Miracles of Saint Anba Karas

«Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee» (Isaiah 43:4)

I had been married for more than four years and the Lord had not given me children, and people always embarrassed me by asking, "Hasn't God given you a child yet?" — for in Upper Egypt having children is always a subject of questions. I had every scan and test done, but it seemed God had not yet willed it. I went to the Church of Anba Karas and wept, and said, "Lord, give me, through the prayers of Anba Karas." They told me there, "God will give you, and you will name him Karas." And truly it was as though God was only waiting to hear a request in the name of Anba Karas to answer it at once. When the priest came to pray the prayer of the seventh day, I told him, "My husband will call him Kyrillos, but at the baptism and at home we'll call him Karas." Indeed, nobody knows the name Kyrillos — everyone calls him Karas. Our father replied, "Anba Karas or Pope Kyrillos — both are anchorites and both are saints; they will understand each other." Now I am expecting again, and the coming child I will name Karas, so they will both be Karas.

«And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful» (Genesis 28:3)

The couple truly felt the blessing of his presence, and after their wedding they came to thank Anba Karas at his shrine in the Church of Anba Karas in Dairut. (A.A.) tells:

We are children of Anba Karas. We were engaged, and days before the wedding problems arose between the two families that almost ended everything — each going his own way, as they say — and everyone agreed to end it. But at church they told us to sit together to talk, and we did sit in the Church of Anba Karas, and they gave us a beautiful picture of Anba Karas, especially since Anba Karas was the intercessor of us both. But the meeting failed; it was over, each would go his own way. As we left, they said at church: "God willing, the Lord will arrange your affairs, and Anba Karas will pray for you and attend your wedding." We were surprised by these words, because we had both agreed, convinced, to end it, and the two families had agreed too — it had become a matter of dignity, for her and for me. And what happened that same night: I found myself reproaching Anba Karas, saying, "Is this right, Anba Karas?" — and then I found myself taking my mother and going to the bride's house to make peace. They received us very warmly, the wedding took place, and we felt the blessing of our beloved father Anba Karas. We insisted on coming here after the wedding to thank him and ask for his prayers. May the Lord benefit us by the blessing of his prayers. Amen.

«And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them» (Isaiah 65:21)

She was a very simple woman who came to offer a vow out of her need. When we asked her for whom the vow was, she said, "For Anba Karas" — though at that time, about five years ago, the life of Anba Karas was not well known among us, and she was a simple lady who could not read or write. We asked, "How do you know Anba Karas? Why this vow?" She said: "I went into the simple wooden church and saw his picture and felt great peace with him, and I always ask for his prayers. Today I have come to fulfil my vow. I live with my husband and my five children; my husband is a very simple farmer, and my mother-in-law lives with us. My problem was that every time we cooked or baked, she would take some and give it to her married daughter who lives on a nearby street — though her son-in-law and his family are well off. She would say, 'Shall I eat this meat and my daughter not?' O Lord, she takes my children's food and bread and gives it to her daughter! Let her take something small once a month. And every day I stood reproaching Anba Karas. One day she took all the bread and said, 'It's a feast day — I'll take it to my daughter.' So I said to Anba Karas: 'Anba Karas, you have five pounds from me if her daughter's father-in-law brings back even two loaves.' The day passed, my eyes on the door and I upset with Anba Karas. We went to bed — and then there was a knock. The father-in-law came in angry and said: 'Lady, take your bread back! Can't we feed your daughter ourselves? Once and for all: if you bring one more loaf or piece of meat, there'll be trouble.'"

O Anba Karas, you champion! He didn't just bring me two loaves — he brought all the bread, and forever there has been no more trouble with my mother-in-law. And since then, now and then, I bring something myself, and her father-in-law says, "Since it's you bringing it, it's accepted from you, Umm so-and-so…"

«Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy» (Jude 1:24)

That is how I cried out — "O Anba Karas, O Anba Karas!" — when my family and I were in danger. I say my family, not just my household: the whole family gathered — father, mother, brothers, sisters, my wife, my children and theirs — forty of us on a bus on Sham el-Nessim, 29 April 2008, heading to Ras Sudr to spend a beautiful day. On our way back the bus had no headlights because of a fault; it was ten at night and we thought we could drive without them. Suddenly we crashed violently into something huge on the road, and the bus almost overturned — a whole family exposed to total destruction. Those around me heard me shouting, "O Anba Karas, O Anba Karas!" — and it was as though heavenly hands carried the whole bus and set it down safely at the side of the road, with no injuries, not even a scratch on anyone. My brother's wife was with us and she was pregnant, which had worried me; we checked on everyone, and all were well. Thank You, Lord, for the intercessions of Anba Karas for us; thank you, Anba Karas. Truly, my God, You are the God of the living, not of the dead. And wonderfully, when I brought home the film of Anba Karas produced by the church, I was surprised by a scene in which one of the saints cries out as I cried in my ordeal — "O Anba Karas, O Anba Karas!" — and Anba Karas hastens to rescue him. How beautiful You are, my God, and how beautiful is the love You have placed between Your children in heaven and those on earth.

