March
21st, 2016
Composed
and written on the Oahu island, Hawaii
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The
first week of Great Lend has started. Our merciful Lord made us
worthy to spend some time in Hawaii and to venerate the
myrrh-streaming holy icon of the Theotokos, Iveron-Hawaiian. This
Holy Icon resides here, in the city of Honolulu. In Wednesday's
evening, at 6:15pm we went in church for the Great Compline, during
which the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete was read. The
myrrh-streaming Holy Icon was present as well. Just as I had seen the
Icon last time in NY, so this time She was entirely covered with
myrrh. From the very beginning when you enter in the little church,
the fragrance of the Holy Icon tells you to greet the Heavenly Queen.
After the church service was finished, the ikonophoros (the icon
keeper) brother Nectary went to one of the hospitals on this island
to visit a patient who was in coma, a Roman Catholic by religion.
That same night (Wednesday 16th, 2016) a miracle happened.
Brother Nectary, with a blessing of his spiritual father, shared the
miracle with his parishioners. Likewise I asked him for his
permission to share the same miracle with all of you for the glory of
God. This is what happened and what brother Nectary wrote:
“ Dear
Parish Family,
After
speaking with my spiritual father (who's in Greece) a few
moments ago, I received his blessing to share with people a miracle
that occurred last night on our island, involving our Miracle-working
Iveron Icon. I hope it brings you comfort.
After
the Great Canon service last night, I was asked to visit a coma
patient named Duke at Castle Hospital in Kailua.
I was invited by a Roman Catholic family, who have been to our parish
many times to venerate the holy Icon. In fact, one of their
family members was healed of cancer after being anointed with myrrh
from the Iveron Icon.
We
finished the canon service a little before 8pm and
I arrived at the hospital around 8:20 or
so. Several family members were patiently waiting for the
Mother of God, to escort us to intensive care. They had been
waiting for over two hours. Security let us in, and we
proceeded to the second floor.
I
noticed that Bishop John Frederick was there. His Grace Bishop
John is a Chaldean (Assyrian) Catholic bishop who resides here in the
islands. He has a small parish in Waipahu. He has
been to our church several times to venerate the Holy Icon. He
is a friend. He is highly regarded in the local Roman Catholic
community.
As
the Iveron Icon was escorted into the ICU, we were required to wear
masks, gloves, etc, so as not to bring in any outside bacteria or
contamination, standard procedure in the hospital nowadays. I
approached the young man, in his 40s (I imagine?), and noticed he was
hooked up to various machines, a breathing apparatus, etc. I
removed the Holy Icon from Her carrying bag (Chuhol), and placed Her
on the hospital bed, next to his head. I then anointed him with
the Holy Myrrh.
The
family asked me to lead a simple prayer service for the sick,
according to Orthodox custom. They were not too familiar with
our Church traditions. I was happy to oblige.
I
chanted a basic prayer service; the introductory prayers, Trisagion
hymns, psalms, and finally the prayer to the Mother of God that I
usually read when I make hospital visits with the Holy Icon
throughout the country. When asked, I visit anyone who’s
sick, including non-Orthodox Christians.
As
we came to the part of the prayer where we ask the Mother of God to
lay her Veil upon the individual, the coma patient, Duke, grabbed my
hand, opened his eyes, and said, “I'm thirsty.” A shock to
all of us to say the least. I could barely finish the prayer,
it was very emotional. The Intercessions of the Mother of God
are quick indeed. “I'm thirsty,” those words are a
reflection of Christ’s words on the Cross.
The
family related, that they were talking to him all day, whether he
could hear them or not, and letting him know that the Mother of God
is coming to visit him that day. She did, in more ways than
one.
Please
keep Duke and his family in your prayers. I found out today,
after additional tests, they cannot find any meningitis in his
system. And God willing, after more additional tests, will be
releasing him from the hospital. He's awake and alert and
eating. Praise God!
There
have been many miracles attributed to the Mother of God through our
humble little Icon, but this is the newest, and I wanted to share
this miraculous story with you, to give you encouragement during this
Lenten season. I hope it does.
This
time of year is filled with a massive onslaught of demonic
temptation. We are all affected by it.
Remember
that throughout this time, the Lord is with us, and here
in Hawaii the Mother of God has taken a particular interest
in our well being. She loves us, and wants us to succeed in our
path home to Christ Our Lord.
May
the Mother of God watch over all of us and keep us safe under Her
sacred Omophorion (Veil).
In
Christ’s love,
Subdeacon
Nectarios, a sinner “
The meeting is the Holy Icon in Hawaii!
One
of the reasons I like Hawaii is because of the myrrh streaming Holy
Iveron-Hawaiian Icon of Mother of God. I love her so much and each
opportunity that I have to see this Icon, I spend time with Her as
much as I can. We
were blessed to spend the entire day with Her, at church, at home and
even I was blessed to have the Icon in my room for a few hours. I
commemorated you all who asked me to pray for you.
This
Icon resides here in Hawaii and it started to stream
myrrh in the year of 2008. I've never seen so much myrrh coming out
of a wonderworking Icon. We seek miracles today? Isn't this one of
the many? You stand in front of the Icon and you see with your own
eyes
the miracle of streaming myrrh. This is how much Mama loves us!
I
share all of this not with pride but with a humility so that you
could also rejoice through this grace and for all of you who love
Mother of God, I know you do rejoice as much as I do.
Love
you all!
The moment when the Holy Icon was opened.
O Most Holy Theotokos save us!