Treasuring Icons

            I have sometimes happened across Byzantine or Russian icons and other Orthodox religious items in thrift shops, consignment shops, and other unlikely and seemingly inappropriate places.  There they will be, mixed in with a ceramic angel, a wooden hand cross, an incense burner, or an ancient framed picture of Christ holding a lantern aloft, knocking on a door.   The painted faces gaze back at you, as familiar as the pictures of your family and friends on display in your home.  While they seem to say, "it's alright.  I'm doing my work here," they have to be rescued and given the place they deserve.

            Once, while visiting an elderly Orthodox priest, I was given the grand tour of his acquisitions over the years.  There were tall candleabras, altar linens, icons, Bibles, even a chalice.  He was an inveterate garage sale shopper and was simply  not able to let these blessed artifacts be put to an unworthy use.  As terrible as it seems, he told me that many of the items came from "garage sales" sponsored by parishes!

            Several years ago I was about to start the long 40 step trek up to our church door to take my turn at cleaning, when I noticed a young girl knocking on  the door!  Although there was certainly someone "at home" -  the Blessed Sacrament in reserve - she was not getting the response she wanted, and was now coming down the stairs.  I told her I was a member of the parish and asked if I could help.  She went to her nearby car, where her mother sat waiting, and I recognized her as the owner of our local - and my favorite - Indian restaurant.  The daughter had just graduated from high school and was about to move to Buffalo with her family.  She would be entering pre-med there.  Some years ago, when they had moved into their apartment in our town, there was a very large picture of the Virgin Mary of the Sacred Heart on the wall.  It was a print, in a gaudy plastic gold frame.  The daughter explained that although they were not Christians, they were afraid the next tenant of their apartment might not be respectful of the image.  They wanted to be sure that the picture had a proper home. 

            The Mother of God was doing her work in that Hindu home.

            In 2008 our parish was asked to display some of our icons in the window of a store front art association on our main street, as part of their interest in featuring various forms of ethnic and religious art.  I am not exaggerating to say that several of the larger icons stopped traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian!  I was fortunate to have a small exhibit area of my own work, and one day the director of the art association, who was Jewish, told me that every time she passed, one particular icon of the Theotokos seemed to call to her.

            The Mother of God was doing her work again.

            Some time ago the daughter of a deceased member of our parish told me she had a problem - what was she to do with her mom's many religious items?  At my suggestion, she and her sister, both of whom do not attend any church, went through the religious contents of their mom's home.  After taking one or two things that they particularly cherished, they brought the remainder to the church, and offered them to the parish at coffee social.  There were boxed, unopened neck crosses; bracelets with saints; prayer books; hand-embroidered Russian Easter basket covers, icons of all sizes; incense.  The sisters asked each of their mother's special friends to take something they wanted to remember her by, and I chose a lovely little eleusa Theotokos.   I know all of us will pray for the soul of our departed friend, as the Mother of God continues her work.

Christ the Bridegroom

Christ the Bridegroom

               To use a hackneyed phrase, "due to circumstances beyond my control", this post  comes a week late.  After many hours of patience on the part of several licensed computer gurus, it has been found that my browser and the blog site are not on the same wave length.   The blog appears today in God's own time, which is not always ours.   

               I finished this icon just in time for the beginning of Orthodox Holy Week.  Unlike most icons of Christ the Bridegroom, it only shows the Face of Christ, caught in the moments of His suffering as He goes to the Cross.  The black background of the Cross and the silver embellishments seem to give it the somber quality of mourning that is appropriate.

            The icon, most often in full or 3/4 length, depicts Christ as He is dressed according to the Gospel's description of the mockery of the Roman guards just before His Crucifixion:      He stands before the mob with suffering head bowed in humility as He accepts the fact of His death on the Cross.  His hands are roughly tied; He has a cape that is supposed to represent his "kingship", thrown over his shoulders by the  soldiers; He wears a crown of thorns that have cut deeply into His head, and He carries a reed as a mocking "scepter".  Having been scourged and whipped, bearing the marks of His suffering, He is yet preparing the way for a marriage feast in His Kingdom.

The crown of thorns - a symbol of His marriage to the Church

The rope - a symbol of bondage to sin, death and corruption which was loosed with Christ's death on the Cross.

The reed - a symbol of His humility; God rules His Kingdom with humility

            The meaning of the icon of Christ the Bridegroom is found in the Tropar for the Bridegroom Matins, which is taken from Matthew 1:1-13, the parable of the Ten Virgins:

            "Behold, the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night, and blessed is the servant He shall find vigilant; but unworthy is he whom he shall find neglectful. Beware therefore, O my soul, lest you be weighed down by sleep, lest you be given over to death and be closed out from the kingdom; but rise up crying out: "Holy! Holy! Holy are You our God; through the intercessions of the Theotokos, have mercy on us."