«And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus» (Philippians 4:7)

I came with my children and some neighbours to pray the Liturgy of Palm Sunday at the Church of Anba Karas and the Anchorite Fathers in Dairut, and we were very happy after the Liturgy. I left my children playing in the churchyard while we stood a little and visited the other churches in the same compound. When we wanted to leave, I looked for my child — he is five years old — and could not find him. I searched everywhere: the other churches, the church nursery, the neighbouring public and private nurseries; I sent the neighbours home to search our street, but they did not find him. I began to break down in tears, saying, "Is this right, Anba Karas? I come to your church with all my children, and go home without one of them?" — and I wept bitterly. But the priest reassured me and said, "Let's hold a tamgeed (a hymn of praise), and by the end of it someone will tell you, 'Here is your son.'" So we held a tamgeed before the shrine of Anba Karas with tears. We finished, and I was still weeping, waiting for someone to ask me about my son as the priest had said, but no one came, and I kept crying. Then a young woman who was not a Christian stood at the church door and said, "We found this boy in the street; someone told us to go to the church." And she called to me: "Is this your son?" I ran to him quickly — thank you, my beloved Anba Karas.

«And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear» (Isaiah 65:24)

My beloved Karas, every person who knows your life and remembers your name, My peace shall be with him, and I will repay him many times over

The Lord kept His promise to Anba Karas when He said that whoever asks in his name will be answered. One day I had severe pain in my stomach, and the doctor — a relative of ours — asked me to have a scan. It showed something like a tumour in one of the kidneys, which alarmed our relative, who immediately ordered a CT scan in Assiut that showed the same thing (we hold the scans and medical reports from before and after the healing).

After that, sorrowful in soul, I went to the Tuesday meeting of the Mother of Light for women at the church, where — for the first time — they were showing the film of Anba Karas. From the beginning of the film until near its end, the tears never left my eyes, until the scene where the Lord of Glory says: "Whoever asks in your name will be answered…" Truly, I did not ask with my mouth; I asked with all my heart, the tears alone speaking. Afterwards I felt deep peace, and out of trust in the Lord of Glory and His promises to Anba Karas I went home joyful and told my husband, "I am healed." He said, "Then we must do a new scan." I did, and the kidney appeared without any tumour, through your intercession, Anba Karas, beloved of Christ.

This is our tender God, who promised to answer even before we ask with our lips.

«And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest» (Genesis 28:15)

"O man of God… whose feast was two days ago" — cried Miss (F.A.) of Heliopolis

With her last breaths, as she was about to drown completely: "O man of God… O saint of God whose feast was two days ago, save me!" And behold, very tender hands lifted her from drowning and carried her to the shore as if nothing had happened. I was on a trip with my brothers and sisters from our church, and part of the trip was time at the sea. I swim very well, and my pride took hold of me: I left the group and swam off, and suddenly I was alone and the waves were carrying me far from the shore, and my mind froze…

Then I remembered that on the feast of Anba Karas, one of our friends sends a message to everyone he knows: "Peace, love and the prayers of Anba Karas." I had no knowledge of or connection with Anba Karas — I did not even know his picture — but when I was drowning, all I could say was, "O man of God, O saint whose feast was two days ago!" A message from one of your beloved ones saved me, and since that day I have been very close to him.

And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth (1 Kings 17:24)

«Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?» (Jeremiah 32:27)

Through the intercession of the great saint Anba Karas, our relative Brother (S.B.) and his wife (A.F.) in the Netherlands would seek his intercession, and in all their difficulties God solved their problems through the intercession of Anba Karas… Once his wife interceded for her brother's wife in Tahta, Sohag, that the Lord would give them children, for they had long waited. God poured out His grace and gave them children: she gave birth to twins, a boy named Karas and a girl named Marina, after they sought the intercession of Saint Anba Karas, swift to help. Truly, O Lord, You are our God and nothing is too hard for You. To You be glory forever. Amen.

«Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine» (Isaiah 43:1)

As a second-year engineering student (after the preparatory year), I fell seriously ill during the first-term exams; and with some negligence of my own through the year — relying on the exam month — I failed five of six subjects. In the second term I studied as much as I could and sought the intercession of Anba Karas and many saints. I was sure I would fail and repeat the year, but the Lord had compassion on me, and the miracle happened through the intercession of Anba Karas and the other saints: I passed carrying only two subjects. Thank you, Anba Karas, and all the saints who remember us before the Lord of Glory.

