Not a Spectator Sport

It is unfortunate that some people incorrectly view a church service as a spectator sport. It is even more unfortunate when this attitude is expressed or acted out in an Orthodox Divine Liturgy. But, when people come in late and leave early they are acting like the only thing important is to show up and receive the Body and Blood of Christ from the priest. Sadly, I have even heard a priest speak of the congregation as the "audience". These attitudes betray a fundamental misunderstanding of who we all are, and what we are doing. If we were just spectators in the Divine Liturgy it would mean that a priest could celebrate the Divine Liturgy by himself. Canonically, this is not allowed, and for good reason. There is a priest at the altar who is of that select number who has been graced to be an icon of Christ and to be a celebrant of the mysteries, but the church teaches that all Orthodox Christians are part of that greater priesthood of believers. When the priest opens the service with, "Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…" the congregation responds with an "Amen". This response is an affirmation and a ratification of what the priest is saying. St. Paul speaks of this "Amen" in I Corinthians. St. Jerome writes that the voice of the people shouting "Amen" was so loud that it sounded like an earthquake.

As Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis has said, "Through the "Amen" we are taught that the priest is not by himself. He does not bless the Holy Trinity in his own name alone, but in the name of all the people of God gathered in worship."

What follows is the Litany of Peace. Interestingly, ten of the eleven petitions are addressed to the congregation and not to God. The priest or deacon makes the horizontal entreaty to the congregation. It is the congregation who wings these prayers vertically toward God by saying "Lord, have mercy." They aren't complete prayers without the congregation doing their part. And, throughout this service and most of the other services of the church, there is a necessity for the congregation to do their part. When the deacon or priest says, "Let us all say with all our soul and with all our mind…", or "Let us the faithful, again and again, in peace pray to the Lord" he is emphasizing the importance of full involvement with the service: full involvement of the priests and deacons, and full involvement of the congregation.

So, it is important for the congregation to physically be there for the entire service. And, once present, it is important that all in attendance (whether in the nave, narthex, or at the altar) be tuned heavenward.

Writing an Icon

This past week I wrote my first icon. It was something that I never expected to do, but thanks to my priest, master iconographer Fr. Mefodii , and the Prosopon School I was given the opportunity. I have not held a paint brush (except to paint a wall) since elementary art class, so this was a daunting task, to say the least. But, life is a daunting task, and writing an icon on a gesso surface is very much like the self icon that we all are writing each day of this life. For six days I got up with a little fear and trepidation about just what new challenges would face me. During the course of the day I took those challenges: outlining the image on the board, etching the image into the gesso surface without digging in too deeply, figuring out which brush to use, learning the techniques of floating, outlining, and highlighting. Some things I could do pretty well. Some things I couldn't seem to do right at all. Patience was a virtue, and a positive outlook did help. Prayer throughout was the key component. Writing the icon is not an art exercise, it is a spiritual discipline. It is being obedient to the teacher. It is getting out of the way and just being an instrument for the work. It is an act of worship. At the end of the day I breathed a sigh of relief that I had gotten through another day, that I had learned, that I had been humbled, and that I had been forgiven at each step of the way. Amazingly, the icon did take on a life of it's own. Fr. Mefodii says that we are co-creating with God as we write the icon. I believe him. I saw it happening. And, we don't do it alone. Our little new community of icon writers helped each other, just as we are supposed to do in life.

There is much about the theology of the icon that I didn't know. The pure white gesso surface represents the light of God. The clay that is attached and burnished into the surface (and spread around the outside of the board) below the gold leaf gilding represents our humanity which (God willing) is transformed into divinity. Attaching the gold by breathing on the clay is like God breathing life into us. An icon is all about light: the light of the Triune God, the light that is reflected out of, and upon the image (saint or angel) on the icon. All of the iconic images are depicted with two small tears on account of us. There is a horizontal element (life) as well as a vertical element (light). The way we write the icon, and the aspects of the process that we either are attracted to, or not, are reflective of our spiritual state. It is a self examining process as much as it is a process of God examining us. It is a time for reflection, repentance, and hope.

The icon that most of us wrote was that of our guardian angel, the protector and guide that each of us is given at baptism. The angel is shown holding our little soul in a protective stance. What a beautiful picture. What a beautiful thought, that God would supply us with an angel to be with us through our spiritual journey, and to be there to usher us onward once we shuffle off this mortal coil.

Our group of a dozen or so was made up of many different types of people: male and female, older and younger, Orthodox, Catholic, Methodist, monastics, liberals, conservatives, artsy, and not so artsy. The icon is what brought all of us there last week. Fr. Mefodii says that he believes the icon is what will eventually reunite the Church. I think he is right. Our little microcosm was just one little ripple in the wave in icon interest that has spilled out of Orthodoxy to attract people from all faiths. Everyone had their own reasons for being there last week. God had His own reasons that might not be quite the same as ours. As we sat around and talked during meals and breaks some of those reasons became apparent.

I made some new friends last week. I came to appreciate many more things about my priest. I learned some things about myself. And, my guardian angel was watching over me as I wrote his icon, and continued work upon my own.