Icons in the Western Church by Visel Jeana;

Author:Visel, Jeana;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Liturgical Press
Published: 2016-08-31T16:00:00+00:00

The icon is an image not only of a living but also of a deified prototype. . . . [T]his is why grace, characteristic of the prototype, is present in the icon. In other words, it is the grace of the Holy Spirit which sustains the holiness of both the represented person and of his [or her] icon. . . . [T]he icon participates in the holiness of its prototype and, through the icon, we in turn participate in this holiness in our prayers.29

Just as the divinity of Christ cannot be separated from his humanity, so the holiness of the saints cannot be separated from their images. Prayer is the link to grace, but the Holy Spirit is the one who gives power both to the deified saint and to his or her image. Moreover, even if it is prayer that gives a sacramental its power, it is not merely the prayer of the one praying before the icon that effects its “presence.” From the moment an iconographer begins to create, the work is suffused with prayer connecting the human world with the spiritual world of heaven.30 Painted not simply for oneself but as an offering and a tool for the spiritual welfare of others, the authentic icon is a gift of communion both among those on earth and those in heaven.31 Presuming the image created reflects the person represented, is it any surprise that those of heaven would respond to this prayer and love with their presence? Even before anyone chooses to pray before an icon, the prayer of the iconographer has already been connecting the image with its holy prototype. As for proof of icons’ power, the Eastern Church is full of stories of icons that have worked miracles, particularly when connected with prayer, but occasionally even apart from it, as when icons have indicated their desire to be moved to other locations, or when barring entrance of something or someone unholy.32 In some very real way, then, the icon is a special kind of portal of the holy.

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