«And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it» (Isaiah 30:21)

A young man (…), known for copying videotapes and CDs and selling them, called us. We had heard he was trying to copy the film of Anba Karas too — and then, with abundant tears on the phone, he said: "That's it — I've repented at your hands, Anba Karas." The dear young man went on: "While watching the film, especially the last meeting between the Lord of Glory and Anba Karas and the Lord's many promises to him, I said: 'That's it, Anba Karas, I repent before you; I'm no match for you — the Lord of Glory Himself visited you. Pray for me, Anba Karas, to start anew with God.' And truly I felt Anba Karas turning me back from my old way, all sin, to begin a new and pure life."

«He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death» (Psalm 68:20)

My son (T.) called me from New York to ask about his father, who had just gone into the operating room for a heart stent — a very serious operation. We love Anba Karas; not a month passes without our visiting his blessed church in Dairut and receiving his blessing, and we feel he lives with us. We ask his prayers in everything in our lives — even my son in America has grown used to calling on him in every project or journey, and God arranges all things for good through his prayers. My son was crying on the phone out of worry for his father. I reassured him: "Don't be afraid — Anba Karas is with him in the operating room." He said, "Did you give him the picture of Anba Karas when he went into the operation, Mama?" I said, "Yes, my darling — and it's not just the surgeon, the assistants and the nurses; Anba Karas is surely with them." I truly had wonderful peace, and my husband too. For the record, the miracle took place on 15/7/2007, the feast of Anba Karas, when we couldn't attend his feast in his church. He came to us, and we came out with the operation a success. The surgeon had come out to postpone the operation and make it an open-heart operation, because he had tried the balloon and the stent several times and failed. But we told him to try once more, and God would be glorified through the prayers of Anba Karas — especially since I had put his picture under my husband's head. The doctor came out overjoyed and amazed at our faith — rather, at the great saint Anba Karas, for we kept telling him about him. At the start the situation had been very difficult and the doctor was tense, with great difficulty with the stent and the balloon, but suddenly things changed, as if the doctor were in other hands and someone were telling him, "Do this and that." Truly, peace be with you, Anba Karas, saint of the Holy Lord.

«I the Lord will hasten it in his time» (Isaiah 60:22)

A family travelling abroad left in his keeping two gold bracelets, a ring and a gold chain until their return, and he put them in the clothes wardrobe. He says: I went out to church, and two days later I remembered the trust and was alarmed, because I had not put it away properly but left it like that in the wardrobe. I came back upset and began searching with my family, and we could not find it. My children, my wife and I were bewildered — nothing like this had ever happened. I called a relative, in case I had left it with them and forgotten, and they said, "Say 'O Anba Wanas' and you'll find them." I said, "Peace of the Lord upon him — but this is Anba Karas's territory, and he finds lost things."

I told her the story of the lost boy Anba Karas brought back, and I called on Anba Karas and said, "Is this right — embarrassing me before people?" and we stood praying with the children… We searched again and found nothing, and grew more bewildered. But suddenly, by the prayers and guidance of Anba Karas, all our eyes fell together on a bag of old clothes we were going to throw away, and we said, "Let's go through it — maybe we'll find something," though the bag was small and neglected, and we should have thrown it out the day before. When we turned it over, we found the trust complete and intact. We held a tamgeed for Anba Karas, who saved us from great trouble and embarrassment — had we thrown the bag away, the trust would have been lost at great cost, not to mention the embarrassment. The truth is, when I took the trust I put it quickly in the wardrobe because I had another urgent matter, and it fell into that bag in the wardrobe that we meant to throw away, and afterwards we set it aside to discard. Thank you, Anba Karas, for working so well in your territory — and thank you, Anba Wanas, for working in your territory in Luxor. We laughed and said: Anba Karas from Dairut up to Cairo, and Anba Wanas from Luxor southwards.

«Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?» (Isaiah 60:8)

The fame of Anba Karas spread for his accepted prayers for the return of lost things — even lost people, not only materially but spiritually too: many who entered his shrine or read his life had their lives changed completely and returned to the Father's embrace…

I was having an ultrasound at Dr. (W.A.)'s clinic in Midan el-Gami', and on returning home I was shocked to find my gold bracelet missing. I was very upset, but instead of calling the doctor first, I called the Church of Anba Karas and the Anchorite Fathers in Dairut and asked them to hold a tamgeed or ask the prayers of Anba Karas, trusting in his prayers and that through them God would return it — like a friend of mine who lost bags at the airport and had given up hope, and two months later they came back because she asked Anba Karas. Then I called the doctor to tell him what happened, and he said, "No, madam, there's nothing here." Still I was not upset, knowing Anba Karas would ask for it to be returned, and I said, "Anba Karas, you anchorites are like flying doves — find where my thing is and bring it back." I had hardly finished speaking when the doctor called me: "Imagine — someone found this bracelet and told me it must belong to one of my patients. If you hadn't called me two minutes ago, I would have said no, because you left more than two hours ago." I said, "These are the prayers of the great saint Anba Karas — his blessing be with you and with us. Amen."

«Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul» (Jeremiah 32:41)

I learned you are preparing a book of the miracles of our dear saint Anba Karas, and because I owe Anba Karas so much I felt it my duty to tell you of a great miracle of our dear saint that happened to me here in the land of my exile — especially on his great feast, Saturday 14/7/2007 at 11:43 am…

I was at the Milan municipality (like the city council) applying for papers stating that my flat was suitable for two people, to present to the Foreigners' Office in Milan so they would allow me to invite my wife. At that time I had not yet married her; the wedding was set for 26/8/2007, and the law requires suitable accommodation before an invitation is issued, especially for a wife or children. But the engineer apologised and refused my request, because the area registered on the computer for my flat was suitable for one person only. Without discussion I learned that the previous owner had registered only part of the area to avoid taxes and fees. I was very distressed, because I had to travel for the wedding and bring my wife later. They asked me to bring the documents and engineering drawings, promising to look into it and contact the engineer in charge for an inspection later, and I left in utter sadness and despair.

Then came a message from my cousin in Egypt telling me that today was the eve of the feast of Anba Karas — "Happy feast, and his blessing be with you." I was greatly comforted and said to Anba Karas, "You're originally from Italy anyway — so help me!" I brought the papers from my flat and was surprised by the following: the engineer in charge came for the inspection, contrary to what is usual at that time; the engineer who at first would not cooperate understood the situation and my honesty in speaking; the engineer did the drawings and papers without an inspection, because of my truthfulness; and in minutes she changed all the data of the flat and issued a document that it was suitable for more than two people. I went straight to the Foreigners' Office, and the invitation for my wife was approved. I went down to Egypt, the wedding took place in peace, then I came back to Italy with my wife, and we now live in Milan in joy and peace — proud that we've become fellow-countrymen of our beloved Saint Karas. His blessing be upon us all. Amen.

«For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness» (Psalm 107:9)

Of the Lord's work with them through the intercession of Anba Karas: they rejoiced greatly that there is a church in their hometown named after Anba Karas, who was with them in their exile in Kuwait, and the Lord gladdened their hearts. They tell us: "We waited very many years for children, hoping God would give us a son we would name Abanoub; but to every thing there is a season. Then I met a friend who gave me a leaflet about Anba Karas… I read it weeping and said to him: 'Anba Karas, your standing before God is very great — intercede for us, and every feast I'll distribute your life story. Only don't be upset with me — the first boy I'll name Abanoub, and I promise the second I'll name Karas, you champion!' It was as though heaven was waiting, eager to fulfil a request in the name of its beloved Anba Karas. God gave us Abanoub, and we were overjoyed; and we kept our second vow — the second child we named Karas. We are in Kuwait, and frankly we love Anba Karas very much, and we hope our Karas will be something lovely like Anba Karas — and Abanoub too. May God bless and gladden every heart."

«How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders!» (Daniel 4:3)

At the first celebration of the eve of Anba Karas in his church in Dairut, the weather was very hot. All the church buildings were of simple wood, and it was very crowded. People asked for fans — and truly not just any fans would do, because the wooden roof could not bear them and the wooden beams holding the boards were very weak and small. We said, "Anba Karas will send you fans." And it was as if Anba Karas — no, not "as if": truly Anba Karas — had asked one of his beloved to bring fans suitable to be mounted on those weak little wooden pillars; and even more beautiful, a great number of khulagis (liturgy books) and agpeyas (books of hours), and a gift of money for the brethren of Christ. Such is the tenderness of Anba Karas and his great love for his children — truly he is the beloved of his children and loves them dearly. We rejoiced greatly with the khulagis, and the whole congregation prayed, each with a khulagi and an agpeya in hand. Thank you, Anba Karas, beloved of your children. And beautifully, the doctor who brought the khulagis and agpeyas did not know the place; he was coming from Cairo, and said: "Although I work for Amoun Pharmaceuticals and pass through every town, I had never heard that there is a church of Anba Karas in Dairut; but one of the beloved told me, and I came to receive the blessing of my beloved Anba Karas." But the secret of his bringing fans in particular, and the khulagis and agpeyas — that, of course, only he and his beloved Anba Karas know.