St. John of Novgorod (September 7)
One night, Saint John of Novgorod took the ride of his life on demon in the form of a horse, which he rode from Russian to Jerusalem to venerate the Holy Sepulcher of Our Lord.
The Saint’s spiritual powers of grace were unusual. For his simplicity of soul and purity of heart God gave him power against demons. Once, when the Saint prayed by night, as was his custom, he heard something splashing the water in the washbasin. Seeing that there was no one beside him, the Saint realized that this was a demon trying to scare him.
The Saint made the sign of the Cross over the washbasin and restrained the devil. Soon the evil spirit could no longer bear the prayer of the Saint, which scorched it like fire, and it began to beg to be released from the washbasin. The Saint was agreeable, but ordered the demon to carry him from Novgorod to Jerusalem to the Sepulchre of the Lord and back, all in one night. The demon fulfilled the Saint’s command, but asked him to tell no one about his shame. 1
From The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints, vol. 1.
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“Saint John the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Novgorod (+ 1186).” 2017. Johnsanidopoulos.com. 2017. https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2017/09/saint-john-wonderworker-archbishop-of.html.
A Night Ride to Jerusalem on a Demon