Starting an Icon Wall

I know the picture and my wall hanging skills suck but I thought I would share a few icons i purchased recently. Monasteryicons.com is a great source of western icons and all of them have inspired me throughout my reading over the past year.

1. The last supper. Going to a Lutheran church with a sacremental view of communion was an eye opener. The idea of Christ being present in communion every week to give us a break from the law was profound and made sense to me.

2. St. Patrick. Who doesnt love green beer and a guy who evangelized the northern British isles in antiqutiy.

3. St. Thomas Aquainas. Not only was this the namesake of the parish I first attended mass at. I actually read about his impact on church history and respect how he merged platonism with Christian thought. I am not a rigid Thomist in my thinking but I respect his courage for tackling a tough subject and keeping Orthodox Christianity relevant.

4. St. Francis des Sales. This guy would be my patron saint Iif I were to ever swim the Tiber. This guy went into hostile terrritory in post reformation France and brought back 40000 people back to the Catholic church. What makes this sweet was that they were all Calvinists. Since I have I fight or flight response with Calvinism I respect the pair this guy had to take them on. He used the power of the press that Luther used and brought people back to the church. Which is funny that I report in this manner since I am still protestant.

5. Virgin Mary. This came free with my order but to be fair I think she deserves mre reverence than a spot in the nativity scene at Christmas.  I am still wrestling about what being full of grace means and the perpetual virginity stuff. I do realize at the very least she was eentrusted with raising God incarnate on earth and that should count for more than the evangelicals give her credit for.

I like the fact that they are windows to another dimension where all of the saints that have lived before us are. It also allows me to respect Christians
that lived and didnt parlay their popularity into material success, like so many of the schmuCks hhavein the evangelical world.