7- THE WEEPING ICON OF MARIAPOCH
		
		
		Among Hungarian and Slavic Eastern Christians, the Weeping
		Icon of Mariapoch is revered because it stands for 
		believers as a witness to the protection and intercession 
		of the Most Holy Mother of God. The Icon itself comes 
		from and expresses the life of the Church in Eastern 
		Europe. Its rich history reflects a deeply rooted faith 
		in God and a trusting devotion to the Mother of God . 
		
		
		In the north-eastern plains of Hungary, in the village of 
		Poch, stands the monastery of the Basilian Fathers, with 
		a magnificent church dedicated to St. Michael the 
		Archangel. In this church the first weeping of the Icon 
		of the Mother of God took place in November, 1696. Amidst 
		political and internal turmoil, the image of the Virgin, 
		painted on wood, began to shed tears. This weeping 
		continued for five days and was witnessed by numerous 
		persons. 
		
		
		When Leopold I, Emporer of Austria, had been informed of 
		the miraculous icon, he immediately had it transferred to 
		Vienna. This royal act did not please the people of Poch, 
		and it was very reluctantly that they parted with the Holy
		Icon. Three duplicate icons were painted, and one of these
		was placed again in the Church at Poch. 
		
		
		This second Icon of Mariapoch began to shed tears in 
		August, 1715. Devotion to the Holy Icon increased, and 
		the Church at Mariapoch became a most renowned place of 
		pilgrimage. Nearly two centuries passed before the third 
		and final shedding of tears took place in December, 1905. 
		
		
		The color plate of the Weeping Icon of Mariapoch in this 
		collection (above left) is based on the original Icon 
		which now remains in the Basilica of Vienna. Perhaps the 
		more popular form of the Icon (above right) is the copy 
		made after the first weeping, and now present at the 
		Church of Poch. Originally painted on wood and fully 
		exposed, the icon was later covered with precious metal 
		and stones as a sign of esteem and reverence. As many 
		faithful pilgrims approached it in veneration, they left 
		jewelry and other precious items. 
		
		
		THEOTOKION -No other help, no other hope do we possess 
		besides you, O Most Pure Virgin. Do aid us, for we hope 
		in you, we glory in you. We are your servants; let us not 
		be confounded.
	

		I accept me as I am
		
		
		A minister once said, "On the seventh day God rested." He said
		"It is good and very good." Then we come along and try to 
		improve on perfection. For people of color, the most damaging 
		habit we have is trying to be who and what we are not. We 
		expend so much energy trying to fix who we are, we rarely get 
		to really know ourselves. If we truly realized how precious the
		gift of life is, we would not waste a moment trying to improve 
		it. If we really understood how precious we are to the gift of 
		life, we would not waste time trying to fix it ourselves. It's
		not about what we look like or what we have. It's taking what 
		we have and doing as much as we can with it. It's about 
		learning and growing. When we are willing to learn what we 
		don't know and use our experiences, our perfection will begin 
		to show.
		
		
		Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and to be 
		that perfectly.
		

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