Comments on: Isabel Hapgood on St. John of Kronstadt http://orthodoxhistory.org/2009/10/isabel-hapgood-on-st-john-of-kronstadt/ The Society for Orthodox Christian History in the Americas Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:03:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Isa Almisry http://orthodoxhistory.org/2009/10/isabel-hapgood-on-st-john-of-kronstadt/comment-page-1/#comment-247 Isa Almisry Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:00:35 +0000 http://orthodoxhistory.org/?p=1017#comment-247 "Whatever any one gives him “in Christ’s name, for the poor,” he takes, and thrusts into his pocket without looking at it. Equally without looking at it, he hands over the whole, be it a fat roll of bankbills, or a few bits of silver, to the next person who begs of him; and his own little stipend goes in the same way. Result — an undeserving, plausible scamp may get a thousand rubles from Father Joann, and a worthy sufferer may get next to nothing. This is regarded by Father Joann’s admirers as saintly; but a little mathematics and discrimination would not interfere with the essential quality of his nimbus, as I ventured to remark occasionally, getting plenty of frowns for my hardness of heart" It seems Ms. Hapgood didn't believe St. Fr. John had the gift of discernment. “Whatever any one gives him “in Christ’s name, for the poor,” he takes, and thrusts into his pocket without looking at it. Equally without looking at it, he hands over the whole, be it a fat roll of bankbills, or a few bits of silver, to the next person who begs of him; and his own little stipend goes in the same way. Result — an undeserving, plausible scamp may get a thousand rubles from Father Joann, and a worthy sufferer may get next to nothing. This is regarded by Father Joann’s admirers as saintly; but a little mathematics and discrimination would not interfere with the essential quality of his nimbus, as I ventured to remark occasionally, getting plenty of frowns for my hardness of heart”

It seems Ms. Hapgood didn’t believe St. Fr. John had the gift of discernment.

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