👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾Why do we #prostrate in front of #sacred #icons?
( Part 1)
Beloved in Christ, heirs of the faith of the apostles, peace and blessing be upon you. Today we reflect on a subject which stirs the tongue of critics and tests the understanding of the faithful: Why do we bow, why do we fall in prostration before the holy icons of the saints?
Let us first establish the foundation: when we prostrate before a holy icon, we do not worship the wood, the paint, or the artist’s craft. No, God forbid! The Church condemns such idolatry. Rather, in bowing we honor the one whom the image represents. To Christ Himself when we kneel before His icon; to His holy saints when we bow before their likenesses asking their intercession, seeking their blessing, and remembering their faith. Thus, our prostration passes through the image to its prototype, just as a kiss upon a royal seal is meant for the king, not for the wax.
The Commandment and Its Fulfillment
Those who know little of Scripture raise the objection: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image” (Exodus 20:4). They point the finger and accuse the Church of violating God’s word. Yet they speak without wisdom. For did not God Himself command Moses, saying, “Make an Ark of acacia wood” (Deuteronomy 10:1–5)? And did He not order that cherubim of gold be placed upon it (Exodus 25:18)?
For honor’s sake, God Himself commanded Moses: “Make an ark of acacia wood” (Deuteronomy 10:1–5). Now, after declaring, “You shall not make for yourself any carved image,” did God then command Moses to make the Ark? Did He mean that Moses should fashion idols to be worshiped? Perish the thought! The commandment was not against holy icons, but against idols, images raised for demons. To call the Ark an idol would be blasphemy, for God Himself declared, “There I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat” (Exodus 25:22). Thus, the Ark was not an idol, but the dwelling of God’s glory.
Apostolic Witness: Shadows and Icons
Do we, in honoring holy icons, depart from the apostolic faith? By no means! Consider the apostles themselves. In the book of Acts, it is written that the sick were laid upon beds and mats in the streets, “so that even the shadow of Peter might fall upon them” (Acts 5:15). And behold, they were healed! If mere shadows shadows that pass away and leave no form could be channels of divine grace through faith, how much more the image, which clearly bears the likeness of the one depicted?
Therefore, if the faithful were healed by Peter’s shadow, shall we doubt that God, through His saints, will grant blessings when we pray before their icons in faith? But remember: faith is the key. For it is written, “Let not the one who doubts suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:7).
Continues 👇🏾