Upon entering the church, the first thing to catch your eye will be the hand-carved iconostas or icon screen. This distinctive feature of an Orthodox Church has its origins in the Old Testament. When King Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, he placed a curtain as a partition between the Holy of Holies and the courtyard. (1 Kings 6:2l; Luke 23:45) The icon screen takes the place of the curtain, although some Orthodox Churches use a curtain also.The icon screen serves to shield our earthly eyes from the magnificent holiness of God. It is a covering for our eyes just as the Cherubim cover their eyes with their wings when they see the glory of God. (Isaiah 6:2)
The icon screen has been called the Church’s honor roll. Set before our eyes are some of the people throughout history who have been successful in the Christian life and can be called heroes. Our duty is to try to learn from their lives and emulate their faith and holiness. Every imaginable rank of person is represented on the icon screen: scholars, bishops, soldiers, mothers and housewives, angels, fishermen, writers, laborers, etc. The Christian life is not impossible for anyone, no matter what position in life one may have. The people on the icon screen have proved this. The words of our Lord are always true: “my yoke is easy and my burden light”.
Beginning on the bottom row, the saints on the icon screen include left to right: St. Gregory the Theologian, who was an early Christian scholar and holy bishop. Next is St. John the Baptist of whom Jesus said that no greater man who ever lived. (Matthew 11:11) St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is found next to St. John, and he is the patron of the Carpatho-Russian people. At this point is located a deacon’s door used by altar servers with the icon of St. Stephen the First Martyr. The next icon is of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, holding the Infant Christ.
The Eternal Light
This suspended candle burns continually before the altar. It is a symbol of our never ending prayers to God. While it would be good to remain in this house of God to worship continually, the duties of life draw us away. This eternal light is lit to take our place while we must be away. It also shows that Christ the light of the world dwells continually upon the altar.
