Miraculous Myrrh in this World of Death

What Might It Mean?

It’s been a blessing to me to spend substantial time on multiple occasions watching two different icons flow inexplicably with an oil whose glorious fragrance filled the sanctuary. In one case, after the prayer service, the icon was lifted out of its case by the local parish priest so that the oil flowing off of the image of the Mother of God could drip into the outstretched hands of well over a dozen people who had stayed after the service for particular prayers of healing. These hands included those of several strangers as well as those of my dying mother, my father (a Presbyterian minister and missionary), my sister, several nieces and nephews, and my own wife and children. Yesterday evening—although I was unable to attend because my wife and daughter fell sick with fevers—one of these two icons visited my own local parish in a service that filled the church past overflowing with both Orthodox Christians and other guests (as I enjoyed seeing from the photos and videos shared with me via text messages and other means).