icons and bios

In the Eastern tradition, icons are sacred images intended for contemplation and inspiration—not portraiture. The artist Robert Lentz and the lay missionary Edwina Gately, who ministers to prostitutes, have collaborated on a book about finding Christ where least expected: in outcasts, holy provocateurs, and visionaries from all traditions. Eight chapters of five or six icons from Lentz are each followed by a few pages of reflection by Gately. Many of the icons are extremely beautiful, and there are many occasions to be moved.

The book is not for the conservative or those deeply wedded to traditional ideas of holiness. If you would be shocked to view a holy icon of Harvey Milk, the martyred gay activist, this book may not be for you, despite the presence of more traditional subjects such as St. Francis and St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Milk is there, together with similarly unconventional subjects including Albert Einstein, Black Elk, and even J. R. R. Tolkien. Several icons are of Christ in unexpected forms, such as an Apache Christ and Christ Sophia, the female personification of wisdom. But I should emphasize that I also learned more about established Catholic saints such as St. Martin de Porres and St. Philip Neri. I recommend the book to anyone concerned with the nature of holiness and what it might mean in the modern world. ( )