The Catalog of Good Deeds

The oil that burns in our oil-lamps, "“τον του Θεού υπεµφαίνει έλαιον”" writes St. Symeon of Thessaloniki, the mercy of God that was revealed when the dove returned to Noah's Ark to signify the cessation of the flood, having in the beak an olive branch, or when Jesus, prayed at length, He watered with the sweat of His clots the olive tree, under the branches of which He knelt on the dreadful night on the Mount of Olives. Of course, we all know how infinitely superior of the material light is the internal light, a light lit by the Holy Spirit. So wrote the God-bearer Father Gregory Nazianzus: “Φωτίσωµεν… γλώσσαν” “Let us lit…the tongue” and the commentator adds: was this achieved? The oil symbolizes the infinite mercy of God, but the oil-lamps also, symbolize the Church that is imparting of the Divine Mercy and lighting. They also symbolize the saints themselves that their light shone according to the word of the Lord, "let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Mt. 5:16)

There are many reasons for which the Orthodox we should lit the oil-lamp, for example:

1.In order to remind us of the need for prayer.

2. To illuminate the space and to drive-away the darkness where the evil forces are dominant.

3. To remind us that Christ is the only true light and the faith in Him is light,

4. To remind us that our lives should be bright.

5. In order to remind us that as the candle requires our own hand to light thus the soul requires the hand of God, that is His Grace.

6. To remind us that our will must be burnt and be sacrificed.

7. For the love of God, and many more...

Needless to say, that the vigil-oil should be an olive oil and the best possible quality. Besides, the Lord prayed in the garden of Olives and the temple with the oil-lamps is converted to a new garden and mercy (oil) and Divine Mercy, their oil reminds us of the compassion of God and their light in our lives, that should be bright and holy. The shedding of light in the temple symbolizes the divine light of God's presence that illuminates the hearts not only of neophytes but all Christians as well. The Lord revealed this great truth about Himself in the following words: "I am the light of world"(John 8:12). He is light not only because of His luminous teachings, but mainly due to His luminous presence. This is confirmed by the particular miraculous Transfiguration, where "His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light."(Matth.17:2).

In the Symbol of Faith (The Creed), the Son of God is presented as "light from light." In the service of Vespers the hymnographer also presents the Lord as "Joyful Light." And the Christians with the mysteries of the Church and their spiritual struggle can receive the light of the grace of the Holy Spirit and to radiate it with their lives. In "the sermon of the mount" the Lord advising His disciples told them: "Ye are the light of the world .... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. "(Matthew 5:14-16). Here it is clear that the light of Christ’s disciples is the good works of their holy spiritual life. The saints, in the after-life will be like the Lord, they will become "gods by grace." The Lord expresses this clearly with His prophetic words: " Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. "(Matt. 13:43).

Source: http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/The-Meaning-and-Use-of-Candles-Incense-and-Vigil-Lamps.pdf

Half a decade ago, the few converts to Orthodoxy were usually individuals who wanted to marry an ethnic Orthodox Christian. Catechetical preparation for reception into the Orthodox Faith was minimal, at best.

In the past thirty or so years, we have experienced a literal flood of converts to the Faith. They are embracing Orthodoxy because they realize they have found the true Faith. Almost every parish now has classes for those who are interested in converting to Orthodoxy, and instruction in the beliefs of the Church is quite intense.

Thanks be to God!

While catechumens and newly baptized adults learn about doctrine, worship and Orthodox theology, there are a number of practices which often go unnoticed. When people visiting monasteries see or hear about certain practices they are amazed and say “I never knew that!” even though they had undergone extensive catechetical instruction. Often they ask, “Where does it say that?” The truth is that while we very often can point to canons and specific teachings, there are many things that come from the “living tradition of the Church.”

Note that this is “tradition” with a small “t”, not a capital one.

