>> How to pray with an icon
Benedictine Father Alex Echeandia Loro offers these tips for praying with an icon:
• Learn to interpret an icon: Everything in an icon is symbolic and points to a spiritual truth about God. Icons of saints often incorporate symbols that create a spiritual ‘portrait,’ reflecting attributes or events that contributed to the person’s holiness. Father Alex pointed out that icons are ‘written,’ which means that one needs to learn to ‘read’ them by learning the meaning behind the details. This increases the significance of the time spent in prayer.
• Look for meaning in facial features: Each icon relates to the main Icon, Christ. The facial features of Mary and the saints often feature a small mouth, representing Christ’s prudence. In contrast, the eyes and ears are larger than the mouth, showing that they are listening to the Word through the Holy Spirit and contemplating the Beatific Vision. ‘The saints are always contemplating God because they are saints,’ Father Alex said. ‘You can enter into that dimension through their features.’
• Contemplate: It is important to leave space to listen to what the Lord may be saying through the icon. Remain silent during your prayer and open to the Lord’s guidance. ‘He wants to manifest himself through the image,’ said Father Alex. ‘When someone is praying in front of the icon, they encounter the mysteries of Christ and the saints.’
Brother Symeon Gillette, OSB, a monk at St. Louis Abbey, placed an icon of Christ Pantocrator on a table with other icons from an iconography workshop on 23 June. The image of Christ Pantocrator is an image of an all-powerful Christ and dates from approximately the 6th century. Photo credit: Jacob Wiegand
Christ as Pantocrator, meaning ‘almighty’ or ‘all-powerful,’ is one of the most recognisable representations of Jesus, the oldest of which is believed to be a 6th-century icon in St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai, Egypt.
Pantocrator is derived from the Greek words pas (‘all’) and kratos (“power” or ‘strength’). The icon depicts Christ as an all-powerful ruler: Creator, Saviour, and Judge. The representation of His face contributes to the idea that God sees everything. His eyes and expression are generally stern and distant.
In one version of the icon, Christ holds the New Testament in His left hand and makes a gesture of blessing or teaching with His right. His name is written on either side of His head with IC and XC.
Rules and prayers for iconographers
• Before you begin working, make the sign of the cross, pray silently, and forgive your enemies.
• Work carefully on every detail of your icon, as if you were working in front of the Lord himself.
• While working, pray to strengthen yourself physically and spiritually; avoid all useless words and remain silent.
• Pray in particular to the saint whose face you are painting. Keep your mind free from distractions and the saint will be close to you.
• When your icon is finished, thank God for his mercy in granting you the grace to paint the holy image.
• Have your icon blessed by placing it on the sacred table of your parish church. Be the first to pray before it, before giving it to others.
