Temporal
Translated from Russian
Br. Joseph Jose Muñoz
And The Iberon Icon
And The Iberon Icon
Rejoice, Keeper of the Portal most gracious,
who dost open to the faithful the doors of Paradise
who dost open to the faithful the doors of Paradise
(Akathist refrain)
The Myrrh-Streaming Icon
In 1982 Chilean convert Joseph Jose
Muñoz – accompanied by two friends from Canada – made a pilgrimage to the
ancient stronghold of Orthodox monasticism – Mount Athos.
Being by profession a teacher in
arts, painting, and
iconography [icon-painting],
he wanted to visit some sketes (small monastic communities, belonging to one of
the 20 monasteries of Mount Athos) as well as monasteries, which specialize in
icon-painting.
One of the companion friends who
accompanied Jose even decided to become a monk and remained on Mount Athos, at one
of the small sketes; Jose and his other companion [Fr. A] went on to the Danilov skete,
where icons were painted in the ancient Byzantine style, using the technique of
egg tempera.
After an eight-hour ascension of
the Mount on a difficult terrain, they were very tired and decided to stay at a
skete they saw below, on the slope of the mountain [hill] itself. This skete –
dedicated to Christ's Nativity – was very poor and his 14 monks sticked to a rather
strict monastic rules. The Abbot – Fr. Clement, warmly welcomed the travelers
and offered the traditional Athonite hospitality. He invited them to see the skete's
iconographic studio. Just as Jose entered the studio he felt the indescribable
splendor of the copy of the Iberon Icon of Theotokos that was hanging on one of
the skete walls.
Brother Joseph Jose Muños
As he later recalled, his heart was
pounding violently. He immediately asked, "Is it possible for me to buy
this icon?" – to which the abbot replied repeatedly – that it was one of
the first icons painted in this skete (by Fr. Chrysostom in 1981), and was not subject
to sale – for them it was priceless.
That same night, at liturgy in the skete's
church, during the chanting of the angel's hymn to the Virgin "It Is Truly
Meet", Jose fell down to his knees and begged [and begged] the Mother of God
that She allowed him to take the icon and return with it to a world where
"we need you so much". Immediately, he felt a confidence that his
prayer would be answered. On the next morning, when Jose and his friend were preparing
to leave the skete, the abbot came and told Jose it would please the Mother of
God that her Icon went with him to North America.
Jose and his companion descended
the Mount and took a boat to Daphne, a port on the west coast of the peninsula.
On the way, Jose heard a strong inner voice that ordered him: "Go to the
Iberian monastery and attach [it] to the original miracle-working Iberian
icon." That was what they did.
Upon arrival at the Iberian
monastery they waited three hours until a monk came to open the temple, where
the original of the "Portaitissa" [icon of Theotokos] is. Jose asked
that the protective cover be lifted, so that his [little] icon could be placed onto
the original Portaitissa in order to have immediate blessing of the Mother of
God. The monk was amazed, but agreed to help Jose, when the latter explained to
him that Jose [himself]
and his companion wished to receive [take] the blessing of Our Lady to the West,
where Her intercession is very much needed.
The Iberon Monastery
Returning to his home in Montreal,
Canada, Jose placed the Iberon icon of Theotokos in the corner, where he also
kept the relics of saints of the Kiev-Pechersk [cave] Lavra and of St. great
martyr Duchess Elizabeth.
Jose started reading every day the akathist
to the icon. About 4 am on November 24th, 1982 (three weeks after his return
from Mount Athos), Jose woke up from the aroma of a very strong fragrance, as
if someone had spilled a bottle of exquisite perfume. At first he thought that
the fragrance was coming from the relics, but later, when he was standing
before the icon – reading the morning prayers – he saw that the hands of the
Mother of God had streaks of oil. Jose supposed that his friend he was sharing his
home with, had shed a little oil onto the icon while adjusting the flame of the
lampade hanging in front of it. When Jose rubbed the icon, he found that it was
the source of the wonderful fragrance, which had filled the entire house.
On the advice of a local priest,
the icon was moved to a church and placed onto the altar. During the whole
liturgy, myrrh was flowing from the hands of the Infant Christ. Ever since –
with the exception of only a few days during the Holy Week when the icon stayed
completely dry – the myrrh has continued to flow almost incessantly. In the years
that followed, Jose visited many towns and parishes where the icon was worshipped
with the greatest of joy and was a consolation to the faithful.
Wherever the Icon was, there was a lot
of questions [asked].
Some people had at first doubts. A scientist in Miami was amazed that the back
side of the icon remained completely dry. Later, he secretly chipped a small
piece of wood, on which the icon was painted for scientific analysis: it proved
to be of ordinary pine timber, and nothing more.
Several times the streams of myrrh
flowed more than usual. During the consecration by a bishop in Montreal there was
such an outpouring of myrrh, that it flowed from the lectern onto the floor.
Nobody could regulate the flow of myrrh, it moved according to the will of God
and His Blessed Mother.
Brother Jose kept long the wonderful
copy of Panagia Portaitissa. Unfortunately, in 1997, he was killed in Greece, while
trying to help his neighbor. May his memory be eternal!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