            In the Orthodox church, Bridegroom Matins is a service specific to the first four evenings of Holy Week, and it commemorates the last days in the earthly life of our Lord.  The theme of the first three days of Holy Week is Christ's last teachings to His disciples. 

            During the first service on Palm Sunday evening, the priest carries the icon of Christ the Bridegroom into the front of the church, where it will remain until Holy Thursday .  The troparion is sung during this procession.

Troparion:

Behold, the Bridegroom comes in the midst of the night,

and blessed is the servant whom He shall find vigilant;

and unworthy is he whom He shall find heedless.

Beware, therefore, O my soul,

that you will not be overcome by sleep,

lest you be given up to death,

and be shut out from the Kingdom.

Wherefore, rouse yourself, crying out:

Holy, Holy, Holy are You, our God,

through the protection of the Heavenly Hosts, save us.

     

                On Holy Monday evening, the Blessed Joseph, son of Jacob the Patriarch, is commemorated because he is seen as a prototype of Christ.  As Joseph was betrayed  by his brothers and sold into slavery by them, the Lord was betrayed by his own and sold into the slavery of death.  Jesus Christ offers Himself as a sacrifice and forgives all who come to Him in faith.  The Gospel reading for the  day is the Barren Fig Tree, which Christ cursed because it bore no fruit, just as those who hear God's Word and fail to bear the fruits of faith.  It is a warning to all people, in all times, of the importance of not only hearing the Word, but putting it into action.

             The Parable of the Ten Virgins is read on Holy Tuesday evening.  It tells the story of the five virgins who filled their lamps in preparation to receive the bridegroom, while the other five allowed their lamps to go out and hence were shut out of the marriage feast.  This parable is a warning that Christians must always be prepared to receive the Lord when He comes again.  Also commemorated this evening is St. Kassiani, a great woman hymnographer of the 9th century.

            The mood of these services is one of sorrow as we feel Christ's voluntary submission to the evil that is about to take place against Him and to highlight the purpose behind it.  We are in mourning for these events and for our own sins as well as the Fall of Adam and Eve, the depths of Hell, the loss of Paradise and the absence of God.  The vestments of the Priest and the altar cloths are black or deep purple to remind us of our mourning and our sins. 

            The main emphasis of the Bridegroom service is repentance and watchfulness.  

The Annunciation of the Most Holy Birth-giver of God

 The Annunciation

The Feast of the Annunciation is celebrated on March 25, just nine months before the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  On this day we commemorate the visitation of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, in which he tells her that she will become the Theotokos, or the birthgiver of God. 

The  Gospel accounts of  Luke 1:26-35,  and Mark 1:18-21, tell of this mysterious and awesome event. Another much lesser known version of the Annunciation is from the Protoevangelium of James, one of the many ancient writings not included in the New Testament.   It is a beautiful story, well worth reading for those who reverence the Mother of God.   The earliest known manuscript of the text, a papyrus dating to the third or early 4th century, was found in 1958; it is kept in the Bodmer Library, Geneva.  Probably written in approximately AD 145, the narrative is purported to have been written by James, the “brother of Our Lord”, probably a son of Joseph’s by a prior marriage.  It tells the story of the old and childless couple, Joachim and Anna, and their shame at her barrenness and their failing to have an heir to carry on the family name.   They are each visited by an angel and when, in their fervent desire, the child Mary is finally born to them, they vow to dedicate her to the Temple, in the service of God. 

            “And the child grew strong day by day; and when she was six months old, her mother set her on the ground to try whether she could stand, and she walked seven steps and came into her bosom; and she snatched her up, saying: As the Lord my God liveth, thou shalt not walk on this earth until I bring thee into the temple of the Lord”.

             “And the child was three years old, and Joachim said: Invite the daughters of the Hebrews that are undefiled, and let them take each a lamp, and let them stand with the lamps burning, that the child may not turn back, and her heart be captivated from the temple of the Lord."

            "And they did so until they went up into the temple of the Lord. And the priest received her, and kissed her, and blessed her, saying: The Lord has magnified thy name in all generations. In thee, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel. And he set her down upon the third step of the altar, and the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her.”

 As Mary grew to young womanhood, it was no longer suitable for her to live with the priests during her periods of uncleanness, and she was espoused to the much older Joseph, an honorable man who had grown sons.  As was common in those times, she went to Joseph’s house to live under his protection, but such a union would not have been consummated for somel years. 

“And Joseph said to Mary: Behold, I have received thee from the temple of the Lord; and now I leave thee in my house, and go away to build my buildings, and I shall come to thee. The Lord will protect thee.”

