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2 weeks ago
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A scared image of Mary and a young Jesus has captured global attention after it mysteriously started producing streams of myrrh.
Myrrh, one of the three gifts brought by the Wise Men, is a gum resin from a tree that grows in Africa and the Middle East, and is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments.
The $20 mass-produced picture, allegedly found in a bargain bin in Toronto, is housed at the Holy Theotokos of Iveron Russian Orthodox Church in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The phenomenon was first noticed over 15 years ago by Father Nectarios Yangson, a priest at the church, who reported a sudden, overwhelming scent of myrrh filling his office, and even prompting his cat to stand on its hind legs in fascination.
Since then, the miraculous Iveron icon, a paper replica of a long-revered ancient icon, has traveled to more than 1,000 churches in the US and around the world.
Believers say icons that spontaneously stream myrrh appear during times of great tribulation, serving as a sign that the Mother of God will protect the faithful.
The resin is so abundant that extra myrrh is bottled and sent to believers worldwide, who claim it has healed illnesses.
Physical and spiritual healings have included the healing of blindness and eye disease, cancer, demonic possession, paralysis, kidney disease, chronic pain and debilitating viruses.
The $20 mass-produced picture, allegedly found in a bargain bin in Toronto, is housed at the Holy Theotokos of Iveron Russian Orthodox Church in Honolulu, Hawaii
The resin is so abundant that extra myrrh is bottled and sent to believers worldwide, who claim it has healed illnesses
The Hawaiian Iveron Icon is a mounted replica of the original Montreal Iveron Icon, created by the Sofrino Church Supply Company in Russia.
Footage of the icon has resurfaced online, showing the paper image inside a wooden case that is pouring myrrh.
A white cloth was placed on the back of the case, which was soaked by the resin, as was the table the icon sat on.
Father Nectarios first noticed the strong aroma in 1997 after receiving the icon from his parish priest.
'During the last week of September, I began to notice an unbelievably strong smell of myrrh, at home, in my car, even at work. I couldn't explain it,' he recalled.
The scent intensified one day when he was working at home. His cat sniffed the air and stood upright, and only then did Father Nectarios detect the overpowering fragrance himself.
Upon inspecting the icons, he saw a bead of myrrh forming on the left knee of the image of Our Lord.
'We were afraid. We asked if we had recently cleaned or anointed the icons. We hadn't,' he said.
Footage of the icon has resurfaced online, showing the paper image inside a wooden case that is pouring myrrh. A white cloth was placed on the back of the case, which was soaked by the resin, as was the table the icon sat on
Photographs documented the phenomenon, which he later shared with fellow priests.
The following Sunday, the congregation witnessed the icons' myrrh and helped themselves to it.
'Some days have been completely dry, while on other days they are covered in myrrh. Yet whether they stream or not, they continuously give off an extremely strong scent of roses,' Father Nectarios shared on the church's website.
'It is truly a great miracle! I sometimes wonder if it is a warning.'
In 2008, the Russian Orthodox Church officially recognized the Iveron icon as miraculous, encouraging Father Nectarios to bring it to churches across the US.
He has traveled to more than 100 churches in the US, Europe, and beyond, drawing millions of faithful.
The icon has been associated with miraculous healings, including curing cancer during a 2014 visit to Georgia.
Father Nectarios said that, while working in Hawaii, he sometimes felt overlooked by the wider Orthodox Church, but the icon stands as a clear sign.
'Whether or not our fellow clergy, our fellow Orthodox faithful have forgotten us, one thing is clear… The Most Holy Mother of God has not forgotten us.'
