www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Question about Icons

I have a few general questions about icons. Since I'm new to the forum, I figure I should let people know that I'm a Latin Catholic who is in his infancy in his discovery and education of the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

I've been trying to read more about some of the particulars about Eastern Christianity and have been somewhat struck by the beauty of many icons. My questions is about buying icons and having them in your home. First, is it appropriate to purchase icons for your home? Second, what is the proper way to treat an icon in your home? Third, where do you purchase icons?

Since I don't have much experience/exposure to the theological and religious importance of icons, would it be appropriate for me to have them in my home? I am wary of doing anything that would be considered at the very least inappropriate.

Thanks for your help/insight on the topic.

Dear 'T-Bone',

Everytime I read your moniker, I think 'steak'!
(I also think that it's a great name for a rapper, by the way!)

...Anyway, you may indeed purchase icons for your home and display them in a prayer corner, or on a wall as a special sacred area. A nice thing to do would be to buy the icons and bring them to a Byzantine church to have them blessed. If they are hand painted, they usually are blessed, and the whole process of creating them involves much prayer.

I hope this helps, and welcome to the forum!

In Christ,
Alice, Moderator

(hope you didn't mind my teasing)

From Texas, T-Bone Walker was the first popular blues guitarist to go electric in 1942 thereby influencing endless generations. His style could be compared to B.B. King meets Nat King Cole. Btw local grass grazed t-bone is always the best (as opposed to corn/grain fed). I'm reading a book about Icons called "Windows To Heaven: Introducing Icons to Protestants and Catholics" by Elizabeth Zelensky & Lela Gilbert. I am hoping it will teach me how the canons developed for the creation (or do i have to say writing?) of icons. My mother has had a palestinian icon or triptych, next to pictures of the family and friends all my life. I happen to think an icon could be blessed at a Roman Catholic Church too...After all the seminary near my home has two huge icons in it. Dare I say there seems to be a fad for icons among western catholics in the past few years. Perhaps the result of ecumenism? I don't know. I saw an icon writing retreat brochure in another local Western Church as well. Even the former principal of my Catholic School was learning how to write thema nd teaching people in her retirement. I must find out why this is. I think it's great, but I don't know why icons are all of a sudden everywhere!

My former principal was a dominican sister of nashville, TN, Sister Camille. I should say Icons in their eastern form are recently popular/rediscovered among western ascetics, less so than western laity.
This seems to be a useful site.

http://www.iconsexplained.com/iec/iec_idb2g_intro.htm

http://www.nmafa.si.edu/exhibits/icons/faith.html#
These Ethiopian ones are some of my favourites.

Dear T-bone,

Icons can be arranged on a wall or corner facing East in your home, if possible.

Icons of our Lord can be on the right and icons of the Mother of God can be on the left. The Mother of God icons represent the First Coming of Christ and the icons of our Lord His Second Coming. The point of the corner signifies our lives lived in between these two Advents of our Lord.

The two basic icons every Eastern Christian should have are one of our Lord and one of the Mother of God as well.

Icons of Angels and Saints, Crosses et al. are also to be included - over time! Icons are given to celebrate "rites of passage" such as weddings and graduations. The feast of one's patronal namesake is precious and is celebrated with solemnity - his or her icon should be in a prominent place in the corner as well.

Icon corners can be decorated with embroidered towels, flowers, candles, oil-lamps etc. A little table can be placed underneath for prayerbooks, prayer beads/ropes, a box for blessed Bread/Antidoron with Holy Water and both can be consumed first thing in the morning during morning prayers before breakfast.

When we approach icons, we cross ourselves twice with slight bows. We then move to kiss an icon in reverence and then move back to cross ourselves again with a bow.

We never kiss the subject of an icon on the face, but always the clothing in imitation of the woman with the issue of blood who touched our Lord's hem and was healed.

When we enter another person's home (home-church) before we even say "hello" to them, we do three bows with the Sign of the Cross before the icons they have in their home.

We do the same in Church at the Tetrapod where the icons and a Cross will be placed.

When we see an icon anywhere it is traditional to say a prayer in our minds to the Person represented i.e. to the Cross, "We bow to Your Cross, O Master, and we glorify Your Resurrection!" Or "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." or "Most Holy Mother of God, save me a sinner!" Or "Holy Great John, Prophet, Forerunner and Baptizer of the Lord, pray unto God for me a sinner!" And likewise to any Angel and Saint.

It is good to have a small icon on one's person at all times for protection, to have an icon of St Nicholas or other in one's car for protection, near the front doorway to remind us to pray before we leave and after we return, on our desk at work.

I like to have a small icon of St Antipas of Pergamum on the counter where I brush and floss as St Antipas is the patron of teeth in the East (St Apollonia is the Western patron).

I had an icon of St Justin the Philosopher when I graduated with my PhD and I graduated on his very feastday. I gave that icon to a friend at work when his son was killed in a car accident - since his son's name was "Justin."

Giving icons and other religious items is an excellent way to spread the Divine Blessings around.

Two days ago, I was on the bus with a ten-set of prayer beads. Suddenly, I was surrounded by students. A young girl, as I saw out of the corner of my eye, pointed out my beads in my hand to her friends who all turned to look at me praying silently there.

It never ceases to amaze how students these days wear all sorts of outlandish costumes, with chains et al. but if someone has a small pair of plastic prayer beads - then they all turn to gawk at you!

When my stop came up, I got up and as I walked past that female student, I gently placed my little prayer beads into her hand with a smile and walked away.

You could have heard a pin drop in the back of the bus that day.

Hopefully, she will use those beads and I intend to buy more to give to other strangers on the bus whenever they show an interest.

I've also given prayer-books to people on public transit who have asked me about what I'm reading and where they could get a copy. And I've given small icons from my work-desk to others who wanted to know more about them as well.

It's always good to have a store of inexpensive objects like that on hand - you never know who God will send your way!

The icon is both an object of personal devotion as well as a great tool for evangelization!

Alex

Dear T-Bone (I love your screenname, btw-- it makes me hungry),

You can certainly buy icons for your home, and I'd recommend it! You can find them online, or you can visit an Orthodox or Eastern Catholic church that has a gift shop. I'm fortunate enough to live thirty miles away from a fishing village founded by Greeks in at the turn of the 20th century called Tarpon Springs. Many shops along the sponge docks there sell icons at reasonable prices. I'd start with an icon of Christ and of the Mother of God. You might then want to get icons of your favorite saints.

As for how to treat icons, I'd say, treat them the way you would treat photos of beloved family members-- because they're members of your heavenly family. Display them prominently, on an eastern wall, if possible. It's customary to cross yourself in front of icons, and to kiss them. It's also a good idea to have candles or vigil lamps in front of them that you can light in times of prayer.

It's important to understand that icons aren't simply paintings. Physically, they may be wood and paint and metal, but spiritually they put us in Presence of heaven.

God bless,

Karen