“is the veneration of images justified?”

“Some people reprove us for honoring images of the Savior, of the Mother of God, and other holy servants of Christ. But let them think for a moment. In the beginning, God created humanity in His image. Why ever should we have such respect for one another, if not because we are made in the image of God?

In Basil’s words, ‘the honor paid to the image is in reality paid to its prototype,’ that because to say, to what the image represents. Thus the Jewish people revered the Tabernacle because that much more than the rest of creation, was an image of God. The making and the veneration of images are not a novelty. They are based on a very ancient tradition.

God made the first human being as an image of Himself. Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, and all prophets saw God, not in his true being, but in His image. The burning bush was the image of the Mother of God. When Moses wanted to approach, God said to him, ‘Put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ (Exodus 3:5). If the ground on which Moses saw an image of the Mother of God was holy, how much more holy will the image itself be!”

St. John Damascene

first sunday of the great fast

Sunday OF Orthodoxy

MEMORY OF THE HOLY PROPHETS

Icon of the Holy Images

Let your prayer come from a humble heart

When we pray, our words should be calm, modest, and disciplined. Let us reflect that we are standing before God. We should please Him both by our bodily posture and the manner of our speech. It is characteristic of the vulgar to shout and make a noise, not those who are modest. On the contrary, they should employ a quiet tone in their prayer.

Moreover, in the course of His teaching, the Lord instructed us to pray in secret. Hidden and secluded places, even our rooms, give witness to our belief that God is present everywhere; that He sees and hears all; in the fullness of His majesty, He penetrates hidden and secret places. This is the teaching of Jeremiah: Am I God when I am near, and not God when I am far away? Can anyone hide in a dark corner without me seeing Him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?

Another passage of Scripture says: The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, observing both good and wicked men. The same modesty and discipline should characterize our liturgical prayer as well. When we gather to celebrate the divine mysteries with God’s priest, we should not express our prayer in unruly words; the petition that should be made to God with moderation is not to be shouted at. The Lord showed us this when He asked: Why do you think evil in your hearts? The Book of Revelation testifies to this also: And all the churches shall know that I am the one who searches the heart and the desires.

St. Cyprian of Carthage