“And there was a council of the priests, saying: Let us make a veil for the temple of the Lord. And the priest said: Call to me the undefiled virgins of the family of David. And the officers went away, and sought, and found seven virgins. And the priest remembered the child Mary, that she was of the family of David, and undefiled before God. And the officers went away and brought her. And they brought them into the temple of the Lord. And the priest said: Choose for me by lot who shall spin the gold, and the white, and the fine linen, and the silk, and the blue, and the scarlet, and the true purple. And the true purple and the scarlet fell to the lot of Mary, and she took them, and went away to her house.”

It is at this point that Luke’s gospel tells the story of the Archangel Gabriel’s visit to Mary,  announcing to her that she will give birth to the Messiah.

In this icon of the Annunciation as in the icon of the Baptism of Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a descending dove.  The Archangel Gabriel approaches Mary as if he has just “touched down”, with wings still spread, and his legs wide as he strides toward her. His hand is raised in a gesture of speech.   His staff of command shows that he is a messenger with authority from God.  Mary is seated on what is almost a throne, which tells us of her importance in this event, and indeed in the history of salvation.  Caught by surprise, she raises her hand with initial reserve, yarn still in it.   A roof-like structure indicates a dwelling, which might refer to Mary herself as the "dwelling place" of the Most High, a symbol of the Church itself.   There is a curtain, the sign of revelation: the mystery of Christ is first revealed to Mary.   

The Annunciation is also described in the Qur'an, in Sura 3 (Al-i-Imran - The Family of Imran) verses 45-51 (archaic translation):⁴⁵Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to God.

                                                              ***

"Today is the crown of our salvation and the manifestation of the mystery that is from all eternity.  The Son of God becomes the Son of a Virgin and Gabriel announces the good  tidings of grace. Therefore let us also join him and cry aloud to the Birth-giver of God, Rejoice you who are full of grace, the Lord is with you."

                                                                                                                            Tropar of the Feast

Gestures and postures in icons of the Theotokos

                                                         Vladimir Mother of God   

The study of icons is fascinating, to say the least, and through the internet there is revealed an endless source of information, at the same time theological, historical, and aethetic.  One interesting subject is the posture or gestures of figures in icons.

There is no other subject in iconography, besides Christ, that has been painted so often and with so much love, as the image of the Theotokos. There are five main types of representation of the Theotokos in Orthodox iconography:

• The Guide; Hodigitria - In this type, the Ever Virgin Mary is holding Christ and pointing toward Him, as a guide to God and salvation.
• Tender Mercy; Eleusa - In this type, the Theotokos holds her Son, who touches his face to hers and wraps at least one arm around her neck or shoulder. The Theotokos represents the Church of Christ, thereby displaying the fullness of love between God and man, a love that can only be achieved within the bosom of church, the Mother.
• All Merciful, Panakranta – In this type, Mary is regally enthroned with Baby Jesus on her lap, both facing the viewer. The throne symbolizes her royal glory, she alone is perfect among those born on earth. According to the Fourth Ecumenical Council, she presides with Christ over the destiny of the world.
• Intercessor, Agiosortissa – Mary is shown alone, in profile with her hands held out in supplication. She is facing to her left, usually to a separate icon of Christ, as in a triptych..
• Praying, - Oranta , Panagia , Lady of the Sign - In this type, Mary is shown with arms in ornate position, with Christ enclosed in a circle in her womb. "Of the Sign," is a reference to the words of Isaias 7:14, "The Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel."

***

Under your protection, we hasten, O Virgin Birth-Giver of God.  Do not turn away from us in our time of need, but pure and blessed Lady, save us.

Theopany - The Baptism of Christ

Theophany - the Baptism of Christ

            Being of a parish that continues to use the Old Calendar can often be convenient!  I had been busy finishing a wedding icon and unable to get on with an icon of Theophany that I had already transferred to a panel before leaving New York in November.  I was definitely not going to have it finished for the New Calendar Theophany, but have just squeaked by in time for the Old!

               Since the first century there has been a Feast of Lights, so called because God is the Light and reveals Himself to illumine "those who sat in darkness and the shadow of death" (Mt. 4:16) .  This feast on January 6/19 celebrates the advent – the coming -  of the Son of God into the world as Jesus Christ, and also His early years up to and including His Baptism in the River Jordan, which marked the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

               Over the centuries, the various events of Christ’s early years were separated into individual feasts on different days: the Nativity, visitation of the Magi, Circumcision, presentation in the Temple.  The principal event, Christ’s Baptism, continued to be commemorated January 6.  For Eastern Orthodox Christians, this Theophany is more important than the Nativity, in that it is a full manifestation of Christ’s divinity.

               “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.  John would have prevented him, saying ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’  But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”  Then he consented.  And when Jesus had been baptized, just as He came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to Him and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him.  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”  Matt 3:3-10.

