What does this Icon say?
The Icon of the Presentation in the Temple of Jerusalem illustrates the passage from the Gospel of Luke 2:22-28.
Joseph and Mary take the Child to consecrate him to the Lord. Here, the Temple is symbolised by the altar surmounted by a ciborium with the red veil open. Two steps are enough to indicate that it is an ascent.
They are met by the old man Simeon and the Prophetess Anna. Simeon takes the Child in his arms. Scripture (or the Gospel) tells us that Simeon had been divinely warned and came to the Temple moved by the Holy Spirit. Loudly, he proclaimed that this Child was the Lord's Christ. "Now, sovereign Master..." (Luke 2:29-32)
Scripture (or the Gospel) adds that Joseph and Mary were amazed at what was being said about this Child. Simeon blessed them and prophesied: "A sword will pierce your soul" (Luke 2:33-35), announcing to Mary all that she would have to suffer so that Jesus could accomplish his Work.
The composition
We see Joseph dressed in blue and ochre. The blue symbolises his faith and spirituality. He is an inner man, a man of silence and accomplishment. Without hesitation, he does what God asks of him. His ochre coat, the colour of the desert, expresses his renunciation: the ascetic side of his life.
He holds in his hands a pair of doves that will be offered as a sacrifice in the name of the Child consecrated and offered to God.
Joseph takes his spiritual fatherhood from God himself: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife to your home... She will bear a Son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people" (Matthew 1:20-22). To give a name is to give a being, a vocation, a mission. So it was Joseph, the father and head of the family, who had the duty to offer the sacrifice according to what was written in the Jewish law (cf. Luke 2:23-25).
In our Icon, Joseph seems to be coming out of a building, a house behind him, to signify that he is leaving his home to go up to the Temple.
It is worth remembering here that the Icon will always give full importance to the human person. Buildings, mountains and trees will be represented in smaller size and behind the people. They're just there to say what they have to say.
Mary is already in front of the altar, offering her Child; her hands are covered as a sign of respect. Her upright posture announces the Stabat of the Cross. With her fragility and humility, she is strong, upright, solid, like a column supporting the true Temple of God, which is her Son: "Destroy this Temple, and I will rebuild it in three days." He was talking about the Temple of his Body" (John 2:19).
All the strength of God is within her to receive the proclamation of the sword that will pierce her soul. She is dressed in dark purple. Gentleness, strength and suffering express her royalty. She is the King's Mother.
The altar, the colour of fire and light, the colour of love and the Spirit, is surmounted by a blue ciborium, the colour of heaven, the symbol of the divinity. The red veil recalls the veil of the Temple that hid the Holy of Holies. Here, it is open to welcome the King and the High Priest that the Child already is.
The old man Simeon stands on the steps, symbolising the ascent to the Temple. He is dressed in green, symbolising new life, like spring. The whole garden is turning green. "My eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all the people" (Luke 2:29-31).
Sister Marie-Paul
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