First Weeping Icon
Tweet: Parishioners on Northwest Side say ‘miracle’ funding will save church
By Tia Ewing Published 1 day ago CraginFOX 32 Chicago
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So let’s back up here. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago became a place of miracles when an icon of the Mother of God began weeping. Hundreds lined the street to see it until it was unceremoniously removed from the Church by Metropolitan Nathanael (GOA). He replaced the weeping icon with a paper icon. Imagine his surprise when it began weeping, as well!
Friends of the blog went to Holy Trinity to obtain pictures of the second icon. Like the first, the paper icon is streaming tears of myrrh. Again, people are lining the streets to see it. It’s not every day you see evidence of two miracles within a span of as many days.
Second Weeping Icon
And yet, two miracles are seemingly what it took to marshal the necessary forces to save Holy Trinity and now yet another miracle is in the works: The parishioners at a Northwest Side Church say they have enough money to pay off their debt.
“Miracles have happened where funds have been brought up…to make our parish remain on Diversey Avenue,” said John Karamitsos of the Holy Trinity Parish Counsel. If the judge allows it, it would not be the first time parishioners have experienced a miracle like this. In December of 2018, there were protests to save the church and at the last minute, donors raised enough money to save it from the auction block.
A hearing is set for Friday afternoon where parishioners will present their argument before Judge Timothy Barnes to stop the sale. Let us pray for the community of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago. (Note: Video of the second miracle to be released soon.)
Thanks be to God that this occurred. I pray that Met. Nathaniel is beseeching God (as we all should), for hiding the first icon
Clarification on the initial article:
The original Icon of the Theotokos(Mother of God)began weeping on the Feast of her Nativity 9/8. It was this icon that 100’s of good folk came to see and venerate. To protect the Icon, a smaller print of the same Icon was printed and framed for people to be able to venerate.
On 9/16, following instructions from the Metropolitan, the parish priest removed the Icon and took it as directed to Annunciation Cathedral. The smaller print remained at Holy Trinity.
On 9/22, that 2nd Icon astonishingly, also began to weep and has continued to this day.
Thank you for the clarification, Fr.
BTW, how are you and your congregation holding up?
Are you all FOOLS? ALL “so called” miracles have been proven fraudulent. Bishops, a metropolitan, AND our priests have PERSONALLY told me the “crying icon” is STAGED for churches that are “in the hole”. WAKE UP! Research shows all Christian churvhes will close by 2030 because these types of scams, sexual abuse, etc. Have opened up the eyes if today’s EDUCATED faithful. The scam is OVER as soon as the brainwashed villagers from Greece all die. SOON!!!
How does these people even find their way onto this blog?
Diana, don’t come on a blog like this thinking you can shame people. We aren’t uneducated chumps here, trust me. Dial it back or post somewhere else.
And yet people with this attitude have existed since the dawn of the Church. Now this is the attitude of the communists / socialists, they can’t realize their dream of a secular utopia without mass murder and the elimination of us. The Church is in the way, as a reminder and a marker, that their plans will not succeed in the end. History repeats itself over and over again, now it’s our turn in America. Be prepared.
Gail et al. Let her scream and shout. What is of God will remain, what is fraud including her will be gone.
In 1920s they said HOW WILL CHURCH IN RUSSIA SURVIVE.?
Krushchev the then USSR leader promised in early 1960s to show as exhibition the last Russian priest on Soviet tv in 1980. Indeed HE was shown the door, although not on tv in 1963. Rest easy.
To add during 1958-63 10, 000 churches in USSR were closed and or destroyed. I think as Orthodox WE ALL need to know better this period of church historical experience, and the suffering of believers in the former USSR.
Many american Orthodox seem ignorant of it. I DID NOT SAY ALL. ?
Proverbs 18:2
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
Diana, I pray the fog of your ego lifts and you recognize the Truth that is in Chris Jesus. May your lies be replaced with songs of praises to The Lord.
They have won the court case! Glory be to God! They have 11 days to pay it off.
They should pay off their debt and join ROCOR, just to stick to the “Cool Met”!
Why is Nat a cool met? I want a good met. A compasionate, praying, doing met. A decent met even, and God willing, maybe a Holy met. But a cool met? Pass on him!
