From our youth:
Why do we have icons?
Icons are very important
to the Orthodox Church. At one
point in our history, many people wanted to get rid of them because they
considered icons to be “idols.”
Some people were using them for strange practices and even worshiping
them. But, arguments in favor of
icons won out.
Icons are “windows into
Heaven.” We don’t worship icons,
but their image helps us to venerate (give special treatment and respect) to
the person or scene that is presented.
They lead us to God Who is the only person we worship, Father, Son
and Holy Spirit.
Icons of Jesus are
especially important because they remind us that He, the eternal Son of God,
is not just a divine being, but one who came to earth and became human, just
like us, as flesh and blood.
Just as we can have a picture of anyone human we can have a picture of
Jesus, who is both God and man.
One can think of icons
being like the photographs of your family members who lived before you, your
grandparents, great-grandparents, great-aunts and uncles, whom you never met
but from whom you are descended.
You learn about your family members, how to honor them and how to live like
them, being proud of your family name.
We Christians are part
of God’s family, His Church.
And, the saints are our ancestors in Christ.
We see their icons and we hear about their life stories.
From that we learn who we are as Christians and how to act as
Christians.
Finally, we can say our
prayers in front of the icons, asking the saints represented there to pray
for us.