Many people of ethnic background who grew up in the Faith had a grandmother who was their first and primary teacher in Orthodoxy. A number of those grandmothers were uneducated in the formal sense of the word, but they truly lived their Faith. Perhaps they could not expound on theology, but their piety and faith spoke louder than any words. One Greek priest referred to some of the things we learned from our grandmothers as “Yiayia-ology”; a Russian priest called it “Baba-theology”. While some things may be tinged with superstition, many of these grandmothers’ teachings are true traditions that are not included in formal catechism, but which form a valid practice in the life of the Orthodox Christian.

We would like to present a few practices which are very valid. Some of the following are perhaps pious “grandmother theology” while others are very definitely things that are included in the service books and/or in the holy canons of the Church.

The sign of the Cross

It is the practice in every Orthodox country to make the sign of the cross when passing by an Orthodox Church or cemetery, when beginning a task, and when setting out on a journey by car, train, plane, bus, etc. In passing a church, it is done as a sign of respect for the holy place; by a cemetery, it is a prayer for the departed, and in beginning any task or journey, it is asking God’s blessing.

New clothing, vehicle, home

The first time one would wear new clothes, shoes, etc. is to Church. Obviously this practice would not include things like bathing suits or prom dresses! In wearing something to Church for the first time, there is the sense that these clothes are dedicated to God and are to be worn in honorable situations.

This same understanding of something new being brought to the church is applied to a new car. There is a blessing in the service books of the Church specifically for this! The first place that a new vehicle should be brought is not to show one’s friends and relatives, but to the priest for prayers to bless its use and keep its occupants safe.

We know that the priests bless homes at Theophany, but no Orthodox Christian brought up with proper “grandmother theology” would ever move into a new dwelling before it was blessed by the priest. For those who are building a home, there is even a prayer for blessing the foundation of the house!

Patron feast days

Catechumens have learned to observe their patron feast day by attending Divine Liturgy (if it is served), to pray to their patron saint, and to greet others who celebrate their feast day with “Many years!” There is more: the Church provides a special blessing for a coliva on a saint’s day. We often think of coliva—the sweetened boiled wheat—as something offered in honor of the departed, but there is also a “coliva for the saint”. This coliva can be the sweetened boiled grain, or it can be a bread, even fruit or pastries. It is brought to church and placed on a small table (not in the place where the coliva for the departed is placed) and then at the “Blessed be the name of the Lord” at the end of the Divine Liturgy, the choir sings the troparion to the saint, the priest comes with censer and holy water and reads the specific prayer for the blessing of this coliva in honor of the saint. After the dismissal of the Liturgy, the person who has offered the coliva distributes it to the people present in honor of his feast day.

It is also customary to make an offering either to the church, a monastery or the poor on one’s feast day, in honor of the saint, for the saints were not only offerings to God, but also teach us to show mercy and give alms.

Godparents

Those serving as Godparents in parishes with a large percentage of converts, have learned well that among their responsibilities as a Godparent they are to pray for their Godchildren, help instruct them in the Faith through example, gifts of books, icons, etc., remember them on their feast days, share in their other special days (graduations, birthdays, etc.), take an infant or young Godchild to the chalice for communion, etc. Many Godparents still feel that they should be doing more. They are right. The canons state that he who is a father to someone spiritually is more a father than the one who is the biological father. (This “fatherhood” also applies obviously to those who are Godmothers). Just as a biological parent has financial responsibilities regarding the birth of the child, so the Godparent also has certain such responsibilities at the child’s/individual’s spiritual birth. These responsibilities include all of the expenses surrounding the baptism: the baptismal cross, clothing, towels, offering to the church/priest, and festive meal following the service.

Icons

We know that icons are venerated in our Faith, that we have icons in our churches and homes, even in our vehicles. We need to remember that these are holy and must be treated as such. Saints died for the sake of venerating icons, yet we who venerate them, who “collect” them, who adorn our homes with them are often iconoclasts! Just as no one would smoke a cigarette in church, he should also not do so in a room or vehicle which has an icon in it. Icons should be put in places of honor, not laying on top of a coffee table where something will spill on it, not placed on the floor, not in a place of dishonor like a bathroom or inside a barn.

Many church bulletins, newspapers and other printed matter have icons on them. These are still icons and should not be thrown into the trash can when we are done reading them. The proper way to dispose of any holy item is to burn it and then bury the ashes in a clean place (not in a garden which is fertilized with manure). Icons on bulletins, newspapers, etc. can also be cut out, mounted or framed, or sent to missions which are in need.

Prayers for the departed

There is a way of speaking in Orthodoxy that is very distinctive and which makes our very mention of someone who is departed a prayer in itself. Whenever someone mentions the name of a departed loved one or relative, they immediately say, “May God forgive him! her.” For example, “My grandfather, may God forgive him, had a great influence on my life.”

Of course, our faithful, both converts and those raised in the Orthodox Church, know that we pray for the departed at specific Memorial Services and that they are remembered at the Proskomedia before the Divine Liturgy. We can also request a Memorial Service (Panakhida, Parastas) for an individual or for family members at any time of the year (with only a few exceptions). It is traditional when having a Memorial Service to also make a financial offering to the church as well, and to host a meal in memory of the departed.

Very often, when a family member falls asleep in the Lord, the family will make an offering to the church of a needed item: an icon, candle stand, vestments, etc. in that person’s memory.

Offerings in memory of the departed can be given at any time whatsoever, even without a Memorial Service. In fact, in villages in an Orthodox country it is very common to have a complete stranger approach you and hand you a handkerchief, a small bread or pastry, even a few coins, etc, saying, “this is in memory of my mother! father/brother, etc.” In accepting this gift, the recipient says “May God forgive him/her.”

It is especially the practice to make an offering on behalf of the departed if/when someone dreams of that person, for it is felt that the departed one is in need of intercession at that time. St. Ephraim the Syrian affirms that “the departed feel the prayers and sacrifices made for them.”

Source: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/theveil_neverlearnedthat.aspx

By Father Andrew Lemeshonok

Living in this world, we are searching for the ways, which can lead us to eternal life . God says: “I am the way” (John, 14:6), “I am the light” (John, 8:12), “And the light shineth in darkness” (John, 1:5). Perhaps, each of us felt inspired when he came to God. Everything becomes bright and pure, because God dwells in you, and He protects you from lies and filth of this world. You can see the main thing, and nothing can disturb you from this, because the knowledge of God has struck you. This joy revealed the sense of life to you. You were choking on this earth before, for everything is the same there: always the same menu, always the same laws. The rulers are changed by other rulers. Everyone wants to be the head, to outperform his competitors… People constantly choose something or someone. But we choose Christ, and we do this not through certain manifestations or bulletins, but through our life.

It is so difficult to say “I am with Christ”, when everything crashes in your life, when you suffer, when no one can understand you, and you do not understand what is going on in the world. When it seems to you that what is going around is just madness.

The most people judge on their spiritual condition by how they feel. However, this is quite naive. We cannot focus on ourselves, because we are corrupted by sin. We partake of the Holy Communion not just to make our soul soar, to restore peace inside, and to make all the problems disappear. We need the Holy Communion to burn the old “self”, which tells us how to live, which deceits us, while we believe him. And this is why we cannot know right from wrong.

Fr. Sophrony (Sakharov) said, that it is impossible to live in this world like Christians. We can only die for this world like Christians. But we want to live here and now. And God gives us such opportunity. He lets us see the blue sky and the sun, which is warming already, by the way. However, no matter how good this life is, it will end. This is why we should harden ourselves. If someone suffers and thinks that God does not hear his prayers, he should not believe this condition. He should not believe his grievance and despair, which dwell in a person when he does not see the effect of his prayer. There is always effect, but God did not come to this world to make our life great here and now. He came to this world so that we all could prevail over death. He wants us to take part in our own resurrection.

