Behold the Beauty of the Lord Quotes

“An icon is like a window looking out upon eternity. Behind its two dimensional surface lies the garden of God, which is beyond dimension or size. Every time I entrust myself to these images, move beyond my curious questions about their origin, history, and artistic value, and let them speak to me in their own language, they draw me into closer communion with the God of love.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons

“Just as the body of the risen Lord still carries the wounds of his suffering, so too is the glorified Mother of God a woman whose heart has been pierced by sorrow. She knows what it means to be poor, oppressed, a refugee, to be uncertain and confused about the future, to be kept at a distance, to stand under the cross, and to be the bearer of thoughts and feelings that cannot be shared with anyone. These sufferings linger in the gaze of her eyes and the gesture of her hands, not as frightening pain but as glorified signs of her patience.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons

“Praying at all times” has come to mean “dwelling in the house of God all the days of our lives.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons

“The Russian mystics describe prayer as descending with the mind into the heart and standing there in the presence of God. Prayer takes place where heart speaks to heart, that is, where the heart of God is united with the heart that prays. Thus knowing God becomes loving God, just as being known by God is being loved by God.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons

“To live in the world without belonging to the world summarizes the essence of the spiritual life. The spiritual life keeps us aware that our true house is not the house of fear, in which the powers of hatred and violence rule, but the house of love, where God resides.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons

“This explains why icons are not easy to “see.” They do not immediately speak to our senses. They do not excite, fascinate, stir our emotions, or stimulate our imagination. At first, they even seem somewhat rigid, lifeless, schematic, and dull. They do not reveal themselves to us at first sight. It is only gradually, after a patient, prayerful presence that they start speaking to us. And as they speak, they speak more to our inner than to our outer senses. They speak to the heart that searches for God.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons

“I have chosen icons because they are created for the sole purpose of offering access, through the gate of the visible, to the mystery of the invisible. Icons are painted to lead us into the inner room of prayer and bring us close to the heart of God.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons

“Gazing is probably the best word to touch the core of Eastern spirituality. Whereas St. Benedict, who has set the tone for the spirituality of the West, calls us first of all to listen, the Byzantine fathers focus on gazing”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons

“A spiritual life in the midst of our energy-draining society requires us to take conscious steps to safeguard that inner space where we can keep our eyes fixed on the beauty of the Lord.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons

“There are many times when I cannot pray, when I am too tired to read the gospels, too restless to have spiritual thoughts, too depressed to find words for God, or too exhausted to do anything. But I can still look at these images so intimately connected with the experience of love.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons