Disclaimer

NOTICE: I am a practicing Catholic, active and in good-standing with my local diocese, who professes faith and loyalty to the Church. This ministry - my "little work" - is strictly a personal expression of that faith and loyalty, and not an officially recognized ministry in the Diocese of Honolulu.

~ Peter, Ministry Administrator


Tuesday, June 30, 2015

In the Presence of a Miracle: The Myrrh-Streaming Icon of Hawaii


I’ve been fortunate to witness several wonderful things in my life that I've considered to be special signs from God and/or the Blessed Virgin Mary… and today, I was in the presence of another such event that ranked way up there in my personal experiences.

            
The myrrh-streaming icon of the Blessed
Virgin in a small Russian Orthodox church
in Honolulu.  The icon was displayed in the
center of the church, covered in blue cloth.
The photo to the right shows it's outer
case opened.

A friend of mine - Eva - invited me to participate in an exclusive visit to venerate a supposed myrrh-streaming icon of the Madonna and Childlocated right in the very heart of Honolulu (of all places, it’s in an industrial area of downtown just a few blocks away from my place of work!).  I had actually heard rumors of this mysterious event a few months back but I never pursued it because the image wasn’t housed in a Catholic church or home, but rather, in a Russian Orthodox Church.

In fact, the icon - referred to as the "Holy Theotokos of Iveron" ("Theotokos" is Greek for "God-Bearer" and "Iveron" is derived from a monastery on Mt. Athos in Greece inhabited by monks from the country of Georgia) - has been exuding fragrant myrrh (blessed oil traditionally used in religious rituals) intermittently since October 2007... and in June 2008, authorities of this branch of the Orthodox Church officially recognized the weeping icon of Hawaii as a genuine miracle.  In addition, cures have been reported through the devotional use of the watery oil that drips from it.  Still, despite the official approval from its church, I remained cautious and really didn’t think much of it.

So last week, when my friend emailed the invitation to join her and a group of parishioners from St. George Catholic Church in Waimanalo in making a pilgrimage to the icon, I prayed about it for several hours, versus just excitedly jumping at the opportunity to see it.  In the end, I felt very strongly that it was God’s will that I go.  Plus Eva, who had previously visited the icon, assured me that it wasn’t a hoax and I trusted her judgement.  


Who knows, I thought to myself?  Perhaps the invitation from my friend was really Jesus’ manner of indicating that it was time for me to see and venerate this particular image of His Mother; to perhaps receive a special grace; all the while expressing ecumenical solidarity with our Orthodox brethren, who we have a lot in common with in regards to beliefs, including a deep reverence towards the Holy Mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  So tonight I went... and I am very glad I did.

   
Me, standing next to a crucifix-icon in the
church that also dripped myrrh, although
not as frequently and abundantly as the
icon of Mary.

I met the group of about 25 Waimanalo parishioners at the church on 845 Queen Street (appropriate location, given that we were there to see an image of the Queen of Heaven).  The first thing that struck me was the fact that if one was driving on that street, one could easily pass the small church; it looked like any other old office building on the street, if not for some metal letters that spelled-out the name of the church on the wall: Holy Theotokos of Iveron Orthodox Church... plus there was nothing posted on its exterior that indicated something miraculous was occurring within its walls.  I have to admit – I was somewhat surprised, but impressed, at the same time, by the lack of fanfare.  To me, it lent credence towards the probable authenticity of the weeping icon since there didn’t appear to be any outright attempts to attract attention or sensationalize the phenomena.

Inside the church, it seemed larger than what it looked like from the outside. I’ve never been in an Orthodox church but it was beautiful and tastefully decorated with wooden panels and many icons of Jesus, Our Lady, and Orthodox Saints in varying sizes all over its walls; different from the interior of a Catholic Church, but the "vibe" felt familiar and comforting.  

My friend led me to the center of the church where the icon was kept on a stand.  The image was smaller than what I expected - according to church literature only 7" x 9" - and it appeared to be protected in a slightly larger, glass-faced outer case over which was a fitted covering of padded blue cloth.  Streaks of clear oily moisture were evident on the smooth surface of the image and emanating from the frame was a beautiful scent of roses mixed with the pungent, but pleasing, aroma of incense and olive oil.  I prayed quietly while paying my respect to Our Lady's image, before taking a spot near the door to await the start of the prayers.

   
The interior of the small Russian Orthodox
church on Queen Street, Honolulu... and
people lined up to receive a blessing of holy
myrrh from the Subdeacon.

The Holy Rosary was soon started while the atmosphere was charged with quiet anticipation.  As we prayed the scent of roses got stronger and stronger and there was an overwhelming sense of peace, too.  I honestly felt the Lord and our Blessed Mother with us… and I felt in my heart that we were in the presence of something profoundly sacred; a genuine sign from God.  

After our prayers ended, the guardian of the icon - Subdeacon Nectarios - provided us with a brief history of the streaming icon, as well as gave us an impromptu sermon about what he believed this miraculous occurrence meant. In essence, the he expressed that the icon was a rare sign from Our Lady to lead us all closer to her Divine Son, Jesus Christ.  And to add just a bit more about Subdeacon Nectarios, I sensed this soft-spoken man to be sincerely humble and completely dedicated to his role as the protector of the icon; the patience he displayed towards us and our many inquiries was also admirable.

A small copy of the miracle
icon and a piece of myrrh-
soaked cotton.
Before leaving that little Queen Street church, the Subdeacon gave us all a simple anointing with myrrh from the icon, then he proceeded to open the outer box of the icon-shrine to reveal bunches of cotton balls soaked with the oily substance below the image. We were then treated to small copies of the icon and pieces of the moist cotton, which were placed in plastic packets before being distributed to all present (left photo).  During the entire time this was taking place, I observed the icon closely and noted how the oil appeared to have increased from when we first arrived, especially on the face of the Madonna (yet there was no container of oil near it).  In fact, there was so much scented myrrh, even the outer frame had traces of the clear moisture clinging to it.

After the blessing and distribution of myrrh, Subdeacon Nectarios carefully lifted the icon out of its box to place our written prayer intentions under it (we were encouraged to write them down on small slips of paper).  He took the opportunity to show the few of us, who were closely gathered around, the back of the image before replacing it in the larger case.  The icon's reverse side was dry and free of holes or any type of mechanism that could cause the oil-weeping phenomena.  Again, I was very impressed.  I left that little church feeling renewed and strengthened in my faith in God... and in the miraculous; plus a deeper respect for our Orthodox brethren.  I think the other pilgrims who were there, too, left with the same positive sentiments.

A short video I shot of the myrrh streaming
icon of Hawaii.  The dripping oil can be seen
in the streaks near the Virgin's face.

Not sure about everyone else out there, but in my personal walk with Jesus Christ, my faith sometimes wanes during periods of spiritual dryness or very difficult personal challenges, despite my best efforts.  But it’s always at my lowest points that God sometimes surprises me with a little “boost” to help me pick myself up again.  Tonight’s visit with the streaming Holy Theotokos of Iveron was my latest spiritual boost, and boy did I really need it.  Even as I sit here in my living room, finishing-up on this recent post, I am still enjoying the scent of roses all around me.  It's simply amazing.  Our God is truly a God of wonders!

Thank you, Jesus and Mary!


+  To learn more about the miraculous streaming icon in Hawaii, click here.  +

+ +  To learn about the original miraculous Theotokos of Iveron icon, click here.  +

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