This icon was painted
in 1993 in the studios of the Carmelite Monastery of the Theotokos in
Harissa, Lebanon. It does not
pretend to describe the history of Dina’s life in detail, but rather to try to
express her spiritual message in simple terms. For Dina the relationship with
the Trinity is the central axis around which her entire spiritual life
revolves. Her message is : » Let Jesus live in us, for thus the Holy
Trinity will be enabled to pour out grace in profusion ». The icon is
composed so as to emphasize this reality as lived by Blessed Dina.
At the top, there is a
small miniature of the icon of the monk Andre Roublev, the model for all the
representations of the Blessed Trinity.
In the center, Dina is standing in the position of those who have been
resurrected. The style and elegance of
her silhouette indicates her spiritual
achievement. As a musician and as
a mystic, she is completely given over to the power of God. On the left of the
icon a flame burns on an altar and the five steps required to reach it evoke a grace, described by Blessed
Dina in her Autobiography, in order
to describe that Jesus had taken over
her being.
The right hand side of
the icon is rich in symbols : a pomegranate tree with its fruit a figure
of grace, and of which the circular
form symbolizes the eternity and infinity
of God. A star, represents Mary, the light and guide of Dina ; a dark cave
represents the place where the, so called, « old creation » within
Dina will die and thus enable «new creation » enlivened by the life-giving Spirit, to rise.
The water that flows from the cave reminds us of the life-giving power of
redemptive suffering. The deer which drinks at the source is the image of Dina,
consumed by the desire to love God and to suffer for Love.
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