icons, crosses and vigil lamps
Last night, I found myself ordering an array of things to 'help' my daily contemplative practice. These are all nice and worthwhile things of course, but how necessary are they and how much are they a part of the commercial aspect of Christianity?
Perhaps it depends on our circumstances. For myself, my 'hermitage' is an apartment that, although not full of all the latest gadgets, contains things you would find in a modern home; TV, mobile phone etc etc. These are things that can easily distract us when we are in prayer so, in that sense, a vigil lamp, when lit, would become a 'religious' focus during silent prayer and hopefully distract me from checking the news or the football score if I was bored.
On the other hand, a hermit in a cave, or perhaps more relatable, a Carthusian monk in his cell, might only have a very simple cross, or even just a light. In one scene in the documentary about the Carthusians, 'Into Great Silence' shows a monk kneeling in front of a piece of paper with a cross drawn on it. This is not an ornate cross but two straight lines that cross each other. Given their devotion and simple life, it seems that you need very little to pray to God and there is no need to become caught up in the 'accessories' of the life. ..
On the other hand .... pretty vigil icons 🙂
