The saying “Know yourself” means therefore that we should recognize and acknowledge in ourselves the God who made us in his own image, for if we do this, we in turn will be recognized and acknowledged by our Maker. So let us not be at enmity with ourselves, but change our way of life without delay. “For Christ who is God, exalted above all creation,” … Continue reading Claiming Our Share in His Divinity
“Jesus then asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Legion;’ for many demons had entered him.” (From Luke 8:26-39, Proper 7C) He called himself Legion but that is not his true name. That is not who he is. It is, rather, what has become of him, what has happened to him. Let’s not get stuck on the demons. That’s simply descriptive of the emotional … Continue reading The True Image Defeats Legion – A Sermon on Luke 8:26-39
“If Caesar can require his image in a coin, cannot God require his image in a human being?” – St. Augustine, Sermon 308A.7 Continue reading Minted by God
“‘Let us make the human being according to our image and according to our likeness’ [Gen. 1:26]. By our creation we have the first, and by our free choice we build the second. In our initial structure co-originates and exists our coming into being according to the image of God. By free choice we are conformed to that which is according to the likeness of … Continue reading Artisans of the Likeness of God – The Feast of St. Basil the Great
The first objective of God was for the human being to come to be “according to the image and likeness of God,” and what is “according to the image” is incorruption, immortality, invisibility, which image the divine: and he has bestowed these on the soul for it to possess, having bestowed along with them both self-governance and self-determination, which are all imagings of the essence … Continue reading St. Maximus on Image and Likeness
There is a Hindu legend about a time when all humans were gods, but they abused that divinity. They so abused it that Brahma, the chief god, decided to take it away from them and hide it where they would never find it again. Where to hide it became the big question. The lesser gods were called into council to consider this question: “Where shall … Continue reading Divinity Hidden
If, as I suggested in the previous post, we all have and venerate icons then maybe there is a corollary to be considered. How are we also iconoclasts? What images have we and do we continue to destroy? Iconoclasm is often justified as an attempt to protect or defend God. The incarnation, however, lies at the heart of the theology of icons. Iconoclasm is, therefore, … Continue reading Iconoclasm