What a wonderful story! God protects His Church. Glory to Christ Jesus!
Amen, Joseph!
From whom or what is God protecting his Church? It seems to me, that if the parishioners were faithful stewards this situation would have never occurred. Is the Theotokos crying because of the sins of the parishioners and their lack of faithful stewardship. There are many possible interpretations of this situation and one must be very carefull of immediately assigning this as sign from God. The Metropolitan wisely proceeds with caution.
I do not know anything about this parish, but am willing to bet that it has a dues system and is a festival that hosts a parish. The church should not be in the restaurant business.
JK, you make a good point about misinterpreting the weeping icon. However, the fact that this Orthodox Church was spared and protected from being sold is most definitely an answer to prayer. With God all things are possible.
Indeed. I believe you discern correctly
It is a PAPER photocopy, my friend.
Actually no you are wrong on all counts. This wasn’t mismanagement sir. The resl story is out there and the Metropolitan wasn’t being cautious. Nuff said for now, but Glory to God!
Peter A. Papoutsis
LAW ENFORCEMENT WILL CRUCIFY THEM IF THEY GOT A HOLD OF THIS FAKE CRYING ICON. THEN, THAT WOULD GIVE THE STATED THE RIGHT TO CONFISCATE THE fraudulent crying ICON.
Paper icons do weep.
It shouldn’t take twice for the Mother of God to get our attention. But in the end, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
God is showing the Orthodox of Chicago and their Metropolitan Nathanael what His will is. I hope the Metropolitan is in awe and humbled by God’s guidance, patience and mercy. And I hope that Holy Trinity Church becomes a site of pilgrimage in recognition of the infinite love and mercy of God and His Mother who listens to our prayers.
The Mother of God delivered a message from heaven to Metropolitan Nathanael and the Holy Trinity parish of Chicago by weeping from her icon in Holy Trinity Church. Now, you don’t have to be St. John Chrysostom to understand why the Panagia is crying. The Church is about to be sold! The Metropolitan minimized the Panagia’s tears by stating to Holy Trinity parish and the Chicago Metropolis:”We ask the faithful to remain vigilant and remind them that while it is indeed possible to experience the divine through temporal objects, our faith rests not on “signs” but on Christ crucified(1Cor1:20-25)”. The Metropolitan apparently had the weeping icon removed so that he could study it. In the meantime, while the Metropolitan was studying the icon, heaven has called again. I’m hoping this time the Metropolitan realizes that the Mother of God is still sad, and that he should rise to the occasion and act as the wise,good shepherd of his flock. After all, who gets two calls from heaven?
The “weeping icon” discovered a few years ago at the “monastery” Christ of the Hills in Texas should cause all of us to remain skeptical of these divine manifestations until tested and proven. 1 John 4:1
In the case of COTH, it would not be prudent to take the word of a group of known pedophiles who likely tricked young men to come see the icon. In the case of Holy Trinity, the priest and metropolitan didn’t want people coming to see the icon which is why the took the first one down. If it’s a hoax, it’s a neat trick to make tears come from a paper icon and it would have had to be done by someone with access.
Below please find an article from yesterday on the Authentic Transparency and Accountability website.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Holy Trinity Chicago Stands Up to Metropolitan Nathanael
http://protectingorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2019/10/holy-trinity-chicago-fights.html?m=1
Below please find an article from today in The National Herald.
Changes at Holy Trinity Parish of Chicago After Sale of Nave and Property
By Theodore Kalmoukos
October 4, 2019
https://www.thenationalherald.com/262699/changes-at-holy-trinity-parish-of-chicago-after-sale-of-nave-and-property/
Met. Nathanael had plans…but these plans did not coincide with Panaghia’s plans.
A last minute “miracle” discovered by a janitor with the sheriff at the door, with no scientific and ecclesial inquiries as to its veracity, now scoops the church up from foreclosure and bankruptcy–do I have that right?
PT Barnum’s famous quote applies.
“There’s a sucker born every minute” .