               This is the Theophany or Epiphany of the Holy Trinity – the revelation of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

               At the top of the icon we see a heavenly semi-circle with rays of light coming from it, and a beam of light that encloses a dove.  These represent God the Father and the Holy Spirit, descending  upon Christ in affirmation and blessing.

               Christ’s descent into the baptismal waters of the Jordan foreshadows his Descent into Hell and its meaning is the same: through His death Christ will save man.  The icon illustrates the paradox that Jesus is revealed as the Son of God in the submissive act of baptism by John, a mere man.  Though John is the baptizer, he is not central to the scene, but, standing on the bank, is bent over in reverence to Christ.  In many icons, a tree is placed near John with an axe at its roots to illustrate that the tree that does not bring forth good fruit is hewn down.  (Matt 3:10)  Contrary to that, John’s teachings and role are not done away with now that the Holy Trinity has been revealed.

               On the opposite bank, three angels (an image of the Trinity) with hands veiled as a sign of respect, wait to clothe Christ and minister to Him when He leaves the river.

               Without a doubt, Christ is the commanding central figure.  He appears to stand on the waters of the Jordan, strong and erectly beautiful wearing only a loincloth, although many ancient icons showed Him naked.  He seems almost as wide as the river itself, as if He himself cut the cleft between the narrow mountains.  If there is any doubt about His and John’s roles in the drama, one look at Christ’s right hand tells the story:  it makes the priestly sign of blessing on the proceedings.  It is not the waters of the Jordan that are cleansing Christ; rather He is cleansing the waters of baptism, so that we may swim in pure waters.  Water has always been used for healing and cleansing of the body, as well as for moral and spiritual cleansing.

               Throughout the ages, the waters of the river Jordan have been seen to “turn back”, to flow against its usual current.   This is told in the Old Testament, when the Ark of the Covenant was carried across the river to the Promised Land of Canaan; when Prophet Elias struck its waters with a cloak; when, after Elias’ ascension, Elijah did the same; and even in our times it has been witnessed by thousands of pilgrims at Theophany.  

Theophany Eve Holy Supper

                In many Eastern Orthodox parishes and homes today, a fasting meal is prepared which is eaten just before going to church on the eve of Theophany.  In my home parish in New York, the meal has become an annual affair, served in the church hall as a parish event.  Although sometimes a bit of "greenery" appears in the food line to brighten the table, it is more a ritual meal, much like the Jewish sedar, with the same fasting foods from year to year.  One custom I love is raw garlic cloves dipped in honey.  This symbolizes life, with its sweetness and bitterness.  Once, many years ago, I attended a supper at the home of an elderly parishioner.  Tables were set up in her cellar, the floor of which was strewn with straw to represent the stable in which the Christ Child was born.  I remember the sound of her quavery old voice, leading in the singing of the Theophany tropar:

"At Your Baptism in the Jordan, O Lord, worship of the Trinity was revealed, for the Father's voice bore witness to You, calling you His Beloved Son, and the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the truth of these words.  O Christ God, Who appeared and enlightened the world, glory to you!"

 

Archangel Michael, and an icon for a wedding

           

               To have the chance to begin work on a new icon is exciting.  Sometimes I will be asked to write a favorite icon such as the Vladimir Mother of God, and since this is one I have already done before, I can get right to work.  Maybe someone wants an icon of the patron saint of a family member for a gift, which involves a bit more of a challenge.  Recently a friend asked me to paint St. Michael for her son, so I showed her several versions.  She is not Orthodox and some versions were less appealing than others, so in the end she decided on a compilation of two.  I gave her a preliminary sketch of St. Michael in full body armor, complete with shield and spear, depicting him as the warrior for God that Orthodox people know him to be.  I really liked this sketch of him and also the freedom to choose the colors of his clothing, since there were differences.  The mom was happy and I hope Michael enjoyed his Christmas gift.

               But just recently I had an very exciting opportunity!  A friend’s daughter was being married right after Christmas and she asked me to paint a wedding icon for the couple.  She told me that she wanted it like one that had been commissioned for her wedding anniversary, in which the patron saints of herself and her husband were in the icon with Christ.  I told her I would take the idea and include the patron saints of the two young people being married.

               Although the young martyr Lucia was from Sicily, she is most popular among western European Christians, and mainly Swedish people.  The groom’s saint was young Stephen, who is called the first martyr of the Christian Church, and a deacon.    This meant that she needed to be dressed in virginal white and he in the white vestment of a deacon – not interesting from a color standpoint.

               The completed icon is a deesis of the three figures, with Christ in the center and the two young saints bowing toward him, hands in a gesture of supplication.   

                May God bless the union of these two young people.