Icon created for the 1st synod of the Italian army
To understand this icon, we need to read the whole of chapter 10 of the Acts of the Apostles. We can call this mystery the mystery of the Alliance.
Peter arrives at the home of the centurion Cornelius; he was still speaking when the Spirit fell on the soldiers and their families. In the Old Testament, God makes an alliance with his creature, of which the Hebrew people are the Icon. This alliance is symbolised by the Ark, and Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit covered this Ark, setting it apart. The people were not allowed to approach it.
When the temple was built, the Ark was placed in the Holy of Holies. The cloud, the Icon of the Spirit, could not cover the Ark. It was the great red veil that closed off access. Here again, people were not allowed to enter.
When Jesus was crucified, when he gave up his Spirit, this great red veil was torn in two, from top to bottom. Access was no longer closed. Pentecost confirmed this Gift of the Alliance, the gift of the Spirit given to mankind.
In the Old Alliance, the people could see but were not allowed to approach; with Jesus, the true Holy of Holies is open to all.
This is what we see in this Icon: the Alliance (= Fire, Blood, Spirit, Love) is given even to non-Jews and it is still soldiers who inaugurate this immense opening. God makes no exception of anyone.
The great red veil that hangs over this mystery is reminiscent of the great red veil of the Temple; it no longer closes off access, but the Spirit unites the old and the new, the synagogue and the Church. There is no common ground between the Alliance before the Crucifixion and the Alliance after the Crucifixion, even in our lives.
Sister Marie-Paul
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