The forthcoming week is devoted to a great ascetic – Saint John Climacus. Spiritual life is a ladder, which leads to the Heavenly Kingdom. We climb it, we fall down, we hit the ground, we stand up and we fall again. The thing is, we need to stand up over and over again. The ascetics, who devoted their lives to studying spiritual laws and struggle against sin, have left to us a lot of works for edification. However, we need to be prudent. It can happen that a person, who came from the world, has read the works of the ascetics, but still does not understand the main things of the Orthodox teaching. While the main thing is to humble yourself - to acknowledge your own weakness and to let God enter your life. You do not need to surprise people with your feats and talents. The Lord speaks simply in the Gospel: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew, 11:29).

March 27, 2017

St. Elisabeth Convent

In issue no. 6 of The Russian Pastor, an article by Archpriest Boris Kizenko, "Do not associate yourself with this age," was printed. There he touched upon the question of whether or not priests should wear their cassocks or riasa. I would like to share a few thoughts on this matter.

Very often in the sphere of Church laws and traditions we, for one reason or another, allow ourselves to compromise these laws. In our society today, the reasons and circumstances for such compromises can seem very justifiable. However, the danger lies in the fact that any compromise can become habitual, and the compromised behavior then becomes the norm, giving rise to further compromises and a general degradation of standards. Fr. Boris very aptly describes this progression in his article. At a time when we are perhaps at risk of completely losing the ideal in the realm of priestly attire, it is fitting to review the Church rules and directives concerning the attire of a priest, as well as look at some examples from contemporary life which shed light on this question.

1) The 27th Canon of the 6th Ecumenical Council states: "None who is counted with the clergy should dress inappropriately, when in the city, nor when travelling. Each should use the attire which was appointed for clergy members. If someone breaks this rule, may he be deprived of serving for one week."

Here everything is clear. If you do not wish to wear a priest's clothing, do not dare to stand before the altar of God.

2) The great interpreter of Church Canons, Balsamon, in his interpretation of the 14th canon of the 7th Ecumenical Council, which speaks of the ordination of readers, notes: "He who has put on black attire with the purpose of entering the clergy, cannot remove it, for he has stated his intent of serving God and therefore cannot break his promise to God and ridicule this holy image, as other ridiculers do."

If constant wearing of "black attire" is expected of the first rank of the priesthood, the reader, then all the more does it refer to those who are fully in the rank of the priesthood.

3) In the questioning period of the candidate before the ordination, the candidate to the priesthood, in the presence of his spiritual father makes the following promise: "I promise to wear the clothing appropriate to my priestly rank, not to cut my hair nor my beard... for through such unseemly behavior I risk belittling my rank and tempting believers" (Promise #5).

It is important to note here that, in confirmation of his promise the candidate kisses the Gospel and the Cross and signs his name.

4) The 16th rule for the priests of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad says: "A priest, who is fully supported by his parish, and is given the opportunity not to work at a secular job, should have the appearance of an Orthodox priest, that is, should have long hair, a beard, a riasa, wear a cross of a proper style, and not one he has thought of himself and in his external appearance fully exemplify a true pastor."

We must remember that if the Church canons and laws were not important, the Church would not have written them.

Physician heal thyself. I must admit, that I am a young priest, and at times find it very difficult to follow the above rules. There are times when one's nerves are raw, and I want to go somewhere with my Matushka and children and not stand out, i.e., be "one of the crowd." I am overweight, and in the summer it is hard to bear the heat in my cassock. Yet all this merely exposes my weakness, my lack of desire to constantly be a confessor of my faith; my lack of desire to suffer for Christ even to the most microscopic degree. In my battle with this weakness, I have found inspiration in a few true life accounts, which I would like to share.