Part of the chicago metropolis… the icon suddenly began weeping as foreclosure court was upon them… again… Suddenly it’s out on social media and the response was about as good as you can imagine… scam, scam, scam was the perception …. the proper process is to notify the hierarch immediately, not Facebook …. as in any alleged miracle….to evaluate the situation before possibly causing scandal in the church…. met nat. was taking the icon to evaluate the validity and quell the suspicions of a hoax. There was nothing that was going to forestall the judgement coming from court imminently. Perhaps the Panagia is really crying because the parish is torn by infighting, squandered millions, and is living beyond their means.
Be Calm, what you say is true, generally speaking. The protocols are clear. However, what option does one have if one can’t trust the protocols or the administration?
If I may provide a secular analogy: we are at daggers drawn presently because many of our Federal institutions are horribly corrupt. Do you trust the FBI to do its traditional job, when we see people like Gen Flynn or Martha Stewart being hauled off to prison because of a “process crime”? How is this different than the Inquisition which could convict (or exonerate) on a mere lapse of wording? Do you trust the CIA’s assessments on anything, when its obvious that they are now a secret police force that seeks to overturn an election and are using any means necessary to do so?
Getting back to the diocese of Chicago. By what measure should the people of that fine city trust the powers that be regarding the weeping icon when it’s clear that they want the sale to go through come what may?
I suppose that they should trust in the fact that Met. Nathanial has given no reason not to trust him, he seems to be a prudent man. He cannot be held in suspicion for further evaluating a suspicious miracle so conveniently timed. It’s his job actually, to not let his sheep be led into a pasture until he knows it’s safe. Just imagine how many could loose their faith if it turned out to be not genuine, a sham and yet, how many more could have faith restored when (after investigation) it’s proclaimed a true miracle.
We also have to trust that he’s been elevated to his rank by prayer and the will of God (Axios!) we must believe that the Holy Spirit is upon him as he acts in the place of Christ. Sin is in the world and we are all guilty of it. There are consequences to our choices. I completely understand your comparison to corrupt government, it’s everywhere, I certainly don’t trust easily, but as Orthodox Christians we have to believe in something higher than ourselves, else we proclaim anyone a saint and anything a miracle, running the risk of scandal at times. We must believe that God’s will is going to be done. We are not in a position to change His mind. We cannot get God to do anything that wasn’t/isn’t His will. Prayer is not changing God’s mind. Therefore we must trust that whatever happens is for a reason. If we rely completely on ourselves then we’re making bishops of ourselves. We all know of bad/corrupt clergy throughout history but just because a Met. isn’t willing to bail out a parish millions in debt (or just can’t financially) and took a possible miraculous icon for further investigation doesn’t mean he is corrupt…. until otherwise proven, we must trust him as our shepherd, in faith, hope, and love. He has nothing to gain from the sale of the property. That parish has had significant problems for quite some time now, well before he arrived. The actual location of the icon is completely irrelevant, it’s already drawn attention to the struggle (financial and otherwise) of the community. If the Theotokos intended her icon to weep so as to be a boon of cash to save the parish, She could have done it a long time ago. Are people more likely to drop some cash in the basket because they got to see an icon cry on front of them? Is this a pay to play (pray) icon veneration racket. What does one drop of a miraculous icon tear go for? Who am I to guess? If the parish is meant to be saved it will happen, no matter what the metropolitan does or doesn’t do. “Thy will be done.” This metropolis has a history of corruption and needs a lot of healing, bishops don’t grow on trees, if you start flushing bishops and priests at the first sign of disagreement we’ll have none left. Orthodoxy is not and should not be a confederation of congregationalist communities. Maybe having two miraculous icons was the plan of God all along.
There are shepherds and there are hirelings. The sheep know the difference.
Well said, Gail. These naysayers are either goats or worse than than, the wolves.
I am curious where these supposed protocols can be found? It’s nonsense. There are no such protocols.
The Metropolitan is out of his depth by 1000 fathoms. Our sad decline continues.
The “sad decline” continues because your attitude is part of the problem.
You’re a priest, show me the proof that the bread and wine you consecrate is really Jesus’ “body and blood “….I’m talking DNA and blood type, you can’t, it’s called FAITH. A person either believes or doesn’t. If someone doesn’t believe the teachings of the FAITH, they should move on because you can’t truly be a part of something (and happy) if you don’t believe in it. Agree?
