Holy Cross Parish is very beautiful. Our rerdos(back altar) is great. Our stained glass windows are stunning. One of the pieces art that is very important in our parish is the Icon of “Our Lady of Perpetual Help” on the wall of the church.
This piece of art is a copy of a Byzantine Icon originally painted in the 13th Century. It is particular appropriate for our parish because it was originally known as “Our Lady of the Passion”.
On the left is the Archangel Michael who is carrying the lance and the sponge of the crucifixion of Jesus. On the right is the Archangel Gabriel carrying the cross and the nails.
Look at the image of Jesus. Notice that he NOT looking at Mary. He is NOT looking at us. He is staring at the Angel carrying the cross and the nails. He is holding tightly to Mary his mother. Notice that his shoe fell off. This implies that he ran to his mother and leapt into her arms when he was confronted with his future death on the cross presented to him by the angels. He ran to the arms is his mother because he knew that someday he would suffer and die on the cross.
Now look at the image of Mary. She dominates the picture because she is looking straight at YOU(the viewer). She is not looking at Jesus, or at heaven, or at the angels. She is looking at you as if to say: Here is something VERY important. She looks as if to say: My son ran to me for refuge, so can you. There is a star on Mary’s forehead: She is the star that leads to Jesus. She is pointing at her son, Jesus Christ. Both Mary and Jesus are wearing clothes of royalty. The Greek initials on top read: Mother of God, Michael Archangel, Gabriel Archangel, and Jesus Christ.
Mary knows there are many things in our lives that are dangerous and terrifying, and that we need someone to turn to in times of suffering and dread. She offers us the same comfort and love she gave to Jesus. She tells us to run to her as fast as Jesus did, so fast that we don’t even think about what we wear or how we go, just so we get there. Then Mary will point to Jesus, our lord and savior.
I hope you are able to spend some time in prayer meditating on this beautiful icon, and being drawn in the love Mary had for her Son, and in that way you can love Jesus as well. Beautiful art should raise our hearts and minds to God.
peace
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Father Tom,
ReplyDeleteBeautiful indeed. The icon blends Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, doesn’t it? Is one theology more prevalent than the other in this work of art? I suppose that begs the question - what is the primary theological difference between Eastern and Western beliefs? Specifically, I wonder about your view concerning the Holy Spirit.
Leaning…..John
Greetings,
ReplyDeleteThe Orthodox understanding of Icons is almost sacaramental. They are understood as windows into the divine. That is why People who paint icons fast and pray as part of making the art. Catholics often use art for decoration or to remember a past event. Orthodox use art for prayer and meditation to help encounter the event more directly. In that they will put much more symbolism, and LESS realism in their art.
Art is NOT supposed to be realistic because it is to take us OUT of this reality, and bring us into a heavenly reality. Recent Catholic art, especially statues, try to look exactly like the person. This is not the goal of sacred art. Sacred art should take out of the ordinary, and not place us into the ordinary.
peace
I love icons! When we were on vacation in Kansas a couple of weeks ago, I met with Sister Paula Howard, O.S.B. at Mount Saint Scholastic. She writes icons, and she showed us all the work she has done (she started writing icons at 78!) I commissioned her to write an icon of the anointing of Jesus by the unknown woman in Mark's gospel. That account is much less well known than the sinful woman anointing the Lord in Luke's gospel, or Mary anointing him in John's gospel. Yet in Mark's gospel it says that whenever the gospel is told, she would be remembered for what she did. Art is such an expressive way of retelling a story, and icons have been in the history of the Church for centuries.
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