I have an icon of Jesus, a beautiful depiction of the risen Christ, the Son of God, one of the Holy Trinity on the top shelf of our current bookshelf. It sits with several other icons we have collected. I view this "window into heaven" every single day. It is simply beautiful and sometimes I pray and light a candle in front of it and kiss it, and I am kissing Him for why would I not want to kiss the risen Christ?
Another question, then: Is Jesus' beautiful depiction burning an impression upon me? This is what I desire and what I must pray for.
10.19.2005
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8 comments:
Of course He is...
You know, it's interesting Isaiah: In order to begin to understanding the meaning of icons, I think we have to imagine a world that is not image-saturated as ours is. I mean, we can't go an hour without encountering many different kinds of images: photo albums, magazines, TV, internet pop-ups, paper money in our wallets... you get the idea. In the ancient world, all images were charged with meaning precisely because of their rarity. And this is how images were originally associated with the Divine. In order to create an image, like, for instance, the cave paintings at Lascaux, one had to have been inspired. So all 'art' in that sense is profoundly religious in the true and original sense of that word. ["Re-ligio" - to re-bind or fix together] All images somehow connected or re-presented something that is somewhere or something else. You know all the theory better then I from linguistics...
But anyway, as Christians, we have to somehow re-orient ourselves to the sacredness of the image. All images. Of course Judaism and Islam have done this by their traditional bans on images in various forms. Christianity has not taken that route, but rather sanctifies the image. So we have to find new ways to understand holy images in our image-saturated society.
And I think that the craft/practice of iconography is probably the most significant way we as the Church can do this, and accordingly become meaningful in our society.
I believe the Orthodox Church is called to be a place that embodies beauty and craft. People today actually making icons with panels, gesso, gold, tempera and mineral pigments are doing a great service. Re-orienting us to the slow. The beautiful. The costly.
Wouldn't it be amazing if in Jude and Esme's generation (or their children's) every parish had one or two full-time iconographers: not only covering the walls of the churches, but making household icons for all occasions - baptisms, marriages, etc. Godparents giving them to their Godchildren... bringing small icons as hospitality gifts.... also a textiler or two... silversmith... bakers... basically people being truly blessed to use their gifts.
You get the idea...
Can I get an Amen?
Oh, i'm with ya.
So be it!
ABSOLUTEMENTE!
lets have some more family pics isaiah...
hey, i'll be the bread baker (for the Holy Loaves, whatever the greek word for it is). who was telling me about the Ethiopians and how they've used a starter that has been passed down through the generations since ancient times? that's cool to think about. well, the point is, that is the kind of bread i'd bake: a bread started from ancient sourdough starter.
by the way...
thanks for comments, matthew. i wish we could talk more often.
I think we were talking about that Ethiopian starter back in the day... so cool. Are you still making sourdough?
Yes I am! Got some in the final rising right now.
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