The Bridegroom icon, from what I've read, plays a large part in the Byzantine Rite Holy Week. Personally, I've never been so drawn to a religious image as this one. I find myself coming back to it again and again.
Last month, I found a wood-mounted print of it in a gift shop. I almost literally leaped for joy. The gift shop owner was so taken by my enthusiasm for it, she gave it to me for $20, since that's the only cash I had, and the sticker said it cost a little more.
I don't know what sorts of relationships other people have with sacred images. When I look at Our Lady of Guadalupe, I feel hope. When I look at St. Joseph, I have an enlivened sense of duty and purity.
With Christ the Bridegroom, I feel primarily love. But I also go to this icon whenever I don't know what I'm supposed to do, and as soon as I gaze at it, I know exactly what I have to do, and I feel peace about it. It embodies manhood at its fulfillment and perfection. It embodies sacrificial love. It embodies total cooperation with the will of God.
Thanks for sharing this Ross! I don't recall having seen this image before. It certainly is thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see a post explaining some of the symbols found in this icon. Please?!
ReplyDeleteI've always been drawn to images of Our Lady of Czestochowa. It is an image of love, but tinged with sorrow and a little severity. I guess I think of it as a maternal reminder to get back on track.
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