The Matushka of one priest, who serves in one large American city, where pagan and Satanic cults are rampant, told me of this incident:

Batiushka always wore either his cassock or riasa with his cross. After his arrival in the city, he grew accustomed to the fact that, when walking along a street, or in stores, some people reacted to him with hatred. Some even hissed at him openly as they walked by, others would actually spit at him. All this Batiushka interpreted as attacks of servants of Satan, upon a priest of Christ. Once it happened that he and Matushka were walking along the sidewalk in the main business district of the city. Suddenly, a woman who looked like a witch jumped out in front of him. She started to scream at him with a frightening voice of a sickly cat, and gestured threateningly with her arms, as if she wanted to scratch out his eyes. Then she immediately disappeared into the crowd. The priest and his wife made the sign of the cross and continued on their way, having grown accustomed to such occurrences. But then Matushka realized something. This time, for some reason, Batiushka was in secular attire. Nothing in his external appearance showed that he was an Orthodox priest. Even his long hair and beard were nothing exceptional in contemporary circumstances.

It is clear that a priest in a spiritual plane is always a priest, even when he is not dressed properly. The evil powers feel this and most probably are pleased with our "compromises."

A certain priest decided to have a photograph of himself made. He put on his coat and hat. For some reason he was embarrassed to be photographed with a cross on. He took the cross off and put it into his left coat pocket. The photograph was taken, developed and printed. To the amazement of both the photographer and the priest, on the photograph there was a huge ray (by shadows one can see that this ray is not from the sun), which pointed to the pocket, where the hidden cross lay. Batiushka asked to have this published after his death.

In a small parish of the Russian Church Abroad, because of the size of the congregation, the rector holds a secular job. He works as a nurse in a local hospital. I was certain that he removes his cassock when he goes to work. However to my surprise, I discovered that this Batiushka works in his cassock, putting a lab coat on top of it. This is regarded with respect by both medical personnel and the patients. Often many patients even request that the "priest-nurse" take care of them.

Concerned about the question, "should and can a priest possible always wear a cassock?", I began asking the grown children of elderly or deceased pastors, whether or not their fathers always wore a cassock. Almost everyone has answered in the affirmative, recalling that they rarely saw their father-priest without a cassock. There are even cases where the children said that they never saw their father without a cassock. This means that the requirement of the Church is possible to fulfill with God's help. One only needs to try.

Proper Clerical Dress

You make a religion of robes, beards, and long hair. I know that the church canons say that we should have beards and I know your arguments about long hair. I am unimpressed. I am a follower of Christ, not man-written and man-enforced rules....Robes look weird and cause people to laugh on [sic] us. They do not win over people to Orthodoxy....I dress like a Roman Catholic and you dress like Mohammedan Turks. Who is more in the [sic] tradition? Did you ever hear of anyone being defrocked for what he wears? No. For serving like a lot of you Old Calendarists after he was kicked out? You bet. Case closed....Keep sending your journal, since I find certain useful purposes for the paper. (Fr. [initials deleted], Canada)

Your question, which we received several years ago, despite its somewhat saucy tone, provides us with an opportunity to clear up certain misunderstandings about a subject of spiritual importance to contemporary Orthodox Christians. As you point out, the traditional appearance of an Orthodox Priest—the attire and grooming which he should maintain at all times, both in public and private—is a matter of canonical regulation. The Sacred Canons of the Church reflect the proper functioning and life of the Body of Christ; they are not simply laws and rules, but guides to the life in Christ and patterns by which to accommodate the action of the Holy Spirit to our daily activities. They are inspired and binding on all who live in spiritual sobriety and uprightness. And though they are enforced by men—one of the clear duties of the clergy, and especially the Bishops, is, in fact, to uphold canonical order—, they are nonetheless Divinely inspired. The Sacred Canons are also an integral part of Holy Tradition, which, together with Scripture, forms the ground of administrative authority on which our Faith is built.