Part of FAITH is TRADITION, if you’re Orthodox (and a priest…and Greek at that) this shouldn’t be a new concept. One of the biggest and most historical TRADITIONS (well documented) is that the Bishops are in charge, not the people. A major TRADITION of the FAITH is OBEDIENCE to the Bishop (yours in particular). We are all given free will by God, we submit that free will to others by our own choosing, via employment, marriage, acceptance of Holy Orders, or citizenship in a country, etc. The truth is that as Metropolitan, there is very little that is “out of his league” —- if you don’t like it, leave, if you want to use your free will to disobey your bishop then do it knowing that there will be consequences to your choices. The Orthodox Church is not a democracy. It’s a monarchy with Christ as King and the Bishops acting in his place, guided by the Holy Spirit. There are plenty of crooked bishops (and priests) out there. This particular Metropolitan hasn’t been around long enough to be “bad” or “crooked” only around long enough to be criticized, but that doesn’t take long at all, just ask any priest new to a particular parish. The Orthodox FAITH is not changing anytime soon, neither is the requirement of OBEDIENCE to Christ via your bishop….. that’s the PROTOCOL I believe you’re looking for. Follow your shepherd, eat the grass he provides or move onto another pasture. Nobody is making you stay.
Be calm, I’m sure that GOApriest will speak for himself, but I must interject at this point: obedience is to Christ, the bishop is His representative. Christ alone is infallible, no man –no matter how holy–can be.
One of the most cogent criticisms I have heard of the Soviet-dominated Churches (e.g. Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, etc.) was that they had been co-opted by the state. This so-called Sergianism in the eyes of many Orthodox Christians made these Churches graceless and their sacraments null and void. I personally won’t go that far as it would make me judge people who suffered more in one day than I’ve suffered in all my life.
It’s possible (and this I want to believe) that God pulled the plug on these wicked regimes after two or three generations to prevent these Churches’ “candlesticks” (cf Revelation) from being permanently extinguished. If so, then their sacraments and doctrines were salvific and their grace salvaged for the time being.
Having said that, would it have not been better to have gone underground, literally into the catacombs, sewers and private houses and elected bishops who were not tainted by their association and/or controlled by the Communists?
What’s my point? Merely this: many behind the Iron Curtain did go underground or set up exilic synods which were continuous with the Apostolic Succession. Were their mysteries more valid than those Churches which were approved by the state? I don’t know, but having said that can you see that God provided an escape hatch for those Christians who could not listen or otherwise support those bishops who were co-opted?
What makes you think that some of the bishops in the EP/GOA axis (in this specific case) are not similarly compromised and/or corrupt? We are to be discerning as Jesus said. He also said to “listen to what the religious leaders said but do not act as they do”. Having said all that, part of discernment is to circumscribe your actions and to protect yourselves from potential spiritual harm. Is it possible that the parishioners of Holy Trinity decided that discretion was the better part of valor and decided to do an end-run around the protocols for reasons that we are not privy to?
Forgive me, but I don’t wish to cast aspersions at the protocols or the episcopal administration in Chicago but the vast majority of the people who read this blog (myself included) are not privy to the facts on the street. At any rate, it’s quite clear that the GOA is not in the business of evangelism but is more interested in raising money for various “ministries”, however defined (e.g. St Nicholas Shrine, gold cufflinks to the Phanar, etc.). The situation in Chicago indicates to me that revenue is a priority, if that means liquidating parishes, so be it.
Again, I ask forgiveness from all and for my verbosity. But ever since the slaughter at Ligonier, Orthodoxy in America on a cross-jurisdictional basis has been pretty much in decline. I don’t mean to single out the GOA but the parable of the talents and the miserable steward comes to mind.
George I will leave u to comment on USA. But re churches under communism, as bulgarian was, yes only those who lived through can make judgement.
Often the ‘ open’ and ‘hidden’ were the same in Terms of activity and even people.
But one aspect of the communist period is over looked and that is the fact that a church open, a liturgy celebrated, a child baptised, was a VICTORY no matter what sin the Bishop took on himself to manage it. Don’t forget that. Most ordinary russians might attend their local, or near, ( often many kilometres away,) church IF WAS OPEN. Otherwise would be unchurched over generations.
