A TASTE OF UNION WITH GOD

A religious icon is a tangible reflection of intangible reality. It makes the divine accessible to human senses. The particular icon that is the subject of today’s reflection from The Anchorhold is Christ in Majesty.

Flat, 2-dimensional, color-compromised reproductions of this icon done by Andrei Rublev lack the power of the near life-size, textured and layered original. I’ve had the privilege of viewing a true reproduction of the original at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, Massachusetts. It was displayed in such a manner as to encourage focused attention: by itself on a wall, some 8-10 feet away from a bench for comfortable viewing, with no distractions above, below, or to the side. What I saw in this icon reminded me of the passage John 12:32 “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Gaze upon this icon intently and you may experience what I did…an irresistible attraction. You can see, but all you want to see is the figure of Christ. You can feel, but there is only comfort. You can hear, but there is only silence. You can think, but there are no thoughts. What is left is heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul diffusion and fusion. Christ will draw the hearts of people “to gather them to me.” So says this icon.

Gaze upon this icon intently and let it work in you, for a taste of union with God.