Today we celebrate the feast day of the Nuns of New Skete. Their monastery is dedicated to the Sign of the Theotokos. The icon of the Sign points to mysteries both sacred and profound that are central to our Christian way of life. It does this in a way much different from the Icon of the Sign of the Cross. In the icon on the ceiling in the center of the church, we notice that Christ is depicted gazing out from the center of Mary, the Theotokos or the one who bore God. Her son seems to dwell there once again, but this time not in a physical manner as he did before his birth. This can indicate that she again contains and carries him so that she can present him to us in a new way. Here we see Jesus in a form reminiscent of the Christ-child, but actually it is the adult Christ who has already lived, suffered and died, and is now risen and ascended. Both forms serve as Signs of our hope in the Word of God. We know that Mary is also held by him, and this is depicted literally in the icon of her Falling Asleep or Dormition (Assumption). But in the Sign icon it is more like what St. Paul described when he exclaimed that “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” It is a beautiful way of depicting her freelydedicating and synchronizing herself with the consciousness and the self-emptying love of Christ.
So this is not an historical depiction of their lives, or simply of the intimacy between mother and child. The icon as Sign reaches beyond their persons and lifetimes and the limitations of time and space. It seems to be a gentle portrayal of union, intimacy, attained after much suffering, but nevertheless focused outward to radiate its light on us who still live in the shadow of the cross.
The position of the hands of both figures make the Sign an archetype of prayer and blessing. Her palms turned toward us invite us to lift up our hearts and minds. It is emblematic of the action of liturgy. It is a model for the church, which continues to serve as the body of Christ in the world. It might well serve as the undistorted pattern or template of our own path and a Sign of our dynamic unity of spirit and intention. It is symbolic of the goal of our striving, where everything finally works together for the good. Peace and openness emanate from the icon, together with a calm and serene energy that I think is attractive to us.
When Mary was approached to be the mother of Jesus, her response shows her to have been a person remarkably transparent both to herself and to God. Even at that very young age, it appears she had reached a pretty full awareness of life's purposes for her and the flowering of human possibilities for her. We know about only a few of the critical and challenging events in her life. But even so, we get a sense that the alienation, anxiety, unconscious attitudes, and instinctive reactions that we see and experience were finding some resolution in her and finally would fall away. We see evidence there of her courage and openness to grace, inspiration, and the Holy Spirit, especially visible at the annunciation. These seem to have been both the foundation and the fruit of her spiritual development and personal integration.
We instinctively want compare her attitude with our own-- a sometimes scary thought. This is an invitation to rise up from the deadening states of guilt, shame, fear, resentment, anger, envy, hatred, despair and to let go of the ugly and self-centered thoughts floating through our awareness. Sometimes it is tempting to remain too comfortable with these familiar energy drains. Very often we barely perceive in ourselves what others might mirror back to us, both positive and negative. We might not be listening but wonder why there is conflict; or we might be too self-involved and wonder why we cannot work together. We might unconsciously ignore or minimize some profound gifts hidden in ourselves, usually the very same ones we value or envy in others.
Extraordinary persons have broken through this interior darkness, though certainly not without struggle. They have attained a certain wisdom. They become noticeably more childlike, and genuinely innocent, in their clear awareness and appreciation of their surroundings and of other individuals. We too struggle with our failures or successes in developing altruistic motives, more mindful responses, and contemplative insight and intuition.
These virtues, too, seem to have reached a certain maturity in the Theotokos. It is no wonder that her image is an integral part of an icon serving as a Sign for our souls and spirits. The icon takes for granted each of our lives' profound value in the eyes of God and points out the way to living according to this truth. |