We have just retuned from uk, London. Showing the son of bulgarian friends, who finished internship in Stirling,Scotland, around, we took him as busman’s holiday start, to St Sophia greek Cathedral, Bayswater, in London. There was a priest there, with the two day beard stubble thst makes one want to say, ‘ man look tidy and shave! ‘ who without asking offered the profound, ‘ We have to be relevant to society today, Music etc!! ‘ When I mentioned Ukraine he suddenly looked busy!! LOST CAUSE. If Church of Greece declares for the corrupt congregationalist body then i presume I can go consecrate some bread and wine. Save the effort on Sunday. Put in ‘fridge!
Niko, if the CoG caves to the globalists, I imagine it will be by a small margin or at least not without a significant amount of blood, sweat, toil and tears (to paraphrase Churchill). In other words, it won’t be pretty.
Still, as in horseshoes and hand-grenades “close will be good enough”, even if it’s 50.01% of the vote in favor. In any event, the schism won’t then spread to Albania, Bulgaria, etc (all the Orthodox countries that are in NATO) but it will exacerbate tensions within the CoG.
I look for schism within the CoG in other words: entire dioceses, parishes within dioceses and even monasteries on Mt Athos. Look also for Greek Christians to start migrating to the Old Calendar Greek Orthodox Churches and for ROCOR to “accommodate” them as well.
As an American, I’m curious as to what the Athonite monasteries are going to do. They have more lead time however as Arb Elpi still hasn’t concelebrated with that charlatan Dumenko or forced them to do so. When that happens, it’ll be Katie bar the door.
Once again, you whine about a priest’s facial hair or lack thereof. This is maybe the hundredth time you’ve commented on this. Are you going for one thousand?
Please, since you know more about the faith than most of us priests, accept my challenge. Become a priest yourself, or at least a deacon. Come here to the USA and show us Yanks how it’s done.You speak English, Greek, and Bulgarian, and possibly Russian. You serve here and I will gladly trade places with you and move to Bulgaria. I would have made such a move long ago, but I have a flock here, unworthy as I am of them. Also, three beautiful grandchildren.
There was, and possibly still is, a catacomb Orthodox Church in Russia. That is well known and pretty well documented.
“Be calm and think…” seems hardly calm.
According to your invention, the Hierarchs of the Church function without checks or balances, and that priests owe them absolute unquestioned obedience — they can say (and not say), and doing anything they please, while the priest must stand silent as a his mere ‘appendage.’ A sad expression of the miserable episcopo-centrism that afflicts the Orthodox Church today.
The true teaching of the Holy Orthodox faith is that while the bishop holds the office of teacher, nevertheless his teaching is confirmed by the fullness of the Church — it must be conformity with the received sacred and holy deposit of the faith. ALL of the people of God [including the laity] are the protectors of the True Faith. And the priests are not his appendages — they are supposed to form his sacred council of which he presides, but does not rules as a demented monarch.
Metropolitan Nathanael, or whatever bishop, cannot simply act without reference to the received tradition. Or teach whatever he pleases, or ignore whatever he finds bothersome.
If he wants to take an icon from a Church’s icon screen, I suppose he may do so. However, once he imputes that such an action is based on some [ancient] tradition that makes him an authorized “icon examiner,” the people have a right to inquire where he received such a right, and how it has been exercised in history.
Recently at the Clergy Laity Conference of the Metropolis of Chicago, at one of the sessions on youth attrition during question and answer period a wealthy Greek woman stood up to say that her son was a homosexual, and that the problem with the Church (and her people) is that it spends too much time judging people. She said that her son was “perfect,” and that he was the best person in the world, and that she wouldn’t want to see a single thing change about him, including his homosexuality. The Metropolitan sat in his place and said nothing. He did not defend the true faith, he did not provide a word of correction, or in any way remind that woman or the many people gathered what it is that we, as Orthodox Christians, do confess to be true concerning human sexuality concerning its limits and proper expression in life.
This is our icon-examiner, and our great teacher. A timid child who speaks forever and without end about ‘mercy,’ but has not a single clear and concise word to say to his own gathered flock, and an ignorant self-righteous woman who is tacitly condemning her own son to hell by not speaking the truth in love, about the absolutely clear teaching of Holy Scripture and our illumined Holy Fathers concerning the dangers of sexual perversion {and yes, of any kind).
