Miraculous Healing in Our Parish

It was only in April of this year that a dear lady from our parish was diagnosed with brain cancer and given only a few months to live.  Such devastating news for not only the immediate family, but the entire church body who esteem her highly.  

I first learned about Mrs. H on our trip to Holy Cross Monastery, near the end of April when a moleben (muh LEH ben) was served to ask for the intercessory prayers of St. Panteleimon (the patron saint of Holy Cross)   for Mrs. H as well as other ill family members of our group.  

St. Panteleimon lived in the 4th century A.D. and was martyred under Emperor Maximian.  His name means all-merciful and is frequently invoked by those seeking his prayers to God for their health and healing.  St. Panteleimon had been trained and educated as a physician and spent his life with the suffering, the weak and those in prisons, praying for them and healing them in the name of Jesus Christ.  His gifts of healing became so well known in the Roman Empire that other physicians became jealous thus creating the catalyst for his martyrdom.

An akathist to Great Martyr-Healer Panteleimon begins:

“Chosen passion-bearer of Christ and gracious healer, who freely grantest healing to the sick, we praise thee in songs as our protector.  As thou hast boldness with the Lord, free us from all harm and sickness who cry with love to thee:

Rejoice, Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon!

Most Holy Saint and Martyr Panteleimon-the-Healer, intercede to the Most Merciful God for the healing of (names for the healing of his/her) in soul and body.

We know thee, glorious Panteleimon, as an earthly angel and a heavenly man.  For adorned with angelic purity and martyrdom thou hast passed from earth to Heaven, where with angels and all the saints standing before the throne of the Lord of Glory, thou prayest for all of us on earth who venerate thee with these invocations...”

Just as of yesterday, the 28th of May I learned of a miracle, through the intercessory prayers of St. Panteleimon to Christ our God, in the life of Mrs. H.  Upon visiting the Cleveland Clinic, her doctors were happy to report that there is no trace of cancer.  It is believed that she did suffer a mild stroke; a full recovery is expected.

Glory to God for all things.  Glory to Thee!

*Photo is a shrine to St. Panteleimon at Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, WV

PS.  Just in the short amount of time since I've posted this, Fr. Andrew, our assistant priest at St. George Cathedral,  has informed me of yet another miraculous cure of cancer in our parish!   Praise God!!  This is a quote from Fr. Andrew regarding this latest information:

"The smart medical people I've talked to tell me that the only way these could have been medical flukes or mistaken diagnoses would be for multiple doctors, labs, and high-tech medical machines to have been wrong multiple times in a row over the course of weeks and months."

Myrrh Streaming Icons

Converting to Orthodoxy has been wonderful ...and overwhelming at times.  I  imagine it’s something akin to the wonder felt by the Pevensie children as they tunneled through the wardrobe to arrive at the brilliance of Narnia.  

There is so much church history to devour and Tradition to understand as entrusted to us from the ancient church.   It’s a marvelous journey that I am on and it’s worth a pause here and there to hold a discovery, a treasure of the Orthodox faith, before others so that they might be blessed, too.

For those who are cradle Orthodox or have been converted for many years, myrrh streaming icons are nothing new.  But for me, coming from a Protestant background with a subtle prejudice against anything that looked or smelled Catholic, these ‘weeping icons’ were met with skepticism and even quiet anger as I contemplated a possible mockery of God’s house.   For those of you who may be unacquainted with weeping icons, they are  an icon or statue* (please read comments below)  depicting a saint or Jesus Christ himself, that miraculously begins to produce an oily substance commonly referred to as ‘myrrh’.  

The myrrh usually begins to form as small droplets on the painted surface of the icon and then slowly streams down to the bottom, thus the phrase ‘tears of heaven’  is a frequent description.  Typically the priest or pilgrims venerating the icon will use cotton balls to absorb the liquid, placing them carefully into airtight bags to preserve the oil as long as possible.   Oftentimes those who are blessed by the myrrh report being healed in some physical or spiritual way.

