Champions of Orthodoxy
62. St. John Damascene and Holy Images Under the Incarnate Word
Champions of Orthodoxy: saints and martyrs who preserved what they received.
"The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." - John 1:14
St. John Damascene belongs among the champions of orthodoxy because he defended the Catholic use of holy images by defending the truth of the Incarnation. He teaches that because the Word truly became flesh, visible things may serve reverent remembrance and veneration without confusing them with the adoration owed to God alone.
His witness is not about taste. It is about Christ.
If the Son of God truly took visible flesh, then Catholic worship is not embarrassed by holy visibility. Matter is not God, but God made matter and used it in the economy of salvation. The face of Christ was seen. His body suffered. His wounds remained after the Resurrection.
St. John Damascene therefore answers the spirit that treats visible devotion as necessarily corrupt. Holy images are not adored. God alone is adored. But saints may be honored, sacred history may be remembered, and the eye may be led toward prayer.
The distinction matters. Without it, men either fall into superstition or become colder than the Faith.
Iconoclasm often presents itself as religion. But false can attack what God has sanctified. St. John Damascene shows that the answer to abuse is not for Catholic forms. The answer is right doctrine and right use.
This is important now because the faithful live between two errors. One error treats images and devotions carelessly, as religious objects without doctrine. The other despises sacred signs as if the invisible God were honored by rejecting the visible order He Himself entered.
Catholic instinct refuses both. It honors God alone with adoration, honors His saints with proper veneration, and lets visible signs serve truth.
The should learn from St. John Damascene:
- defend the Incarnation in devotion;
- adore God alone;
- venerate holy images rightly;
- teach children the difference between adoration and veneration;
- avoid both superstition and cold .
In exile, holy images can help homes remember the City of God. They should not become clutter or sentiment. They should teach the eye to pray.
St. John Damascene and holy images under the Incarnate Word belong among the champions of orthodoxy because he shows that Catholic visibility rests on Christ made flesh. Holy images are safe when doctrine governs devotion and all honor returns to God.