O Divine Lord of all that exists,
thou hast illumined the Apostle and Evangelist Luke
with thy Holy Spirit,
thereby enabling him to represent thy most Holy Mother, the Theotokos
the one who thee in her arms and said:
"The grace of him who has been born of me
is spread throughout the world."
Enlighten and direct my soul, my heart and my spirit,
Guide the hands of thine unworthy servant
so that I may worthily and perfectly portray thine icon,
that of thy Mother and all the saints,
for the glory, joy and adornment of thy Holy Church.
Forgive my sins
and the sins of those who will venerate these icons
and who, kneeling devoutly before them,
give homage to those present,
Protect them from all evil"
and instuct them with good counsel.
This I ask,
throught the intercessions of thy most Holy Mother,
the Apostle Luke
and all the saints.
Amen
-by Gennadios Limouris
from Icons: Windows on Eternity, ed. Gennadios Limouris (1990)
