Looking through church and near-church resources, you often come across messages about newly-minted myrrh-streaming or "not made by hands" icons. Many are responding with great interest to this information. And the truth, it would seem, in Orthodoxy is in the order of things, but what can be considered a miracle? And is there any miracle from God?
Myrrh streaming is known to be a miraculous outflow of some usually fragrant oily liquid. This phenomenon has been known since ancient times in the Church, but if we turn to church history, we will see that cases of myrrh streaming are extremely rare: two or three per century. For example, cases of myrrh-streaming from icons of the Theotokos during the almost 2000-year history of the Church, up to the 20th century, were observed no more than 18 times (!) (Poselyanin E. Ye. "The Legends of the Miraculous Icons of the Mother of God").
And suddenly in our time we come across, for example, the following note: “In 1998, icons were pacified in one of the cells of the Holy Vvedensky Monastery. Then in this wonderful cell the pilgrims began to deliberately leave their icons, which also became myrrh-streaming. And in the monastery they began to keep records: before the beginning of 1999, the number of pacified icons was no more than 100; in April - 2500; by the end of 2000, the number of myrrh-streaming icons exceeded 7000 … That is, about 209 icons a day became myrrh-streaming ”.
And there are a lot of such notes.
It is also worth noting that icons, especially revered in our country since ancient times, as a rule, never streamed myrrh. Nothing of the kind has ever been associated either with the Vladimir icon of the Mother of God, or, for example, with one of the icons of the letter of St. Andrey (Rublev).
It would seem that if some very rare exceptional phenomenon in the life of the Church suddenly becomes widespread, this could be a reason to think: something is wrong here. This is so striking that even the apologists of the new myrrh-streaming icons cannot ignore this fact. However, they perceive it uncritically, proceeding from the principle that myrrh streaming is a priori a miracle of God.
The explanations are very diverse, but, by and large, they boil down to the fact that now is the time of "global unbelief", and with such miracles God admonishes us and brings many people to the Church.
It is difficult to agree with this. In my opinion, now is the time of just "global omnipotence"
But "every tree is known by its fruit." Take, for example, the famous case of massive myrrh-streaming of icons in the military town of Klin-2, about which the press wrote a lot and willingly. Let me remind you that at an elderly woman's home, icons were pacified, and not one, but almost all. Numerous pilgrimages began immediately to her apartment. People brought their icons, which also began to stream myrrh. This epic ended as follows: the landlady of the apartment “stopped participating in parish life, stopped confessing and taking communion … preferring to arrange independent prayers at home, in front of the icons. Some clergymen from other dioceses began to come to her on a “pilgrimage”, read akathists there, some “elders”, to whom she began to take familiar women for “treatment”.
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The non-church nature of this "miracle" can emphasize the fact that as soon as the icons were brought to the church, the outflow of the "oily liquid" immediately stopped.
This episode is the most characteristic, but far from the rarest. If a “miracle” does not bring people to the Church, but promotes a certain “alternative” spirituality, is it from God?
And here is the question: if this is not a miracle of God, then what?
There may be several answers. This can be a banal charlatanism, which has been known since "Peter's times". Indeed, the cases when the icon in a certain apartment exudes "myrrh" abundantly, and after being brought to the temple stops "flowing", are alarming. Especially if with such "shrines" "collection of donations" is combined.
It may be a physical phenomenon falsely taken as a miracle. There is also so-called bleeding, when the icon seems to bleed. And very often this is just the action of shellac, which, due to the hot, humid air, makes its way through the upper layers of paint.
But it so happens that the phenomenon cannot be materially explained. For example, there is a well-known cardboard icon of the Savior (ordinary printed reproduction), which once began to bleed. Here, in my opinion, it is necessary to approach the issue very carefully, according to the sober commandment "do not accept, but also do not blaspheme." Personally, I have one, but a specific claim to the mentioned bleeding: “blood” has flooded the face so that it is no longer distinguishable. Instead of the bright face of the Savior, we see a terrible black spot. But if the image ceases to bear the likeness of the Prototype, then it is no longer an icon.
Again and again I never tire of reminding: an icon is an image of the Lord Jesus Christ (or the Mother of God, or saints), if there is no image, there is no image either. And this raises specific doubts about the divine source of this miracle.
However, this is my personal opinion. But it is important to know that we can take demonic temptation for a miracle.
It is worth remembering here that myrrh streaming in itself is not an exclusively Christian phenomenon
There are similar cases when a certain liquid was exuded by pagan images. And now not only icons of Christ, the Mother of God and the saints are "flowing", but also images of completely dubious personalities, such as Grigory Rasputin or Tsar Ivan the Terrible.
That is, "myrrh streaming" can have an infernal origin. Indeed, from the biographies of the saints, we know many cases when demons tried to deceive people, imitating miracles and trying on the image of angels, or even the Theotokos and Christ himself. However, this is not surprising, because if a person is driven not by striving for Christ, but by the search for "miracles", "revelations", various ecstatic states and just thrills, then it would be difficult for dark forces not to take advantage of this.
Unfortunately, in contrast to the pre-revolutionary practice, local clergy often rush to declare the event a miracle, without waiting for the conclusions of the relevant church commission.
Perhaps I will repeat myself, but the Church Fathers teach us to be more careful with all otherworldly phenomena
“The enemy instilled in some of them the idea that if they are not worthy of grace-filled gifts from the Lord in this life, they will not receive them in the future life. To one of these, the enemy showed the rays emanating from the icon, ordered him to open his mouth and swallow them as gifts of grace. He did it out of inexperience and then, being injured, died a week later, without taking food out of fear. Another prayed earnestly before the icon. The lamp started swinging. He took this as a sign of the pleasingness of his prayer. As soon as he was affirmed in this thought, he immediately fainted, and then these faints began to recur with him. The third was the icon of the Virgin, to which he venerated, became possessed and soon died. These are the consequences of trusting your opinion, your imaginary holiness and dignity in your own eyes "(" Spiritual warfare. On the machinations of the enemy of salvation and how to resist them ").
The Gospel directly says: "For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will give great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect" (Matthew 24:24)
Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy AI Osipov specifically says on this occasion: “Already now there is an active preparation of the consciousness of the people, including quite Orthodox (“chosen”) people, to seek miracles, to chase them. See how much literature is dedicated to them. And, alas, many Orthodox Christians already well know what needs to which icons to pray to, which saints to turn to, and which relics to apply to. The thought of salvation from passions and sin, from evil, hostility, envy, fornication, theft gradually fades into the background."
According to Osipov, "through the search for earthly goods, miracles, seers," people will come to accept the Antichrist, who will perform amazing miracles."