Orenburg, Orenburg Province, Russia, April 18, 2024
An icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in the home of a local parishioner has been streaming myrrh amidst the widescale flooding affecting Russia’s Ural and southwestern Siberian regions, reports the Orenburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.
A parishioner of the St. Nicholas Cathedral, the servant of God Nadezhda, tells about an icon that her family has carefully preserved for many years. When the Bolsheviks were destroying temples in the Oktyabr District, this icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was saved from desecration. Nadezhda’s mother prayed before the icon for a long time. It seemed to her daughters that she was conversing with it as though it were alive. When her mother passed away, Nadezhda took the icon for herself and now she stands before it in prayer.
The servant of God Nadezhda testifies that at the beginning of the Special Military Operation, the icon changed its appearance and began to exude myrrh. The same thing happened with the onset of flooding in Orenburg.
A representative of the diocese explained to RIA-Novosti that “icons stream myrrh in times of grief or a dangerous situation, calling for a change in our attitude towards life, to what’s happening. An icon can also stream myrrh to show sinners that they are committing a spiritual offense.”
Dioceses in Russia and Kazakhstan have been offering comprehensive assistance to those suffering from the flooding that began in early April.
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