Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church at 201 University Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32118 US - Meditate in our Icon Chapel
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Meditate in our Icon Chapel
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An iconographer undertakes the writing (not painting) of an icon in conjunction with prayer and fasting; that his/her art may be a window into the divine life or scene presented. Icons come to the Church from the Eastern Orthodox tradition and the Eastern Uniate Churches. In the icons of Eastern Orthodoxy almost everything within the image has a symbolic aspect. Christ, the saints, and the angels all have halos. Angels have wings because they are messengers. Figures have consistent facial appearances, hold attributes personal to them, and use a few conventional poses.
Color too plays an important role. Gold represents the radiance of Heaven; red, divine life. Blue is the color of human life, white is the uncreated essence of God, only used for resurrection and transfiguration of Christ. If you look at icons of Jesus and Mary: Jesus wears a red undergarment with a blue outergarment (God become human) and Mary wears a blue undergarment with a red overgarment (human was granted gifts by God), thus the doctrine of deification is conveyed by icons.
Modern icons such as our image: Mother of God, Light in All Darkness, created at the end of the twentieth century, evidences some artistic license that the icon writer takes in creating the piece. An icon is considered to be a window into the divine. Jesus is called the image of the invisible God in Colossians (1:15) thus, Jesus is in some sense, an icon of God. The Eastern Orthodox teaching regarding veneration of icons is that the praise and veneration shown to the icon passes over to the archetype (subject). Thus, to kiss an icon of Christ, in the Eastern Orthodox view, is to show love towards Christ Jesus himself, not mere wood and paint making up the physical substance of the icon.
We invite you to visit our new icon chapel in our daily Mass Chapel and light a candle.There is a soothing, healing effect in lighting a candle. A solitary candle brings light in the darkness; it is also a symbol of the human spirit. Lighting a candle can be used as a meditative tool. The simple ritual of lighting a candle and watching the hypnotic flickering flame is calming and relaxing. Oriental chant from the Byzantine tradition helps us enter into prayer in this sacred space.
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