Category Archives: icon

Icon of St. Teresa of Avila, final

31 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by in contemplation, icon, prayer, St. Teresa of Avila

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I have completed my icon of St. Teresa of Avila and I am pleased with the way it has turned out.  Behind the saint is a representation of the Interior Castle – St. Teresa’s image for the stages of prayer and contemplation and how we encounter God through our own thoughts and imaginings and even going beyond these to that still point where we realize all is grace and pure gift from God.  St. Teresa has much to teach us. 

Recently I picked up a wonderful book on iconography entitled Hidden and Triumphant: The Underground Struggle to Save Russian Iconography.  The book is written by Irina Yazykova and it presents the story of how courageous men and women kept the art and prayer of iconography alive during the years and persecution of the communist Soviet regime. 

At one point in the introduction the author shares the description of iconography as being “contemplation in colors”.  I think that this is a wonderful description for the work of iconography and I know that it is a description that I will continue to reflect on and draw insight from. 

Icon of St. Teresa of Avila, step 5

08 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by in authenticity, humility, icon, St. Teresa of Avila

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In her reflection on the First Dwelling Places in The Interior Castle, St. Teresa offers this bit of sound spiritual advice: While we are on this earth nothing is more important to us than humility.  I have decided to make this the quote for the icon, although I had to shorten it as you can see above.

Humility has its roots in the word humble meaning “close to the ground”.  Humble is rooted in the Old French word umble coming from Latin humilis meaning “low, lowly”.  Further, humilis is a derivative of humus meaning “earth”.

“To be humiliated” means to be brought low by either another person or circumstance, brought back down to earth (this might be a good thing or not depending on the circumstance and ones viewpoint).  To strive for humility (as Teresa suggests throughout her writings) is to acknowledge the truth of who we are before one another and before God.  Humility leads to authenticity.

In iconography one of the three colors mixed to create the proplasma (which is the base color for flesh) is olive green.  When we look at a person’s face we can see tints of green.  I think this might be where the saying, “green with envy” has its start.  The awareness of the need for green to form the base of flesh in iconography is a visual teaching on our connection to earth (humus) and our need for humility in life. 

St. Teresa’s advice is sound for all persons, all circumstances and especially our day and age. 

Authenticity in who we are and in our relationships with one another and even with God can only be achieved when we cultivate humility in our lives.               

Icon of St. Teresa of Avila, step 3

18 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by in consolation, human face, icon, prayer, St. Teresa of Avila

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I have been taught that in iconography you should write the face first.  (I must admit that I do not always follow this rule.)  But with this icon I did.

I once heard an interview with an artist who said that we are not born with a face; rather we craft our faces over the course of a lifetime of choices, smiles, tears, expressions and struggles.  He went on to say that it is really not until our forties that our face begins to be our own – what we have made of it.  I like this thought.  We grow into and mold our face and therefore our face becomes a true expression of who we are as a person rather than just a mask we wear.

In her reflection on the “Second Dwelling Places” in The Interior Castle Teresa warns about the danger of seeking spiritual consolation too early in the journey of prayer. 

Even though I’ve said this at other times, it’s so important that I repeat it here: it is that souls shouldn’t be thinking about consolations at this beginning stage.  It would be a very poor way to start building so precious and great an edifice.  If the foundation is on sand, the whole building will fall to the ground … It is an amusing thing that even though we still have a thousand impediments and imperfections and our virtues have hardly begun to grow – and please God they may have begun – we are yet not ashamed to seek spiritual delights in prayer and to complain about dryness.  May this never happen to you, Sisters.  Embrace the cross your Spouse has carried and understand that this must be your task.  Let the one who can do so, suffer more for Him; and she will be rewarded that much more.  As for other favors, if the Lord should grant you one, thank Him for it as you would for something freely added on.

