“In the Orthodox tradition, the sacred icon constitutes a threshold that connects earth with heaven, the temporal with the eternal. As the faithful stand before an icon, they become aware that the Kingdom of God is not something distant or abstract, but is present and active within the life of the world. When we contemplate it with a prayerful disposition, the icon becomes a window to the divine, directing our gaze beyond its visible form towards the person depicted and, ultimately, towards the Triune God and the eternal Kingdom.”
Invoking the above theological truth, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia described as particularly apt the title, “Divine Thresholds: Icons and the Orthodox Christian World”, of the exhibition at the Hellenic Museum in Melbourne, which was officially opened on Friday, 28 August.
“I am particularly pleased,” he noted, “that this exhibition does not seek merely to present icons as objects of artistic and historical value, but also to highlight their theological significance and the living role they play in the liturgical life and everyday experience of Orthodox Christians.”
“In a society that is often characterised by rapid change and uncertainty,” he observed, “icons continue to offer a powerful witness to beauty, holiness and hope. They remind us that human life finds its fulfilment in communion with God and in the transformation of the human person according to the model of Christ.”
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia