October 27th: Icons
‘Adam and Eve saw the glory of God in the human body…because they saw the body not just as a physical object but as a transparent sign of the whole mystery of the other as “person” made in the divine image.’ Christopher West
Every human being is a window to the divine. Creatures testify to their Creator. I behold in my wife an embodiment of God’s glorious ‘mother heart’—soft and strong, welcoming and fruitful; in a best friend I behold God’s generative power in bodily design and psychological focus.
God is a genius, and that genius is reflected in humanity. We all believe this: we are united in our belief that God made humanity in His image (Gen. 1:26, 27). Yet we are perhaps too quick to distance ourselves from each other as to not get snagged on sin—the broken image–yours, mine and ours. But plastering over the window because of its dirt or crack seems extreme. Might we still see God through our fellows? In avoiding the potential for sin, are we avoiding God?
At Church I glimpse reminders of Jesus through His representation in the saints. I am surrounded there by blessedly imperfect bearers of the divine image. If I am looking I catch sight of God: the handsome father of two disabled kids whose main ministry is serving his family, a lovely woman who alone cares for her aging father and requests prayers for patience with a smile, the priest whose physical affliction makes it hard for him to walk but whose mind and voice is strong enough to convert a stadium full of seekers.
These ‘icons’ make God known through their bodies; I can ‘see’ through their ‘flesh’ the greater spiritual meaning they represent. I cannot divorce their bodily humanity from the Spirit that indwells them. God shines through a body.
In the theological tradition of the East, icons are holy insofar as they serve the sacramental purpose of making visible what is invisible. In other words, they are good to the degree that these created images point to the Creator. In the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict: ‘Icons lead us beyond the mere material level, awaken new senses in us, and teach us a new kind of seeing, which can see the Invisible in the visible.’ May God open our eyes to human windows of the divine.
Please join us as we pray for:
1. Pennsylvania, Jeff Comeaux, Coordinator: For strength and vision for Jeff, for existing groups and to see new groups established. Also, grace for preparations for RHN conference in Lancaster, 2015.
2. Aguas Vivas: Guadalajara, Mexico, Marisol, Coordinator: For wisdom as they meet to determine and plan for the start of the next Aguas Vivas group.
3. RHN: His Wonderful Works, Dee Barnes, Conyer, GA: Grace and blessing in series of educational outreach events. Carolina New Song, Bud Phaup, Columbia, SC: Life transitions and future of ministry.
“Courage for Pope Francis, that he would ensure that the Church becomes a clear fountain of transformation for persons with same-sex attraction!”
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