The director and editors of The Mary Page under the auspices of the International Marian Research Institute do not necessarily endorse or agree with the events and ideas expressed in this feature. Our sole purpose is to report on items about Mary gleaned from a myriad of papers representing the secular press.

The Catholic Veneration of Images
Source: Manila Standard (Philippines), January 15, 2008

Two great feasts dear to many Filipino Catholics are celebrated in January: the feast of the Black Nazarene of Quiapo, and the feast of the Sto. Nino. The celebration of these feasts features the image of Christ carrying his cross, or the images of the Christ Child dressed regally and holding the globe in one hand, or else dressed in various garbs (of a fisherman, a farmer, a policeman, a fireman, etc.). This image-centeredness of the celebrations can either make a person smile with amusement, or make one's forehead crease in worry, especially when, as happens in Quiapo, such a frenzy accompanies the procession that people get injured or die.

It is well known that many born-again Christians attack the Catholic practice of the veneration of images, and have even accused the Church of practicing idolatry, in violation of God's prohibition against graven images stated clearly in the Old Testament. But the Catholic practice of veneration of images has been upheld as legitimate by the Church repeatedly in ecumenical councils such as the Second Ecumenical Council of Nicea (787), the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Constantinople (869-70), and the Ecumenical Council of Trent (in 1563).

The Second Ecumenical Council of Nicaea upheld the use of sacred images of Jesus Christ, the blessed Virgin Mother of God, of the holy angels, and of all the saints and just, giving this as a reason: For, the more frequently one contemplates these pictorial representations, the more gladly will one be led to remember the original subject whom they represent, the more too will one be drawn to it (the original subject represented) and inclined to give it ... a respectful veneration, which, however is not the true adoration which, according to our faith, is due to God alone.

So, in Catholic teaching, sacred images are not adored but are meant to be representations of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels or the saints and holy ones of God. The respect and veneration given to these images does not stop at them but is directed rather at the persons they represent. In other words, they are not worthy of veneration in themselves but only by virtue of the persons whom they represent. The images are not someone; they are only something. In venerating them, we venerate not the piece of wood or the material reproduction but the person portrayed.

It must be admitted, though, that sometimes some Catholics consider the image itself as though it were the living person. These two following stories illustrate this point and the mistaken notion entertained in practice by some Catholics.

The story is told that two women went into a parish named after our Lady of Lourdes at a time when the pilgrim image of our Lady of Fatima was in that church. One of the women went straight to the statue of our Lady of Lourdes, the patron saint of the church. Her companion pulled her toward the statue of our Lady of Fatima, saying, "Not there, here. Our Lady of Fatima is more powerful than our Lady of Lourdes."

Another story told by a bishop. There was at one time a procession of the different St. Nino images from the different parts of the Visayas. In the course of the procession, the statue of the St. Nino de Tacloban tilted dangerously. The people shouted, St. Nino de Cebu, save the St. Nino de Tacloban!

It is not wrong to care for sacred images, but they should never be treated as living persons. They are only representations. In fact, the better images of God and of Jesus Christ are living human beings who are all made in the image and likeness of God, and with each of whom Christ identifies himself so that whatever is done to one of the least human person is done to Christ himself. It is more important to care for human beings than to care for wooden or stone images.

The Council of Trent also teaches that sacred images are to be honored and venerated not because it is believed that there is in them anything divine or any power for which they are revered, nor in the sense that something is sought from them or that a blind trust is put in the images as once was done by the Gentiles who placed their hope in idols... but because the honor which is shown them is referred to the original subjects which they represent.

It is to be regretted that many Catholics sometimes have made superstitious use of images, believing perhaps that these images are sources of good luck, or have a power to protect them from evil. Again, the power comes not from the images themselves but from the persons (Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin or the saints) they represent whom we invoke in faith.

Perhaps it will not be amiss in the Philippine setting to warn against the danger of making sacred images tools to project the egos of the owners of the images. The images are so embellished and decorated that their owners take pride in them. Sacred images are not meant for display only, and especially not for competition. Rather, their purpose is (as the prayer of the blessing of images says): so that by looking upon their (the sacred persons') likenesses with the eyes of our bodies, we may with the eyes of our minds remember and be led to imitate their holiness and deeds.

Return to Top