So, as I said, he is 1000 fathoms out of his depth.
Well, I would guess that the Metropolitan agrees with her(albeit perhaps secretly). Or perhaps, he doesn’t want to lose her donations and those like her.
I worked secular jobs for about 33 years of my priesthood, so I wouldn’t have to depend on people like that for my livelihood. I had an irate mother confront me once, because I had denied her son communion on account of a heterosexual indiscretion. The son in question was at least 40 years old. And it was a one-time indiscretion, not an ongoing illicit relationship.
Do priests knowingly commune heterosexuals who have sexual relations outside of marriage? Ask your priest.
I enjoyed reading that comment. Very true. Thank you!
Correction: Bishops have a role. They are no more “in charge” than the laity is “in charge.” Christ is IN CHARGE! How absurd it is for someone who is seemingly speaking for the Church to tell a member of the Body of Christ to “leave” simply because they disagree with you.
Very well said, Gail.
Perhaps a silver lining to this mess will be for laity to rise up and take their rightful place as guarantors of Orthodoxy?
The icon on the bishop’s throne is of Christ as the Great High Priest and King of Kings. This icon is placed there for two reasons: so the bishop is reminded who is in charge and because the bishop is considered a living icon of Christ. Quite aside from administrative, political etc., issues, you cannot have a church without a bishop. He is the guarantor, through consecration and Apostolic Succession, of the validity of the Mysteries, and in turn grants that to the priests under his charge. The bishop (or priest) can be a very sinful man, even a thief, etc., but as long as he preaches and follows the faith his Mysteries are valid. He is deprived of this if becomes heretical. Which is not at all to say that a bishop, or priest, shouldn’t be held accountable by the laity, or other clergy, when they scandalize the church by their behavior.
The question is often asked if certain icons have the miraculous power to heal or to grant favor upon being venerated by the faithful. Whether fact or fiction, there is anecdotal evidence over the years and throughout the world that such indeed is true. A corollary to the question is whether icons of the Virgin Mary, reported at times to have wept, are also true. To that question, I can, from my own personal experience, answer, yes, they do, for I have seen such a phenomenon with my own eyes. Let me tell you my story.
I was attending a medical meeting at an O’Hare Airport Hotel in March of 1987 when I learned of a tearing icon at an obscure Albanian Orthodox Church in Chicago, and decided to see for myself what the fuss reported in the newspapers and on TV was all about. Arriving at the church I saw a line of people waiting to enter the building, in front of which several tour buses were parked. For over four months more than a quarter million people from as far away as Ceylon, Sri Lanka, England, Rome and Egypt had made the pilgrimage to see what for many was believed to be a miracle. Considered a sacrilege if the tears were given up for analysis, church officials likened them in texture to chrism, the thin oily substance used during baptism and for the anointing of the sick and dying.
On the afternoon of my visit, a church official remarked that the icon was weeping more than usual, and that the amount of material coming from the eyes of the Virgin Mary was sufficient to permit those of us present to be anointed if we so desired. Soon it would be my turn to witness the unforgettable. Approaching the icon, I recognized it to be a painting on canvas over wood, standing about five feet tall, three feet wide, and in colors primarily of red and gold. One could see that the icon, positioned on the iconostas was in no way supported from behind or touching anything other than the screen, itself, and of which it was a part. As I stood before the icon, I saw a liquid substance falling directly from the pupils of the Virgin Mary’s eyes, over her face and clothing, reaching finally to the bottom of the icon. There the exudate was carefully collected, placed in a small silver bowl, and taken to several priests, who while uttering words of blessing and prayer, anointed those who came forward. At that moment I knew I was witnessing not just a religious phenomenon, but an awesome and miraculous event—unlike anything I could have ever imagined. And as I stood in wonder, I felt transformed by the experience when the tears were place on my forehead.
