Archbishop of Australia: The Icon is a threshold connecting Earth with Heaven

“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.

During his visit to the Hellenic Museum, His Eminence was warmly welcomed by its President, Mr Harry Stamoulis, and the members of the Board of Directors, and was given a tour of the exhibition by Ms Sarah Craig, Director of the Museum. During the tour, he had the opportunity to admire more than 130 exhibits—icons and sacred objects—which originate from private and…