Holy Icon

"Marija Receives the Light", acrylic on canvas, Bishop Maxim, 2018

Marija comes for the vigil on the Holy Saturday night outside the temple with wakeful and vigilant face and candles (its flame burning brightly) in her hands to celebrate Christ’s resurrection. “Come, receive the light!” is exclaimed three times as a promise that no matter how dark our world gets, the light will never be overtaken. After Holy Friday, she is transported to the moment “very early in the morning” when the light of the Resurrection is just beginning to dawn. A gladness of soul is a record of the Eucharistic experience.