The inner and outer cassocks traditionally worn by Orthodox clergy are, to the pious, objects of tremendous respect and veneration. Anyone who considers them "weird" is unenlightened. Nor does anything appointed by the Church, enveloped as it is in Grace, impede our witness as Orthodox Christians. Ignorance or simple bigotry account for instances in which clergymen are ridiculed for dressing in a traditional manner, and the treatment for ignorance and bigotry is not the abandonment of our customs, but, once again, the enlightenment of those who ridicule us. Moreover, our traditional Orthodox clerical dress witnesses openly to the Grace of the Priesthood. Many times our own clergy, who maintain such dress, encounter young children who, yet untainted by the vanity of the world, will turn to their parents and remark, "Look, it’s Jesus." Such incidents speak for themselves and attest to the importance and nature of Orthodox Priestly attire. The idea that the traditional dress of an Orthodox Priest has it roots in Turkish vesture—whether secular or religious—is a contrived piece of historical fantasy that has often been used to justify contemporary innovations in clerical garb. Under the Turkish yoke, certain changes in cut and style can be observed in monastic and Priestly dress, but these are insignificant. Our clerical styles predate the Moslem yoke, and indeed it was from the Desert Fathers, who inhabited many of the areas where Islam first flourished, that the Islamic clergy took many of their customs—from the robes that they wear to the minarets (which are modeled on the structures in which the ancient Stylites lived and prayed, that is, "pillars" with a small cubicle on top).

The round white collar, bib, and business suit which you call "Roman Catholic" clerical dress is neither Roman Catholic in origin nor much more than normal street garb with a special collar. Papist priests, like Orthodox clergy, dressed in cassocks and special headgear well into this century. Only in the last few decades have they adopted what is actually Protestant clerical clothing or simply street clothes. As for the issue of deposition, let us note, first, that Orthodox clergy have, indeed, been suspended and even deposed for abandoning traditional clerical dress. St. Evalalios, a predecessor of St. Basil the Great in the See of Cappadocia, deposed his own son for abandoning traditional Priestly garments for "unsuitable" attire. Second, while clergy in Greece, at least, have been routinely deposed by the New Calendar State Church for returning to the Patristic (or Old) Calendar, deposition for "Old Calendarism," were it valid—as the Blessed Elder Philotheos (Zervakos) once commented—, would logically force the State Church of Greece to depose many of the Fathers of the Church, including those who specifically condemned the calendar innovation, in the sixteenth century, in three separate Church Councils.

We would also remind you that St. John Chrysostomos, deposed falsely and for what was his actual fidelity to the Faith, not only refused to recognize his illicit deposition, but continued to serve, in defiance of what was manifestly a spiritually wrong and invalid pronouncement. As such, he set a standard which many Old Calendarists today, falsely maligned and punished for acting in good conscience out of reverence for Holy Tradition, have rightly taken as their own. Like him, we trust that many of these mistreated traditionalist champions for Orthodoxy will win a Heavenly Crown for their courage. At the same time, we pray that those who have wronged them and divided the Church by innovation will escape that fearful "reward" which St. John Chrysostomos himself assigns to ecclesiastical politicians and false shepherds who misuse the Church’s powers; that is, Hell.

Source: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/clergy_dress.aspx

Iconography began on the day our Lord Jesus Christ pressed a cloth to His face and imprinted His divine-human image thereon. According to tradition, Luke the Evangelist painted the image of the Mother of God; and, also according to tradition, there still exist today many Icons which were painted by him. An artist, he painted not only the first Icons of the Mother of God, but also those of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul and, possibly, others which have not come down to us.

Thus did Iconography begin. Then it came to a halt for a time. Christianity was cruelly persecuted: all that was reminiscent of Christ was destroyed and subjected to ridicule. Thus, during the course of the persecutions, Iconography did not develop, but Christians attempted to express in symbols what they wished to convey. Christ was portrayed as the Good Shepherd, and also in the guise of various personalities from pagan mythology. He was also depicted in the form of a vine, an image hearkening back to the Lord's words: "I am the true Vine.... ye are the branches" (St. John 15:1, 5). It was also accepted practice to depict Christ in the form of a fish, because if one writes in Greek "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior" (Iesous Christos, Theou Hios, Zoter) and then groups together the first letter of each word, one discovers that one has written the Greek word Ichthys, "fish." And so, Christians depicted a fish, thereby calling to mind these words which were known to those who believed in the Savior. This also became known to the pagans, and consequently the image of the fish was also held suspect.

When, following the victory of Emperor Constantine the Great over Maxentius, freedom was given to Christians, Christianity quickly transformed the Roman Empire and replaced paganism. Then Iconography flourished with full force. We already see directives concerning Iconography at the first ecumenical councils. In some church hymns, which today are still frequently used, mention is also made of Iconography.

Now what are Icons? Icons are precisely the union between painting and those symbols and works of art which replaced Icons during the time of persecution. The Icon is not simply a representation, a portrait. In later times only has the bodily been represented, but an Icon is still supposed to remind people of the spiritual aspect of the person depicted.

Christianity is the inspiration of the world. Christ founded His Church in order to inspire, to transfigure the world, to cleanse it from sin and bring it to that state in which it will exist in the age to come. Christianity was founded upon the earth and operates upon the earth, but it reaches to Heaven in its structure; Christianity is that bridge and ladder whereby men ascend from the earthly Church to the Heavenly. Therefore, a simple representation which recalls the earthly characteristics of some face is not an Icon. Even an accurate depiction, in the sense of physical build, still signifies nothing. A person may be very beautiful externally, yet at the same time be very evil. On the other hand, he may be ugly, and at the same time a model of righteousness. Thus, we see that an Icon must indeed depict that which we see with our eyes, preserving the characteristics of the body's form, for in this world the soul acts through the body; yet at the same time it must point towards the inner, spiritual essence. The task of the Iconographer is precisely to render, as far as possible and to as great an extent as possible, those spiritual qualities whereby the person depicted acquired the Kingdom of Heaven, whereby he won an imperishable crown from the Lord, for the Church's true significance is the salvation of man's soul. That which is on the earth perishes when we bring the body to the grave; but the soul passes on to another place. When the world comes to an end, consumed by fire, there will be a new earth and a new Heaven, as the Apostle John the Theologian says, for with the eyes of his soul he already foresaw the New Jerusalem, so clearly described in his sacred Revelation. The Lord came to prepare the whole world for this spiritual rebirth. To prepare oneself for this new Kingdom, one must uproot from within oneself those seeds of sin which entered mankind with our ancestors' fall into sin, distorting our pristine, grace-endowed nature; and one must plant within oneself those virtues which they lost in the fall. The Christian's goal is to change daily, to improve daily, and it is of this that our Icons speak.

In calling to mind the saints and their struggles, an Icon does not simply represent the saint as he appeared upon the earth. No, the Icon depicts his inner spiritual struggle; it portrays how he attained to that state where he is now considered an angel on earth, a heavenly man. This is precisely the manner in which the Mother of God and Jesus Christ are portrayed. Icons should depict that transcendent sanctity which permeated the saints. The Lord Jesus Christ is the union of all that is human and all that is divine; and when depicted in an Icon, the Savior must be painted so that we sense that He is a man, a real man, yet at the same time something more exalted than a man, that we not simply approach Him as we app. roach a visitor or an acquaintance. No, we should feel that He is One Who is close to us, our Lord Who is merciful to us, and at the same time an awe-inspiring Judge Who wants us to follow Him and wishes to lead us to the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, we must not turn away to one side or the other. We should not depict only the spiritual aspect of the saint, completely disregarding how he looked while alive on earth. This would also be an extreme. All saints should be depicted so as to convey their individual characteristics as much as possible—soldiers should be portrayed arrayed for battle; holy hierarchs in their episcopal vestments... It is incorrect to depict bishops of the first centuries vested in the sakkos, for at that time bishops wore the phelonion, not the sakkas, and yet this is not such a great error, for it is far better to make a mistake in what is physical than in what is spiritual, to ignore, as it were, the spiritual aspect.

However, it is far worse when everything is correct in the physical, bodily sense, but the saint appears as an ordinary man, as if he had been photographed, completely devoid of the spiritual. When this is the case, the depiction cannot be considered an Icon. Sometimes much attention is spent on making the Icon beautiful. If this is not detrimental to the spirituality of the Icon, it is good, but if the beauty distracts our vision to such an extent that we forget what is most important—that one must save one's soul, must raise one's soul to the heights of Heaven,—the beauty of the depiction is already detrimental. It cannot be considered an Icon, but merely a painting. It may be very beautiful, but it is not an Icon. An Icon is an image which leads us to a holy, God-pleasing person, or raises us up to Heaven, or evokes a feeling of repentance, of compunction, of prayer, a feeling that one must bow down before this image. The value of an Icon lies in the fact that, when we approach it, we want to pray before it with reverence. If the image elicits this feeling, it is an Icon.

This is what our Iconographers were zealous about—those ancient Iconographers of the time before the conversion of Russia, of whom there were many, and our Russian Iconographers, too, beginning with the Venerable Alypius of the Kiev Caves, who painted a number of Icons of the Mother of God, some of which still survive. These wondrous Icons, which continued the Byzantine tradition of the painting of Icons which inspire compunction, were not necessarily painted in dark colors; frequently they were done in bright hues; but these colors evoked a desire to pray before such Icons. The holy hierarch Peter, a native of Galicia who later became Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, painted Icons, some of which were until recently to be found in the Cathedral of the Dormition in Moscow. An entire school of Iconography was established in Novgorod under the direction of the holy hierarch Alexis of Novgorod, a whole series of whose Icons have been preserved. The Venerable Andrew Rublev painted an Icon of the Holy Trinity which is now famous not only in the Christian world, but throughout the half-Christian world as well.

Unfortunately, this Orthodox movement as a whole started to collapse when Russia began to be infiltrated by Western influence. In certain respects, Russia's acquaintance with the European West was very beneficial. Many technical sciences and much other useful knowledge came from the West. We know that Christianity has never had any aversion to knowledge of that which originates outside itself. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom studied in pagan universities, and many writers, among whom were our spiritual authors and many of the best theologians, were well acquainted with pagan writers. The Apostle Paul himself cited quotations from pagan poets even in the Holy Scriptures. Nevertheless, not all that was Western was good for Russia. It also wrought horrible moral damage at that time, for the Russians began to accept, along with useful knowledge, that which was alien to our Orthodox way of life, to our Orthodox faith. The educated portion of society soon sundered themselves from the life of the people and from the Orthodox Church, in which all was regulated by ecclesiastical norms. Later, alien influence touched Iconography as well. Images of the Western type began to appear, perhaps beautiful from an artistic point of view, but completely lacking in sanctity, beautiful in the sense of earthly beauty, but even scandalous at times, and devoid of spirituality. Such were not Icons. They were distortions of Icons, exhibiting a lack of comprehension of what an Icon actually is.

The purpose of this article is, first of all, to promote an understanding of the true Icon, and secondly, to cultivate a love for the Icon and the desire that our churches and our homes be adorned with genuine Icons and not with Western paintings which tell us nothing about righteousness or sanctity, but are merely pleasant to look upon. Of course, there are Icons painted correctly in the Iconographic sense, but yet very crudely executed. One can paint quite correctly in the theoretical sense and at the same time quite poorly from a practical standpoint. This does not mean that, from the principle of Iconography itself, these Icons are bad. On the other hand, it happens that one can paint beautifully, yet completely ignore the rules of Iconography. Both such approaches are harmful. One must strive to paint Icons well in principle, method and execution. This is why we oppose certain people and their attempts to paint our churches, for they have the wrong approach, the wrong point of view. They may paint well, perhaps; but when the point of view is incorrect, when the direction is wrong, no matter how well the locomotive runs, it nonetheless slips off the track and is derailed. This is precisely what happens to those who execute their work technically and correctly, yet due to an incorrect approach and an incorrect point of view, they travel the wrong path.

By St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco

Source: http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/icon_discourse.aspx