Categories: orthodox-life
Date: 08 September 2004 10:58:57
One can't visit an Orthodox church without seeing a myriad of icons. Reactions to them can vary quite markedly. One parishioner at my church said when he first came to an Orthodox church, he was repulsed by them -- he found them horrid to look at. Through time though, he told me, he has come to appreciate what they stand for and their importance in the life of the Orthodox church. Many parishioners at my church make a mini "pilgrimage" before each service to each icon in our church.
I don't recall having any trouble with icons at any stage of my life. I never thought people worshipped them, nor have I thought of them as idolatrous. Both from my readings, the watching of videos on Orthodoxy, and questions to people at church, I am slowly gaining a better appreciation of what they symbolise.
Icons are not intended to be photographs. They seek to express the eternal significance of the event or person depicted. One icon which shows this is the Nativity of our Lord. There is plenty to say, but one thing to point out is that the cradle the infant Christ is in looks more like a grave, and his clothes look more like burial clothes. Thus this shows that Christ came to earth to die.
The icon of Extreme Humility also gives me great pause for thought. Christ and His cross, descending to the grave and to death.
Another doctrine to do with icons is that, in the words of Bp Kallistos Ware, "the Orthodox belief that the whole of God's creation, material as well as spiritual, is to be redeemed and glorified." As John of Damascus said: "The icon is a song of triumph, and a revelation, and an enduring monument to the victory of saints and the disgrace of demons."
If you would like to view some more icons, this page shows various icons for various Feasts of the Church. I find icons a great aid in pondering the mysteries of my faith: they draw me in and cause me to meditate and consider on the life of my Lord, as well as the lives of the many saints who have gone before me -- and through consideration of the lives of the saints, I am always drawn back to who their focus was on: our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.