A short story of Elder Porphyrios...

A short story of Elder Porphyrios...

"I will tell you one particular story, which shows the grandeur of Elder Porphyrios' soul. Many, many years ago, on the eve of Theophany, * he went according to custom to bless houses with holy water. As he was entering the houses, one after the other, he entered, without realizing it, a house of ill-repute. At the moment when he began to chant "O Lord, save Thy people ..." and to bless, the manageress said to him,
"Don't, don't, it's not right for them to kiss the cross."
Then, Elder Porphyrios replied, "I don't know whether it's not right for them or for you to kiss the cross."

Those women kissed the cross and Elder Porphyrios spoke with them a little. He told them about love towards God, that was his favorite subject. Seeing the saintly figure of Elder Porphyrios, these women changed inside. Especially when he told them, "Love Christ Who loves you and you'll see how happy you'll be. If only you knew how much Christ loves you. Make an effort to love Him, too."
Elder Porphyrios knew that if those women got to know Christ and to love Him, because knowing leads to loving, then they would abandon the miserable profession that they practiced."

source: http://full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.com/search/label/Elder%20Porphyrios