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Editor's Note: A scond
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The Sunday of Orthodoxy: Celebrating the Triumph of Icons and the True Faith
an article posted on Orthodox Christian Tools/Store/Blog
The Sunday of Orthodoxy, celebrated on
the first Sunday of Great Lent, marks a pivotal moment in Christian history – the restoration of icons and the triumph
of Orthodox faith. This day commemorates the victory over iconoclasm, a
controversy that shook the Church for over a century, and reaffirms the importance of icons in Christian worship and spirituality. But what is the story behind this celebration, and why do icons hold such significance
in the Orthodox Church? Let’s explore the history, theology, and traditions
of this profound feast.
Historical Background: The Iconoclastic
Controversy
The Iconoclastic controversy began in the
8th
century when some Christians, influenced by a misunderstanding of the Second Commandment, rejected the use of icons, claiming
they led to idolatry. These Iconoclasts (icon-breakers) sought to remove
icons from churches, arguing that they violated the commandment against graven images.
On the other side were the Iconophiles (icon-lovers), who defended the use of icons as essential to preserving the
Church’s teachings and expressing the incarnation of Christ.
The conflict reached
its climax in 787 AD at the Seventh Ecumenical Council, convened in Nicaea by Empress Irene and Patriarch Tarasios of Constantinople. The Council affirmed the veneration of icons, declaring that icons are not idols
but windows to the divine. They serve as reminders of Christ’s incarnation
and the saints’ holy lives, helping believers connect with the spiritual reality they represent.
However, the controversy resurfaced, and it was not until 843 AD that icons were fully restored.
Under Empress Theodora, a regional synod in Constantinople solemnly proclaimed the veneration of icons.
A triumphant procession was held, and icons were returned to their rightful place in churches.
This event, known as the Triumph of Orthodoxy, is celebrated annually on the first Sunday of Lent.
The Theology of Icons: Windows to the Divine
Icons are far more than religious art:
they are a theological statement. The Orthodox Church teaches that
icons are a natural consequence of the incarnation – the belief that God became human in Jesus Christ.
Because Christ took on a physical form, he can be depicted in images. Icons
make the invisible God visible, bridging the gap between heaven and earth.
The Seventh Ecumenical
Council clarified that icons are to be venerated, not worshipped. Veneration
(proskynesis) is an act of honor and respect, while worship (latreia) is reserved for God alone.
When we venerate an icon, we honor the person or event it represents, not the material itself. As Saint Basil the Great
famously said, “The honor given to the icons passes over to its prototype.”
Icons also play a sacramental role in Orthodox spirituality. They
are believed to convey grace and serve as a means of communion with the divine.
Whether in churches or in homes, icons are a constant reminder of God’s presence and the communion of saints.
The Icon of the Feast: The Triumph of Orthodoxy
The icon of the Sunday of Orthodoxy vividly depicts the restoration of icons.
At its center is the Virgin Hodegetria, a beloved depiction of the Theotokos as the “Directress” who points
the way to Christ. Flanked by angels, the icon is surrounded by key figures
in the triumph over iconoclasm: Empress Theodora, her son Michael III, and Patriarchs Methodious and Tarasios.
The icon also includes numerous saints who defended the faith during the iconoclastic period.
This icon not only commemorates a historical event but also serves as a visual proclamation of the Orthodox faith.
It reminds us that the Church‘s victory over heresy is a victory of
truth, beauty, and the incarnation.
How the Sunday of Orthodoxy is
Celebrated
The day begins with the Divine Liturgy
of Saint Basil the Great. At the end of the service, a procession is held where the faithful carry icons around the
church, symbolizing the restoration of icons and the unity of the Church.
The hymns of the day emphasize the victory of Orthodoxy and the role of icons in guiding believers to Christ. The Epistle reading (Hebrews 11.24-26, 32-40) highlights the faith of the Old
Testament saints, while the Gospel (John 1.43-51) points to the greater revelation of Christ.
The Spiritual
Significance of the Sunday of Orthodoxy
The Sunday of Orthodoxy
is more than a historical commemoration; it is a celebration of the truth of the Christian faith.
Icons remind us that God became man, that the divine entered the material world, and that we are called to participate
in this divine life.
This feast also challenges us to reflect
on our own faith. Do we, like the Iconoclasts, reject the visible signs of
God’s presence? Or do we, like the Iconophiles, embrace the fullness
of the faith, recognizing that God’s grace can work through material means?
Conclusion: A Celebration of Faith and Beauty
The Sunday of Orthodoxy is a vibrant celebration of the Chruch’s victory over heresy and the restoration of
icons. It is a day to rejoice in the beauty of the faith, to honor the saints
who defended it, and to recommit ourselves to living as icons of Christ in the world.