We like consolation and we like it now!  In fact, I know whole ministries that our based on this premise (and they are quite popular).  But Teresa’s words of caution are very appropriate here.  Just as a human body does not grow and become healthy if its whole diet consists of sweets and desserts so the spiritual person does not mature in his or her faith by seeking consolation after consolation.  The cross must be embraced because the truth is that there are a thousand impediments and imperfections within each of us.  Lets be honest is this regard.

To return to the thought of the artist – it is in embracing our crosses in hope and in love (and also enjoying the consolations that do come along in God’s time) that we do the work of crafting our faces in order that our face rather than being just a mask might truly come to reveal who we are as a mature human person.   

Icon of St. Teresa of Avila, step 2

16 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by in humility, icon, knowledge of God, self-knowledge, St. Teresa of Avila

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I have put down the base colors for the icon of St. Teresa of Avila. 

In iconography you put down the darker colors first and then bring forth the lighter colors.  In iconography it is not so much that light shines on the individual from without rather the light is meant to emanate from within the saint or our Lord.  The light of God’s grace transforms and transfigures from within and shines forth.

Also, iconography is not so much concerned with perspective as we are so often used to in western classical art.  The purpose of the icon is to bring the viewer into a spiritual encounter with the person pictured in the icon.  It can be said that it is not so much us who view the image as it is the one presented in the icon who is looking at us.  Perspective, in iconography, is reversed – the icon watches us. 

In the beginning of The Interior Castle St. Teresa reminds us that the only door of entry into true knowledge of self and of God is “prayer and reflection”.

Teresa wisely cautions that self-knowledge must be held in a creative tension with the truth of God.

If we are always fixed on our earthly misery, the stream will never flow free from the mud of fears, faintheartedness, and cowardice…

So it is with the soul in the room of self-knowledge; let it believe me and fly sometimes to ponder the grandeur and majesty of its God.  Here it will discover its lowliness better than by thinking of itself (solely)…

In my opinion we shall never completely know ourselves if we don’t strive to know God.  By gazing at His grandeur, we get in touch with our own lowliness; by looking at His purity, we shall see our own filth; by pondering His humility, we shall see how far we are from being humble.

Two advantages come from such activity.  First, it’s clear that something white seems much whiter when next to something black, and vice versa with the black next to the white.  The second is that our intellects and wills, dealing in turn now with self now with God, become nobler and better prepared for every good.

Finally, for this post at least, the saint offers this thought: While we are on this earth nothing is more important to us than humility.  

Amen, St. Teresa, amen.                

Icon of St. Teresa of Avila

07 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by in icon, St. Teresa of Avila

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I started cleaning and organizing my office the other day which is always a sign that something is coming…

I have felt a desire as of late to write another icon but I have not been able to decide on a subject.  But recently it has come into my prayer and heart to write an icon of St. Teresa of Avila.

St. Teresa has always been one of my favorite saints – she was a contemplative, a pragmatic and someone not to be crossed lightly all rolled up into one.

During seminary I read through a good bit of her writings and received much spiritual nourishment.  Maybe its time I pick up some of her writings again…  Maybe eighteen years of priesthood will give me a different perspective.

I have cobbled together an icon to write.  In the center stands St. Teresa, in her left hand she holds an open book representing her writing.  (I have not yet decided on a quote.)  Her right hands points to the Holy Spirit  over her left shoulder.  While researching the icon I noticed that in many portrayals of the saint the Holy Spirit is often pictured.  On the right of the saint in the background stands a representation of the Interior Castle (in reference to her writing on mystical prayer).

I have placed St. Teresa on a bank below which will be a stream.  One summer day back when I was a seminarian reading St. Teresa’s writings I took an afternoon nap and in a dream I found myself on one side of a stream and on the other side stood a beautiful and dignified woman in a religious habit.  She smiled at me.  To this day I think it was St. Teresa so I have decided to add the stream to this icon.

I do not think that this is an icon that I will give away.

I will post pictures and commentary as the icon progresses…