This week we again have another special remembrance, that of the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. This is truly a special Council for all Eastern Christians. Why? Because it put an end to Byzantine iconoclasm, that movement which declared icons idolatrous and destroyed them.

Iconoclasm refers to two periods in the history of the Byzantine Empire. The First Iconoclasm lasted in the Common Era (CE) from around 726 to 787 and the Second Iconoclasm between 814 and 842. The traditional view states that a ban   was placed on the use of religious images by various religious leaders and Emperor Leo III and continued under several of his successors. It was also accompanied by widespread destruction of icons and the persecution   of supporters of Icons. It seems that the theological motivation for Iconoclasm was based on an Old Covenant interpretation of the Ten Commandments which forbade the making and worshipping of graven images. The two periods of Iconoclasm in the Byzantine Empire made use of this theological theme in discussions over the propriety of images of holy   figures, including Christ, the Virgin and saints. It was a debate triggered by changes in worship, which were themselves generated by the major social and political upheavals of the seventh century.

One of the readings appointed for today is that of the prayer that Jesus offered at the completion of His work. He prayed to the Father that those who followed Him would know the Father as He did. In reality we can only know the Father through the Person of Jesus, the Christ. Why? Because He IS the material incarnation of God.

Icons remind us that Jesus was and is real! People knew Him personally and came to realize that His teaching is truly the WAY God intends us to live. Icons also tell us that others in our history accepted Jesus as God incarnate.

It must be pointed out that we do not worship icons but only use them to remind us that Jesus and those who followed Him were real in history. This very fact, the Church believes, should help us to accept the teachings of Jesus.

Think about God’s revelation through the Person of Jesus. He told us that in order to have a deeper relationship with God, we must learn how to have authentic and real relationships with our fellow men. We must live in accord with the Golden Rule, truly loving our neighbors as ourselves.