Feast of the Annunciation by Mary Burke FMM

Feast of the Annunciation: March 25, 2026.

Before we look at this icon let me share with you a little background to icons that may help in our understanding of what we are looking at.

Firstly, icons are symbolic art, they are not naturalistic, rather they are 2-dimensional so the 3rd dimension does not recede into the background as in Western art, but comes forward, out of the image into the eyes and heart of the viewer.

And secondly, icons are a form of art that has a specific function. They are not just nice pictures to adorn our walls. Their function is :

To engage with the viewer so they bring the person/s being depicted into the present, the here and now.

To engage with the viewer in a mutual relationship, inviting interaction

To engage with the viewer in a mutual relationship that leads to the

transformation of the viewer

They have a dynamism and function that is quite different from other forms of art you may be used to.

So let’s take the image of the Annunciation to see how this may work…

So what’s happening in this icon?   

We have a young woman at a turning-point in her life… from Scripture we know her as Mary. She is engaged in conversation with an angel.  Look closely, there is a lively connection happening between them - a connection that we are drawn into.

One begins by asking what’s an angel? There are many different interpretations but the one I like to work with is that angels are aspects of God, of how God works in the world and relates to us.   

We have Michael, the protector;

Gabriel the messenger;

Raphael the healer;

Uriel the bringer of light and wisdom;

Jophiel the artist, creator of beauty etc.

The 3 monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam all forbid the depiction of God in physical form, so how can we talk about God? Even in language we have to use metaphors … God is like… a shepherd, like the wind, like a rock etc and in art we use substitutes such as angels.

Here in this icon, we have Gabriel the one who engages with Mary in an invitation from God to allow herself to be drawn beyond what she can imagine. To be drawn into a future where she will discover herself at new levels and find depths of love that even from her simple life, will impact on the whole world.

The beauty of this icon is that it captures the moment of invitation and invites our engagement with Mary, not only in what she is being asked but also what the angel (i.e., God) is inviting us to each day in our own lives. Like Mary we are asked to listen, to hear and to respond. And as we do that in prayer and in our actions, God works our transformation. This is how icons ‘work’, how they function.

 Dynamic,

engaging,

transforming!