Weeping Icon of the Virgin Mary on World Tour

Sometimes I just look up and say, "I know that was YOU!"

Miracles ... certainly I believe in them. They are part of my faith's heritage, and aside from the Gospels being filled with accounts of them, it is the most moving experience to witness something "miraculous" happening right before your eyes. Such is the case as I knelt in reverence before the Icon of the Virgin Mary and Christ Child at the chapel at Hellenic College in Brookline, MA. The icon has been on a worldwide tour for the last five years.

It's miraculous because it produces sweet smelling myrrh, like roses, and holds healing powers. It is credited with curing a young girl who was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and for restoring sight to a man who was mostly blind from a football accident. I saw the tracks where the myrrh flowed down as I breathed in the unforgettable scent of roses.

Scientific minds cannot grasp how an icon can exude sweet smelling myrrh. My answer to the skeptics is I believe God is a God of wonders and is not bound by the very scientific laws of nature which HE HIMSELF has established. Sometimes in our contemporary, secular and materialistic world, we try to insist that science and reason are the source of universal truths. As much as I appreciate and honor science and reason, I believe there is a Higher Power who stands above all.

And as I looked and kissed this icon of unfathomable mysteries, observed in awe and wonder, and breathed in its pungent fragrance, I thought I'll never be too busy or occupied to recognize HIS blessings.

By the way, miracles can happen!