Winter Oceanside and Russian Icons

WINTER OCEANSIDE

New Year

Wide winter’s ocean –

eternal blue – touching eternal sky.

Sunshine is bright –

slowly now dimming – clouds of

approaching snow storm – tomorrow.

Silence hangs over all – silence of

the sea – silence of winter –

silence of God.

New Year – another cycle –

mystery of time marches on –

mystery of life marches on.

Al Anton – old friend – high school comrade

died – hospital infection –

never made it home again.

My world – country rumbles – endless

wars – killing women – children –

Palestine getting smaller – smaller.

Winter Oceanside – full of mystery –

life is full of mystery.

Silence of the sea is beautiful –

sand – water – brown grass rest in it.

I too rest in silence –

silence – language of God.

Let me have hope – confidence –

life is heavy – endless dark tunnels.

But winter seaside is beautiful –

like the Good Shepherd leading us on.

Robert Trabold

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RUSSIAN ICONS AND CONTEMPLATION

Robert Trabold

            On November 20, 2010, the House of the Redeemer on 95^th Street
in Manhattan hosted a day of ‘Praying with Icons.’ I decided to go because I have been attracted to various icons and find them helpful in my prayer life.  The discussion on icons was interesting in that the speakers went into the history of their development in Russia, the theology that stands behind the structure and painting of the pictures, the question of veneration of them, and on how they are created and painted. Not knowing too much about the history of icons and their development, I found the discussions very interesting.

            In recent years, I have been attracted to icons because they exude for me a sense of peace and beauty which help me enter into contemplation. Entering into meditation and staying there is a challenge because I live a busy life and I have to make sure that I leave time aside for prayer.  With so many things on my mind, I have to develop a discipline of silence to make room for prayer. I am very careful to have time set aside for prayer, where I will pray, use of the mantra, posture and other things that I do to enter into silence. In living in this discipline of silence, I am aware of the icons in my house and periodically, I look at them and rest in their beauty.  I am particularly enamored to the icon “Our Lady of Vladimir” depicting the Virgin and child. There is an aura of peace and beauty in the faces of the mother and child as they rest close to one another in the picture.  The colors of gold, red, brown and black all add to the dignity of the picture. As I look at the picture and venerate it, I feel a peace and quiet come over me and I enter into the presence of the Virgin and child depicted in the icon. I feel their presence there and they looking at me. This entrance into silence that comes from the icon can help me enter into and prepare for meditation.  The many things and concerns that cluster my mind go away and leave me in peace.  My mind is emptied out and I try to enter into the presence of the divine in contemplation and silence.

            I also have another icon which is from Vietnam. It was given to me many years ago when I was student in Paris. It is a beautiful picture of the Virgin and child. It has the same dark colors but faces are Asian and delicately painted with these characteristics.  Looking at this icon and venerating it, I feel again this sense of peace and quiet which resonates through my body.  It helps me get the busyness and many concerns out of my mind and life so that I can enter into the silence of contemplation. I am a social activist and have been involved with the peace movement for many years and I remember that France and the United States fought wars there for many years and killed millions of people.  Looking at the icon leads me on to pray for peace in the world and an end to wars.

            From my experience with icons in my house, I appreciate their beauty and their ability to lead me into silence and peace. I suspect that this is why they are so prominent in the history of the Russian people and survived the onslaught of many years of Communist rule. On occasion, I enter into Russian Orthodox churches and see how the people are drawn to and venerate the many icons in their church and during their worship services. Participating in the day long discussion of Russian icons at the House of Redeemer recently gave me a deeper insight into the rich tradition and spirituality of these pictures. Becoming more aware of this hopefully will help me appreciate and use more the power and presence of icons in my prayer life. It is a constant struggle for humans to develop that discipline of silence to remain faithful to their practice of contemplation during the years. We can use all the help we need and the rich spiritual history and presence of icons can help us on our way.