I invite us to pray with this icon attributed to Andrei Rublev that tells the story of three guests visiting the tent of Abraham and Sarah at the Oaks of Mamre.
In the words of Henri Nouwen:
The more we look at this holy image with the eyes of faith, the more we come to realize that it is painted not as a lovely decoration for a convent church, nor as a helpful explanation of a difficult doctrine, but as a holy place to enter and stay within.
As we place ourselves in front of the icon in prayer, we come to experience a gentle invitation to participate in the intimate conversation that is taking place among the three divine angels and to join them around the table. The movement from the Father toward the Son and the movement of both Son and Spirit toward the Father become a movement in which the one who prays is lifted up and held secure…
We come to see with our inner eyes that all engagements in this world can bear fruit only when they take place within this divine circle… the house of perfect love
(Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons, p. 20-22).
