Image and Likeness

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” —GENESIS 1:26

On the Sunday of Orthodoxy, we celebrate the restoration of the Holy Icons. From Matins we hear: “O people of God, come and let us celebrate a day of joy; the heaven now makes glad, and earth with all the hosts of angels and the companies of mortal men, each in their different orders, keeps the feast.”

The week before the Sunday of Orthodoxy, we hear in the Gospel these words from the parable of the Last Judgment: “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Mt 25:40). By feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, taking in strangers, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison—we are SERVING CHRIST BY SERVING OTHERS.

But, most importantly, on the Sunday of Orthodoxy we celebrate and confirm that we are all icons of God. We, created in the image and likeness of God, serve each other with love as Christ Himself loved each of us. Let us not relegate our understanding of icons to only the images in our homes and churches, but to our living and breathing neighbors.

This week’s reflection is written by Rev. Father Timothy Sawchak, of Holy Trinity Church in Overland Park, KS

Icon courtesy of the Benaki Museum {Public domain}