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The following meditation was given on Tuesday, September 3, 2013, the first day of the General Chapter of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, and was presented by Sr. Miriam Tamiano, OCarm., the superior of the monastery of nuns in Cerreto (Italy), where this icon was "written" (1).

Each Carmelite Marian icon reminds and seeks to make visible the relationship between Mary and her Son. Since the 4th century, artists have attempted to capture the fundamental aspects of Mariology in their depictions, particularly the theological aspect: Mary as Theotokos (Mother of God) – this title reflects her role in salvation history – and the spiritual aspect: her mission as an intercessor. (2)

In this icon, Mary is depicted as Virgo purissima (Most Pure Virgin): her virginity (3) and the beauty of her soul are faithful signs that she is full of grace (Lk 1:28). Mary shows us here the way, which is Jesus, the Word of God, and with the gesture of her right hand, she evangelizes. As the Mother of Evangelization, adorned with the integrity of her quiet and peaceful spirit (1 Peter 3:4), which is the true adornment of a human being, radiating from her whole personality, she touches the human heart intimately. She looks with a radiant gaze, smiles, and her kindness is reflected in her gestures. The positioning of the four saints harmoniously draws our attention; they are facing us just as Mary and Jesus are, surrounded by a halo (4) visibly defined by a white edging.

In the icon, we see transformed people: the saints. Their portrayals, symbolizing their glorified presence, are not placed as usual at the lower part at Mary's feet under her cloak. Their whole figures are symmetrically arranged in the four corners of the icon, as if in niches, achieved through varying luminosity of gold. The same can be observed around Mary’s depiction, which also shines with glorified presence. St. Albert of Jerusalem, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Titus Brandsma, and St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi are not arranged in the icon according to any temporal or spatial key. Their presence among us can be contemplated right here and now. They are not outside of time but are "timeless"; that is, they are present throughout all history and are present now, in our current time.

Their bright, radiant, and uplifting figures, symbols of truth and pure transparency, are surrounded by golden light that emanates from within the icon, creating the impression that it wants to transform these saints into the light that God Himself is, the Sun of Justice, revealing His presence. The figures of Bl. Titus and St. Magdalene are positioned at the bottom – at the base – of the icon, while St. Albert and St. Teresa seem to float in space, as if their stylization expresses the transformation of human possibilities while still respecting their humanity. A certain "sobriety of representation" of the figures seems to suggest their movement toward what is eternal, just like the quiet flame that shines in their eyes. Mary stands on a flat surface, dressed in the most magnificent garments, which, in combination with the radiant white cloak, play in rainbow colors. Although Mary is dressed in Carmelite colors (tunic and cloak), the various shades of blue and purple that shine through reflect fidelity to the traditional canon of depicting Mary with the designation Hodegetria (she who shows the way). The language of traditional iconography is simple and universal.

The transformed and thus stylized human figure speaks of the experience of inner light, which then permeates her physical features. She becomes a being of light, which is particularly evident in her face (5).
Only St. Teresa looks directly at the Mother of God; the gaze of the other saints is directed toward the observer, toward the one who prays, that is, toward us. The icon allows for an encounter with those who gaze upon it, on many levels. It is no longer us who look at the image, but we experience – as before every icon – that it looks at us. The eyes of the saints look at us, but unlike other images, from which the eyes of the portrayed follow us with every movement, the gaze of the icon leaves us free. Free to turn away or to respond to the gaze of the one who looks at us. The icon does not compel us to respond. Nevertheless, the figures in the icon are present before us here and now, not gazing at us from some distant place.

The figures of the Carmelite saints are simply styled, and the radiant cloaks that cover the "earthly" colors of their tunics (including St. Albert's garment) seem like an extended vivified radiation of the transparent garment of the Mother of God. In Mary's colors, we see the reflection of heaven and the greatest depths. Besides the whiteness of her veil – transparent whiteness! – there shines the red color of fire, and the person who looks at it seems to be enveloped in a cloud, finds himself in the embrace of hope and salvation.