One could ask why God chooses to make His presence felt in places far and wide, often mysteriously and beyond comprehension. Why was it that in a small Albanian church the Virgin Mary wept tears? For some people, these and similar questions call for plausible answers. To me they are irrelevant. Having seen the tears of the Theotokos, I no longer doubt that God reveals himself at times and in ways that are difficult to understand. I don’t need an explanation for what I witnessed. I know what I saw. I urge everyone to go on line and google, Weeping Icon, Albanian Orthodox Church, Chicago where numerous detailed accounts of the phenomenon I’ve related can be accessed.
That the Mother of God began weeping again in Chicago should not confound anyone aware of the sad and confusing events that plagued the Greek community of the Holy Trinity and its attempts to rescue their Church from the auction block. Nor can one dismiss as mere coincidence the catastrophic social order that has befallen that great city in recent years. Yes, Our Lord does make his presence known in places far and wide, often mysteriously. And sometimes for reasons we can more fully comprehend.
BTW, one of my Godsons gave me a copy of that particular icon which is in my icon corner.
There is an ikon of the Mother of God ‘Kardiotissa’ (‘tender-hearted’) in a church at Taylor PA.
This ikon has been exuding ‘myrrh’ for years, and its fragrance overpowers us as we enter the church. This ikon is a paper print. Many people have been healed after being anointed with he ikon’s myrrh, and it seems that at least one person was brought back from death.
Once in a while, this miraculous ikon is brought to a nearby monastery, where it is met by a hand-painted copy carried by the nuns. And the copy often ‘weeps’ too!
The question is, what does it all mean? And the answer is….
The all-holy Theotokos, like her divine Son, loves us and always shows her concern for us. Let us, each and all, accept that love and strive to be better Christians, better people altogether.
It’s fascinating to me that there are people who say the icon couldn’t possibly be weeping because it’s only paper. I guess they think paper would be too hard for God. I want to scream: DO YOU KNOW GOD?! But the answer is clear. They do not.
Gail, having seen and venerated a weeping paper icon early in my life in the Church, I am amazed that the myrrh does not seem to do any damage to the paper. Applying any liquid that I know of to a paper icon to fake the tears would quickly make the paper deteriorate. Such a witness is a fulfillment I think of Luke 19:40. The tears are somehow coming from the very paper itself, testifying to the majesty and mercy of God, the creator of all who is everywhere present and fills all things.
Empiricism, horribly limited at the best of times simply vanishes into complete idiocy in the fact of God’s mercy revealed through the natural world and His incredible humility.
People who do not accept that paper icons can weep and are automatically fake do not really accept the Incarnation. They have accepted the cold hearted premise of nihilist dialectic that is at the heart of modernism.
May God in His mercy grant us all forgiveness.
Although located at some distance from Chicago proper, we are still part of the Chicago GOA Diocese. At a safe distance, I like to think, from all of the administrative complexities. However, since I hail from the Chicago area, I hear murmurings and bits and pieces of dissatisfaction from folks I know from parishes closer to the center of the action. To me, it seems that there is a longing for someone with a pastoral charism. So when we hear that an entire parish council has been dismissed or an entire board as in the St. Iakovos Retreat Center, it is unsettling. I remind myself that the Metropolitan is young and inexperienced. However that inexperience leads to some anxiety. For instance, I feared for our priest who brought back some of the myrrh and anointed us with it. I feared the displeasure of the Metropolitan and possible backlash. Why such fear? Because we have heard of priests suddenly transferred, parishes left without a priest with no explanation. You may say that the monarch owes no explanation, that ours is simply to obey, but we do not have to be congregationalists to bristle at such absolutism. This like it or leave it ultimatum is redolent of the EP’s own ecclesiology.
But more positively, I am so comforted by news of the weeping icon, not because such a marvel indicates that the Theotokos is taking sides in this dispute, but as a reminder that grace is always available–to young and old alike.
Well stated, Susan and God bless.
Below please find an article from today in The National Herald. Unfortunately, the article is locked and doesn’t appear in its entirety. I will continue to be on the lookout for the article in its entirety, and if found, I will post.
Fr. Nick Jonas Says Farewell to His Parishioners at Holy Trinity Chicago
By Theodore Kalmoukos
November 12, 2019
https://www.thenationalherald.com/268080/fr-nick-jonas-says-farewell-to-his-parishioners-at-holy-trinity-chicago/