Привет! (For those of you who do not read Russian - which would include me - that first word could be translated into English as, “Greetings!”)
How are you? Hope you are well. I began this e Newsletter with a word from Russian because my mind has been thinking of that Eastern European country as of late. To be certain there has been a lot of coverage in recent years within the international news about the political maneuverings and meddling of Russia. At the same time Russia has a remarkable history of saints and scribes of men and women and children who have positively left their mark on the world around them. One of those was a man named Andrei Rublev.
In the latter part of the 1300s an Orthodox Christian man named
Андре́й Рублёв or Andrei Rublev was born. While little is known about his life he is remembered for being a gifted painter and iconographer. Arguably his most famous work is referred to as “Rublev’s Trinity” in which he depicts three figures sitting around a table, as they prepare to share a meal with one another. The original intention of the icon was to portray the three angelic visitors who met with Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18:1-10. This passage will actually be the First Reading at Mass on Sunday. Because of the way that the icon was written (since the work is not technically referred to as a painting it was not painted) it has also been considered a masterful rendering of the Most Holy Trinity in a symbolic way. At the personal level this icon is near and dear to my heart.
For as long as I’ve been alive, “Rublev’s Trinity” has been a part of the Peterson home. My family received a copy of the icon many years ago and it has been up on a wall in a prominent place ever since then. Even before I knew who it was that the three central figures represented, I was always been struck by the icon’s simple and inviting imagery. Over the years I’ve come to learn that the persons look nearly identical to one another in their face and bodily structure. This is to showcase the unity of the Trinity in their shared Divine Nature. Their unique clothing emphasizes the reality that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons but they are nonetheless One God. Their sitting together at table is a manifestation of their communion with each other with an open spot for the viewer of the icon to join them. So much more has been written about the theological significance of this Russian icon and so much more could be written here but for now that shall be довольно (“enough.”) Thank you for reading through this week’s reflection. May God bless you and your family abundantly!