On all icons, where Mary shows us the way to Christ (as Hodegetria), we find in her representation two important moments: Mary's face with eyes darkened in contrast to the brightness of her forehead and nose, which makes her figure somewhat melancholic, even though she still appears relaxed, and the child Jesus, sitting on her left arm in a position of a king (6), slightly turned toward the Mother: he is the source of divinity and light, he is the evangelizer par excellence, as well as the proclaimed "good news" (gospel). Although it is Mary who "represents" Jesus, she receives the light from him, thereby becoming a source of light and hope. Toward Christ, the act of adoration of St. Mary Magdalene and Bl. Titus is directed. Mary respectfully points to her Son, and this gesture is also a gesture of supplication. Mary's right hand, situated on a white background, shows where we should primarily focus our attention, inviting us to attentive listening to the words of Scripture, the scroll of which the Son holds in his left hand and gently extends to us with his hand.

The absence of any horizon situates the Mother of God at the center of the icon and the saints in a circle around her. In iconography, there is no real spatiotemporal horizon, but the individual scenes are arranged in the icon to gradually capture our attention. The moment and place of the event depicted in the icon is always presence. That is: Mary is now among us and guides us – Carmelites – on our journey. The representation of the saints in a circle emphasizes the central message of the icon: Mary's womb and the child Jesus on her left arm. He is the Lord of life, our "Rising," to whom we turn. And the beautiful faces of the depicted figures are the site of our meeting with them.

In the tradition of the early Church, Origen speaks of God who became incarnate, who revealed himself through his "icon" (7); He, the Invisible, the Unlimited, made himself known through something visible, limited (8). From this perspective, every icon of the Virgin Mary points to the true icon, which is every human being whose prototype is Jesus Christ, who is the Father's glory. "Contemplation of Christ," in whom God has revealed himself, or "beholding even in this life," can describe the experience our fathers made "at the fountain on Mount Carmel" (Rule, Art. 1). To this day, they encourage those who wish to follow their example to adopt the art of "looking within," in which reflects the source of true light. Even today, through the image of Jesus' Mother, through her kind gesture – a gesture by which she evangelizes by pointing to Jesus – we are invited to "write" our own icon. An icon that arises from meetings and friendship among us, who – as members of the Carmelite family – are gradually transformed into the radiance of light that envelops and penetrates all aspects of our lives and teaches us to see anew what is usual, common, and seemingly mundane. (9)

Notes:

(1) The creation of an icon is called "writing an icon" (not painting).

(2) These aspects of Marian icons correspond with the understanding of Mary's presence in the life of Carmel. The contemplation of Mary as Mother of God (theological aspect) forms the basis of our attachment to her and experiencing Mary as Sister and Mother: through Mary's closeness to the Son, we have the assurance of certain hope for her intercession (spiritual aspect) and for the fulfillment of personal holiness in life (anthropological aspect). Her depiction is related to her mission in salvation history (aspect of revelation) and shows the essence of the connection with Christ in general.

(3) The three lighted crosses – only two are visible (on the forehead and on the right shoulder; the cross on the left shoulder is shaded by the child) – are usually interpreted as symbols of virginity before, during, and after childbirth. An interesting interpretation also sees them as a symbol of the mystery of the Trinity. Mary truly is the place of God's presence, for nine months she is the Ark of the Only God in the Trinity.

(4) The halo (from the Latin nimbus = cloud), which represents participation in God's glory, is designated for a saint. In contrast, aureola represents the victorious crown received by a saint at the end of their struggle. The halo thus emphasizes the aspect of gift, grace, while the aureola emphasizes the aspect of reward. Graphically, the halo is three-dimensional, regardless of how the saint is turned, we always see it the same in the shape of a circle; the aureola, when the saint turns, becomes either a circle or an oval, sometimes it takes the shape of a flat disk.

(5) Inner light shines in the face, recalling Ecclesiastes: "Wisdom lights up a man's face" (Eccl 8:1).

(6) As if on a throne, see Akathist I: "Rejoice, you are the royal throne, Rejoice, you who bear him who supports all."

(7) Jesus "is the faithful image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15).

(8) Jesus' human body.

(9) The primary purpose of the icon is not to evoke or intensify natural human feelings. Although it does not suppress anything of our humanity, it leads us to the "transformation" of all experiences. Every manifestation of our human nature gains (in this process) true meaning in the service of a proper harmonious life, and it gradually expands our narrowed view of the world, of beauty, until the mystery of transformed humanity is fully realized within us.

1 Kings 18:20–24