Praying an Icon

I was privileged to participate in an Icon Retreat Workshop of the Prosopon School of Iconography. The Prosopon School emphasizes an anthropological approach, which involves finding the image within by ascending through 22 steps towards ourselves. This process helps us understand ourselves, become more aware of our calling to be living icons and bearers of Christ’s light.

How can one depict what is beyond depiction? Sacred subjects that belong to the heavenly realm raise the question: are unworthy hands capable of such a task? Before we begin to write an icon, our hands are anointed with holy oil. Writing an Icon is a sacred endeavor. Understanding the deeper meaning of Icon writing and its theology, I felt unworthy, humbled, yet grateful for such an honor.

As I gazed on the white gesso before me, with pencil in hand, I also embarked on my inner journey. The process of writing the icon became a spiritual pilgrimage, a journey inward to confront my own limitations and surrender to the divine mystery. Through the slow, deliberate strokes of the brush, I discovered a path to contemplation, a way to embody the Cistercian ideals of humility, obedience, and mystical union.

As I painstakingly applied the gold leaf, I am reminded of the words of St. Bernard, "The beauty of the soul consists in its conformity to God." The gold, symbolizing divine light, transformed the icon, infusing it with a sense of transcendence.

The process of gilding, uniting clay with gold, proved to be the most challenging aspect of writing the icon. This intricate process mirrored the Cistercian journey of integrating the earthly and heavenly, the human and divine.

As I started to paint the face of the archangel Michael, I was struck by the importance of capturing the eyes, which are the windows to the soul. The eyes of St. Michael seemed to gaze beyond the ordinary, reflecting a profound longing for God's presence. This reminded me of the psalmist's plea, "It is your face, Lord, that I seek; hide not your face" (Psalm 27:8-9).

As I sit before the finished icon of St. Michael, I enter a sacred space where prayer and contemplation converge. The archangel's gaze invites me to behold the beauty of God's presence, to surrender my fears and doubts, and to trust in the divine protection that surrounds me.

With St. Michael as my guide, I pray for the courage to embody the values of the Kingdom – humility, patience, obedience, and love. I ask for the protection of the archangel Michael that I may navigate life's challenges with faith and trust.

The icon of St. Michael is a window to the divine, a testament to the transformative power of collaboration with the Holy Spirit, of which the breathing on the clay signifies. The experience of writing the icon taught me that true artistry lies not in mastery, but in surrender – surrender to the tradition, to the community, and to the divine presence that whispers guidance in the silence of the heart.

May this icon be a reminder of my own call to radiate God's beauty and light in the world.

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