was the Virgin Mary and that the Myron (Holy Chrism) is the anointing oil. He told the magician about how it is prepared, the prayers said during the process, and how it is originally made from the spices used for the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, given to a Christian only once after their baptism.
The magician listened, astonished by the power and value of this oil.
Additional Note
His Grace Bishop Gregory used to tell a similar story about a man who held a high-ranking position and lived in front of the cemeteries in Cairo. He witnessed the exact same thing that the man in our first story saw, and when he learned the meaning of the story, he believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
ميرون ابني
هذه القصة رواها البابا مكاريوس الثالث البطريرك ال114 عن رجل كان يعرفه اسمه عم يعقوب حينما كان البابا مطراناً لأسيوط، يحكي البابا عن عم يعقوب انه كان رجلاً بسيطاً محباً لله يعمل في الجبل لقطع الأحجار، وذات يوم قابل رجلاً في طريقة عودته في الجبل بين المقابر ناداه باسمه ولم يكن يعرفه وقال له تعال معي وكان يعقوب يحمل كيساً وهنا قال له الرجل اعطني طعاماً مما معك. فاندهش عم يعقوب جداً وبينما هما يأكلان كان الطعام ينتهي سريعاً وكأن معهما ناس و أدرك عم يعقوب انه أمام ساحر يستخدم الشيطان، وفعلاً قال له الرجل انه يستخدم الشياطين وانه لا يستطيع دخول بيوت الأقباط يوم الأحد ولا يعرف لماذا ولا تعرف شياطينه أن تعمل يومها ثم قال له سأحكي لك قصة حدثت أمس.
أتري المياه التي تحيط بهذه المقبرة؟ أمس رأيت بعيني ولم أكن احلم سيدة شديدة البهاء يحيط بها حرس كثيرون وجاءوا لمقبرة رجل مدفون حديثاً كان قد ترك دينكم وقالت: "أخرِجوا جسد الرجل" وكان هناك قدرٌ مملوء ماء مغلي وعندما القوا الجثة طفى زيتٌ علي وجه المياه و قامت السيدة الملكة بجمعه بتدقيق بملعقة صغيرة في زجاجة وكانت تقول بغضب هادئ:
"ميرون ابني! ميرون ابني! انه لا يستحقه!"
ثم القوا الماء كما تري واختفي المشهد ولم أكن نائماً فما هذا الذي حدث؟!.
هنا تَشَجَّع عم يعقوب وحكي له عن يوم الأحد وصلاة القداس وقيامة المسيح والتناول، أما السيدة الجليلة فهي العذراء مريم، و الميرون فهو زيت المسحة وحكي للساحر عن طريقة تحضيره والصلوات التي تتم وقتها وانه في الأصل زيت من حنوط جسد السيد المسيح و يُعطي للمسيحي مرة واحدة بعد معموديته.
سمع الساحر وهو مندهش من قوة هذا الزيت وقيمته .