To me, “myrrh” is a bit of a misnomer as it calls to mind the resin from the Commiphora myrrha tree found in Somalia.  This resin is steam distilled into essential oil and frequently used in therapeutic oil blends for the skin and as a meditative aid.  In fact, this type of myrrh has an ancient history in the role of healing, meditation and religious ceremony that is worthy of another essay.    However, the miracle of “myrrh” weeping from some icons is something altogether different.  In at least one instance  I’ve read, the molecular structure of this weeping substance was likened to that of olive oil.

And something else which I find utterly fascinating is  the scent commonly ascribed to the streaming icons:  that of roses.   This is particularly interesting to me because long before I knew anything about Orthodoxy or icons, I was reading accounts of people with near death and at-death experiences.   Repeatedly I would encounter stories from people who would notice the scent of roses - when no flowers were present-  when a loved one passed or during prayerful times or occasions when they were ill yet felt the presence of God.  The scent of roses seems to be inextricably woven in the veil that separates the heavenly and earthly realms.

As I was learning about these icons and sifting the hoaxes from the genuine accounts, I came to discover the Weeping Icon of the Theotokos at St. Nicholas Albanian Orthodox Church in Chicago.  It’s a wondrous account and, if I’m not mistaken, I believe it was this icon that so touched Matthew Gallatin in his book, Thirsting for God in a Land of Shallow Wells.   A genuine weeping icon will be examined and blessed by a priest or bishop and revealed to the Church for all to pray and venerate it as they wish.

More recently, I read the account of the Iveron Weeping Icon from Hawaii that has traveled to San Francisco in early September ’08 to be venerated by the faithful at Holy Virgin Cathedral.  Very often, these wonder-working icons will travel to various parishes, cathedrals or monasteries so that the miracle may be shared by many.   I know that the Hermitage of the Holy Cross near me has hosted such an icon.  I regret that I didn’t learn of it earlier so that I might have visited and prayed before it.    It’s truly a miracle,  an occurrence without explanation.  Still, people will ask, “But why?  Why does the Blessed Virgin weep?  What are we to make of this?”

Since so many around the world have been blessed by these icons, I would say that they weep for our healing.  I’m not seeking to understand the how or why, I just pray that someday God will grant me the opportunity to see and touch these tears from heaven.

*Photo is from Holy Theotokos of Iveron Russian Orthodox Church website.

Miraculous in the Common

“But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you;  and the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.”  

Job 12:7  NASB

Some of the most beautiful lessons are taught by God’s creation; the endless wonders of the animal kingdom.

As we walked down the steps we could see a crowd had already gathered;  I was glad we came early to snag  seats up front.  I had brought my visiting sister-in-law and niece to Hawk’s Nest State Park to attend a free educational program on raptors.  

Ron & Wendy Perrone of Three Rivers Avian Center spend many hours each year in classrooms, state parks, colleges, and camps to educate the public about our fine feathered friends and natural history in WV.

 Their avian center offers vet care and physical rehabilitation to injured non-game wild birds.  Their goal is always to treat and release the bird back to its natural home, however this isn’t always possible due to the severity of the injury.  For these birds, they often become part of the educational program.  Nick, a Red Tailed Hawk, is one such bird.

As the cameras flashed and kids sat up in their chairs to gain a better view of the hawk, Ron walked about the room with Nick sitting quietly upon his arm.  She seemed so at ease with the routine and even comforted by Ron’s gentle voice.  She’s been with their program since 1993 and is one of their most beloved companions.  After he told her story, I can understand why.

Nick’s left wing suffered a gunshot wound and was injured beyond repair during her youth.  As Ron spoke about her hardships in the early years, my heart was touched at her will to survive.  Life is tough for a bird with one wing, but love overcomes hardships.  It is thanks to some very gracious human beings that Nick is now 17 years old and fulfilling multiple purposes, such as teaching others about the beauty and strength of birds of prey and, surprisingly, illustrating a gentle selfless devotion.

