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The Icon is central to Orthodox spirituality. In fact, in Vespers for the Sunday of Orthodoxy, we sing that the icon is “the safeguard of the Orthodox faith.” The icon is so important that Ecumenical Councils had to affirm the validity of venerating icons. In so doing the Fathers made an important distinction between veneration and worship. We may show, and, should show respect and veneration to people and created things that are worthy and reveal to us God’s activity of sanctification through the Holy Spirit. When we venerate an icon, a manifestation of creation, a holy person, our veneration is not to the person or object as an end in itself, but to God whom we encounter in the act of veneration. The person or icon being venerated is a window into the glory of God and His Kingdom, and through this window we actually participate in God’s Life and His Love for us. In contrast, the Fathers affirm that worship is due to God alone. We do not worship a saint, no matter how holy, we do not worship an icon, no matter how beautiful, we do not worship any manifestation of God’s creation, no matter what exalted feelings nature may elicit within us.

In this blog I want to explore how seeing the world as Icon is essential, not only to Orthodox Christianity but to our culture as well. And, I will submit to you that the main reason why our culture (and there are many reason to be sure) is so fragmented and polarized, and people are depressed, angry, addicted, and suicidal is exactly because we have ceased to see the world, nature, and other human beings as icons – manifestation of G0d’s Presence and Love. As we read in Isaiah that “people without a vision perish”, so do we perish without a vision that is fundamentally iconic and sacramental.

However, as St. Paul says: For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as I am known.”(l Corinithians 13:12). In the Old Testament, God always reveals Himself through a veil. God appeared to Moses in the burning bush. God led the people of Israel through the desert by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. I think it was C.S. Lewis who said that if God removed the veil we would perish at the sight. It is only when we see Christ that the veil is lifted and we behold Him as He is lifted high upon the cross because of His Love and for our salvation so that when we see Christ we see God. And while the fulness of the vision of the Kingdom of God is hidden from our mortal and sinful eyes, the veil is transparent enough that we can partially see what lies beyond.

To see the world iconically and sacramentally reveals the nature of all creation. Again, as St. Paul says: “What is known of God is revealed to them, for God revealed it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible things, His eternal power and deity, have been clearly perceived in created things.”( Romans 1:19-20). Here St.Paul is affirming that everything in creation is iconological. Everything in creation: people, trees, sunsets, dogs, cats, the clouds, the rain, indeed: “ every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon earth” calls us to transcend its material existence and see beyond. Nothing, literally nothing is what is seems to be. What we see is merely the veil. Everything points to the deeper reality beyond the veil. We clearly see this vision of creation as icon in the 6th century Rule of St. Benedict where he writes: regard all utensil and goods of the monastery as “sacred vessels of the altar”. Imagine what life would be like if we had that vision all the time. Imagine how our world would change, individually and collectively, if we viewed everything we own, as if they were the sacred vessels of the altar? The good news is that this is not fantasy. We don’t have to pretend. This is the True nature of Reality. This is how the world actually is!

When I was trying to run as far away from God as I could get (as if I could go somewhere where God is not!), I attempted to make Nature, the Wild, the Wilderness, my God. Let me just say: it didn’t work. No matter how much I tried to love Nature as I would God, Nature was a rejecting lover. You see, I saw the veil and wanted the veil to be God. But the veil would not return my gratitude, my awe, my love. I came to see that no matter how much beauty and majesty and feelings of wonder and awe that nature can provoke, ultimately nature was indifferent to my gratitude, my love. It was like sending a love letter to someone that you so wanted to become your beloved, but the letters were always returned with the message: address unknown, return to sender.

It was only when I fell upon my knees in repentance and begged God for forgiveness and mercy was I able to come back to a right relationship with nature. It was only when I could see beyond the veil to the Source of all that beauty, that sense of awe, amazement, and gratitude that I could relish the Wild and the Wilderness, because it all spoke to me of the God who created it all and who created me to relish what He had created and through His creation participate in His Life, His Wildness, His Beauty.

When we cease, and I believe that our culture has ceased, to see the world in this way – to see the world iconically and sacramentally, the world inevitably becomes disenchanted, secular, and we only see other people, things, the earth, as existing for our own selfish, egotistically driven desires and wants. In other words we see everyone and everything merely as objects and not as icons. A world full of objects is a world to just be manipulated to suit our own ends. Relationships are reduced to be loving as long as each fulfills the contract to make the other feel good. When that ceases then the relationship is over. And we are off to find another fix. Nature becomes just a resource to be managed for our own greed and need for dominance. Consequently the world becomes flat. A cosmos once deeply Enchanted becomes meaningless. A cosmos stripped of Enchantment becomes like a dystopian novel where everywhere you turn is just bleakness and hope has died in the Disenchantment.

The problem is that because each of us is made in the image and likeness of God and creation proclaims His handiwork when we view the world this way we go not only against our nature but against Reality. The result is nothing short of madness!

We don’t have to live with Disenchantment. We don’t have to live in a world where there are just objects devoid of any meaning beyond what we can feebly strive to imbue them. It will be a struggle to not conform to our secular, non sacramental, iconoclastic culture. We will need to return again and again to our Orthodox faith and immerse ourselves as often as possible in the Holy Mysteries, the veneration of icons and the writings of our Orthodox fathers. With God’s grace, we can treasure matter as if it matters with infinite meaning and purpose. We can treasure our Orthodox Faith and the Sacraments that come veiled, to be sure, but nevertheless usher us into a union with Christ that “surpasses all understanding.” We can, even now, participate in a cosmos where “eye has not seen, nor ear heard what God has prepared for those who love Him”.

For the three years of Jesus earthly ministry he and his disciples essentially lived outdoors traveling from town to town. Jesus said: “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head”. Matt 8:19-20; Luke 9:57-58. Jesus was making the point that he was essentially homeless and that there was a cost to following him. Even though this scribe had said that he would follow Jesus wherever he went, Jesus knew that he was not considering the lifestyle that Jesus led.

Obviously the Church has never taught that we have to become homeless to follow Jesus. However, as the Holy Scriptures reveal and confirmed by the teaching of the Church is that we do need to realize that this earthly life is not our true home. The Kingdom of heaven is our true home. The main point I want to make is that Jesus and his followers lived and travelled in the Wild. He would often be welcomed to stay in the homes of those who provided him hospitality when he was in a town, but most of his life was lived outdoors. Even there, the Holy Scriptures show us that Jesus would frequently leave camp and go out into the wild to be alone with his Father in prayer and solitude.

And, of course, the wild man of the New Testament, John the Baptist, who wore only camel’s hair and ate locust and wild honey, was the one the Father chose to Baptize Jesus in the Jordan because it marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and confirms his identity as the beloved Son of God. It is also very significant that from his baptism by this wild saint of God, Jesus immediately heads out into the desert to fast and pray and be tempted by the Evil One to betray his baptism and his identity as the Son of God.

Wildness is at the heart of the Gospels and therefore at the heart of our own journey with Christ! Wildness is characteristic of God Himself!

In the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, when confronted by the idea of Aslan, the lion, who is a picture of God, Lucy asks,

“Is He safe?”

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Mr. Tumnus also says,

“He’s wild, you know. Not a tame lion.”

At the same time, who does not love our Orthodox temples, our glorious Orthodox Cathedrals, our icons, the incense, the candles, the iconostasis, the altar, the chanting? All our senses are transfigured by the presence of God and all his saints.

And yet, we should not forget the desert, the Burning Bush, Moses climbing the mountain to receive the tablets of the 10 Commandments, and all those wild saints, those mad with the love for God, who lived for years on platforms built high above the ground, those cave dwellers – St. Anthony, St. Benedict, those forest dwellers in Ireland, Russia, and Alaska; and, of course those hermits past and present who lived and are still living their whole lives as hermits on Mount Athos.

Take a moment to imagine what it would look like if here in America, our deserts in the Southwest, our forests in the Rocky Mountains, the rocky coast lines of both the East and West coasts became populated with thousands of hermits, small groups of Christians still filled with wanting nothing but Christ, like the wild Christians of old, living lives seemingly mad with love for God. Imagine if every State was sanctified by holy hermits, whose tears of repentance and continual prayer for us Americans with the fragrance of Holiness.

Okay, may most of us cannot leave kith and kin to run oﬀ to the desert for the rest of our days (but it is a little tempting isn’t it?). But, we can resolve to make short visits, maybe for a day, a night, a week where we can be with Christ in wildness and solitude. Where we can maybe fast and pray as Jesus did, where we can recover our senses, in every sense of the word, and allow the clouds, the blue sky, the birds, the rocks, the trees, all the animals, become sacraments of the presence of God. Have we lost our minds so much to the Machine of our teckno- barbaric culture that we can’t imagine being without our phones, our computers, the internet, Netflix for at least a day or two?

Instead of a cave we can take a tent. Instead of eating locusts we can bring a loaf of homemade bread. Instead of committing to staying for months or years, we can spend one night or a week-end.

As C.S. Lewis, reminds us: out there in the wild

“there is still the old magic.”.

For suggestions about how to prepare and spend some time in a wilderness vigil, both practical and spiritual considerations, please feel free to reach out to me. I would welcome the opportunity to be of assistance. And for a real immersion into a wilderness vigil, check out the Wilderness Vigil retreats coming

Creation as Icon

Rewilding Christianity

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