As we venerate icons, let us remember that we, too, are called to reflect the divine image.
Through prayer, fasting, and acts of love, we can become living icons, shining with the light of Christ and pointing
others to the way of salvation.
The Limits of Salvationan article by Father
Paul D. Scalia in The Catholic Thing blog
If God didn’t want them to eat of the tree, why did He put it there? That
question is not as adolescent and petulant as it might sound. God is not haphazard in His Creation. He must have had a reason
to place that one forbidden tree in the garden. The Catechism explains it nicely: that the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil “evokes the insurmountable limits that man, being a creature, must freely recognize and respect with trust.”
(CCC 396) Now, to “freely recognize and respect with trust” is one thing the
Devil just cannot do. He wants his created gifts on his own, without a Creator or Giver. He refuses to recognize or respect
his creaturely limits. Non serviam, he boasts. I will not serve. . . .I will not observe limits. Misery
loves company, so the Devil wants to reproduce his mindset in others. His first victims are Adam and Eve. (Genesis 3:1-7)
He asks, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” He’s not asking to get
an answer. He’s suggesting that limits are absurd and anyone who sets them is hostile. God is against you because He’s
limited you. Adam and Eve take the bait. They reach beyond their appointed place, and in their very grasping, they fall. The Devil has the same game plan when he approaches Jesus in the desert. (Matthew 4:1-11) Now, if the
Devil cannot understand the blessings of creatureliness, then the limitations of the Incarnation are absolutely impenetrable
to him. The Incarnation is not a fiction or make-believe. God really did confine and limit Himself to our human nature –
to be born of a woman, to experience exhaustion, hunger, thirst, and sorrow. Even to be tempted. The
Devil cannot grasp the eternal Son’s joyful dependence on the Father: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can
do nothing of his own accord. . . .I can do nothing on my own authority.” (John 5:19, 30) Nor can he understand the
Son’s joyful embrace of our created human nature. For Satan, divine power means doing whatever you want – not
serving anybody. It certainly doesn’t mean setting limits for yourself by humility. So
he nudges Jesus beyond the limits. If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread. Jesus experiences
hunger in His human nature and joyfully trusts His Father to sustain Him. Nor will He use His divine power to create a shortcut
in His ministry, to provide physical instead of spiritual nourishment. His response points to dependence, limits, and trust
in God: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Someday,
Jesus will feed people miraculously with loaves of bread. Indeed, He will give Himself as the Bread of Life. Adam was deceived
by a false hunger and grasped for the fruit of the tree. Hung on the tree of the Cross, the New Adam nourishes us with the
Eucharist, His own Body and Blood. He does so not for Himself but in obedience to the Father’s will for our good. Then the second temptation. The Devil proposes a daring display, that Jesus cast Himself from the parapet
of the temple and presume that the Father will save Him. If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. In effect, Prove it. Jesus’ divine
power is boundless, but not pointless. It is, in a sense, confined by reason and purpose. He will one day work miracles. He
will exorcize and heal, walk on water and multiply loaves of bread. But these miracles are not parlor games. He doesn’t
perform them to prove Himself. Indeed, He rebukes those who (like the Devil) demand signs. (Matthew 16:4; 12:39) His divine
power is not wielded capriciously, but for our good – to reveal, instruct, and invite to faith. Finally,
the third and most demonic temptation: to gain power over all kingdoms by worshipping Satan. This is just a rehash of the
temptation in the garden. To reach beyond our appointed place always brings us to the Devil’s feet. True freedom is
not found in grasping for power but in receiving what God gives. The battle in the desert is between one
who has rejected all limits and One Who has limited Himself – indeed, Who has clothed Himself in our human nature, been
wrapped in swaddling clothes, and will one day be fixed to the Cross. It’s a contest between the limitless and the Limited.
Death came into the world through Adam’s prideful rejection of limits. Life comes through the New Adam’s humble
limitations. We live in a culture that rejects limits and embraces the demonic concept of
freedom. We think that to be free we must shed the limits even of our human nature. For us, freedom requires that husband
and wife be released from their union, a mother be liberated from her unborn child, a boy become a girl, and our souls be
uploaded into machines. In the desert, the Incarnate Lord shows us the true path. By humbling –
limiting – Himself in our human nature and trusting in His Father, He overcomes the Devil’s temptations. He has
done so not for His own sake, but for us. So that we can humbly follow in the path He has traced for us and come to the “glorious
freedom of the children of God.” (Romans 8:21)
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