As it turns out, Nick is an excellent surrogate mother.  As Ron told several stories of her nurturing instincts toward orphaned chicks, I spotted a growing admiration in the eyes of the women sitting near me.  Ron said, “When we have babies come into the center, we check them out and then put them in [the enclosure] with Nick and she does the rest.”    She has even nurtured infertile eggs for weeks, plucking out her breast feathers so that her exposed flesh would keep the eggs warm.

She responds to the instinct God gave her - selflessly willing to take babies under her wing and teach them what it means to be a bird.   Here is a purposeful life that helps to raise life to heights that she will never see.

Praise God for every living thing

Praise God for the soft fall of hooves in the forest

Praise God for the cry of the hawks circling in air

Praise God for the friendly nickers in the barn

Praise God for furry friends at my feet.

Praise Him in whose hand is the breath of all living things.

Amen.

*Pictured is Nick from my 2005 visit to the Avian Center for a photography workshop.

Painting with light

Recently I was playing around with my camera, trying a technique new to me called painting with light.  I knew I wanted to experiment with candles and thought our standing cross would also provide impact.  I set everything up on an end table, placed my camera on a tripod and set to turning off all the lights and shutting all the doors to eliminate all light sources.  With cable release in hand and a mini pin light, I opened the shutter for 15 seconds while dancing my little flashlight around the cross and candle holders.  This experiment went on for a good 40 minutes as I became inspired with each new frame.

I’ve posted my two favorite exposures and as I contemplate the one with lit candles, I can’t help but think of something I wrote in my apologetics notebook several years ago: “we humans are called to create an atmosphere conducive to miracles”

Healed by the Light

I had been studying the miracles of Jesus, particularly the story of Jairus’ daughter (St. Matthew 9:18-26, St. Mark 5:21-43 and St. Luke 8:41-56) and the woman who touched Jesus’ cloak (St. Mark 5:28).  The study came about in response to a Calvinist perspective which proclaimed man has no responsibility toward his regeneration, which, from my perspective, is a miraculous event.  In every case of Jesus’ miracles, man is called to have faith.  In fact, Jesus frequently says “Go in peace, your faith has made you well” to those whom He has blessed and healed.  Man cannot heal his own wounds, but his faith creates an atmosphere conducive to God’s miracles.

When I first entered the Orthodox church, I noticed other people entering the sanctuary and lighting small votive candles immediately inside the doorway.  They would then pause to pray silently beside them.  It was explained to me later that anyone can light a candle and offer a prayer for a loved one.  And, what was especially touching to me was the fact that I was welcomed to this practice even before converting to Orthodoxy.  Later, while reading various Orthodox books, I came to see that these candles represent much more.  

The visual light of the candle reminds us that Christ is the Light of the world and the darkness has not overcome it (St. John 4,5).  What joy in remembering that no matter how bleak our world seems, the Light will never be overcome by the darkness!  As I look at the rows of dancing flames among the candles at church, I think of how God must be pleased to hear our voices, to listen to our sorrows, our joys, our praises to His holy name.  Seeing the candles alight is a part of our worship which involves all the senses.  It is a part of creating an atmosphere of worship and prayer which is pleasing to Him.  Even now, as my family is gathered around the dinner table, we keep a candle at the center and each time it is lit, I remind the kids, “Jesus is the Light of the world”.

Thinking back on those first few months at St. George Orthodox Church, I know that God healed me there.  Being surrounded by the visual reminder of prayers to God, the incense as a fragrant reminder of how our prayers are a pleasing aroma to Him...how could I not be transformed?  With the church that has proclaimed the same style of worship for over 2000 years, based upon the things in heaven (Hebrews 8 and 9 ), how could one not be ushered into God’s Divine Presence in a place where the atmosphere is conducive to miracles?