Tag Archives: advent

Christmas Images and St. John Damascene

Advent/Christmas is a time filled with images – manger scenes, the Holy Family, angels, Saint Nicholas, and many others. This is not unique to the Catholic Church, but something you see almost everywhere this time of year!

What is ironic, is that for some the Catholic use of images is in fact an obstacle and stumbling block to belief in the Church. Many believe that this violates the Old Testament prohibition: “You shall not make for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth” (Exodus 20:4). How can we fill our churches with graven images, when this is specifically prohibited? The extreme view of this position is called iconoclasm (literally, “image breaking”). It is the belief that all forms of images are against the teaching of the Scriptures and the respect due to God, and must be removed or destroyed.

Therefore, I think that it is very fitting that we always celebrate the feast of St John Damascene (Dec. 4th) near the beginning of Advent. He was an active writer in the early 700’s at a time when iconoclasm was very strong. In his writings we find a wonderful defense of the practice of sacred images – seeing them not as an obstacle to authentic worship, but a powerful aid!

First, the extreme position against images is not even a fair interpretation of the Old Testament. Just five chapters after the supposed prohibition against all graven images, God commands that the Israelites make images of the cherubim (a type of angel) to be placed on the Ark of the Covenant: “Make two cherubim of beaten gold for the two ends of the cover” (Exodus 25:18). Likewise, wooden statues of the cherubim are included in the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem: “In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim, each ten cubits high, made of pine.” (1 Kings 6:23). Thus, the Old Testament does not forbid the creation of all sacred images, but only in the narrower sense of ones specifically worshipped in place of God (i.e., idols). As Catholics, we do not worship the saints in place of God, but rather see them as living brothers and sisters near to the Lord – “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive” (Luke 20:38). We give thanks for the grace of God at work in them, and ask them to pray for us.

Second, St John Damascene specifically draws out the way that things have changed after the incarnation of the second person of the Trinity- Jesus taking on human nature in the womb of the Virgin Mary, true God and true man. Many of the Old Testament laws were connected to the particular time and situation, or as a preparation toward later fulfillment. There are many times that Jesus declares this about Old Testament teaching: 

  • “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’… [and] ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5: 38, 43-44).
  • “He said to them, ‘Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile…’ Thus he declared all foods clean.” (Mark 7:18-19). 
  • “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.” (Matthew 19:8). 

In each of these cases, Jesus speaks of an Old Testament teaching that was pointing toward a deeper fulfillment, not one that was binding for all time. Many other examples could be found – for example, the animal sacrifices in the Temple.

Along this line, St John Damascene pointed out that when the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:15), God made a living image of Himself. Jesus says, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). The prophet Isaiah speaks of the way that the Messiah will remove what veils God: “On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations” (Isaiah 25:7). Indeed, we see this at the death of Christ on the Cross: “And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51).

For all of these reasons, it is a mistake to take an overly strict interpretation of the prohibition against images in the Old Testament. I provide these abundant Scriptural references, since the attack against Catholic sacred images is often motivated by a desire to be faithful to what the Bible teaches. We can see that the Scriptures themselves teach us that God has reached out to us in a new way. The New Testament proclaims a closeness to God. Saints or sacred images do not keep us from seeing the glory of God as if they were competing lights, but rather they are mirrors that reflect the divine goodness in radiant beauty. It is a wonderful practice during Advent and Christmas to spend time praying in front of the art of the season, calling to mind more and more deeply the presence of God in our lives!

Advent Ideas 2024

This time of year we are bombarded by many different lists of Christmas gift ideas – instead, I thought I would put together a list of ideas of spiritual prep for Advent! While we may find it difficult to fit in a lot each day, it is amazing how much impact small habits can have. Even 1% effort can make a huge difference.

On that note, the most fundamental way to keep Advent is to celebrate the four Advent Sundays! This is what outlines the season, and is reflected in the tradition of the Advent wreath (one candle for each Sunday). Fittingly, 1% of our week is 100 minutes – enough time for Mass even including preparation/travel. The readings of the four weeks are chosen especially to prepare for Christmas, and the connection with the community is good for us.

If you want to have an even more transformative experience, I encourage you to extend this “1% challenge” into the weekdays as well! That amounts to roughly 15 minutes per day. This is a goal that is pretty achievable even with a busy schedule. We often find that we spend at least this much time per day on low-quality time (e.g. social media) anyways!

Where might we find the 15 minutes? Classic times are during the morning, during lunch break, or in the evening. For some it may work to make this time right before bed, although for others it may be a time of too much drowsiness (or at risk of just falling asleep in the middle!). So, in the evening it might work better to schedule it just after some other activity concludes (e.g. after work/school, after dinner, right after the kids go to bed, etc). Other ideas might be during some activity when our body is occupied but our mind is able to engage in some real prayer/reflection. For example – during an easy drive, during a walk, or during simple chores (like folding laundry). 

What can we do during these 15 minutes? Here is a list of ideas-

  • Attend a daily Mass (these are simpler than a weekend Mass, usually closer to 20 minutes, and deepen our Scriptural dive into Advent texts)
  • Pray the rosary (especially reflecting on the Joyful mysteries)
  • Spiritual reading (e.g., the daily Mass readings, a devotional, or the writings of a saint)
  • Parish small group study (fittingly four meetings for four weeks! Available here – https://www.stmalachyschool.org/s/Parish-Mission-Small-Group-Study.pdf)
  • Pray the Angelus in the morning, noon, and evening (after spending a couple of minutes reflecting on God’s action in our life that day, basically three sets of 5 minutes – Angelus | USCCB)
  • Quiet meditation in front of religious art (e.g. a Nativity scene), perhaps with journaling (reflecting on God’s role in one’s life, goals, obstacles, intentions, brainstorming, etc). 
  • Audio options – podcasts, formed.org (free through our parish subscription)
  • Video options – formed.org, Chosen tv series
  • Works of mercy idea – place straw/paper next to the empty manger in your family Nativity scene. After a work of mercy, secretly add the straw to the pile. At the end of Advent you will have prepared a soft resting place for the infant Jesus, as well as have a visual representation of moments of grace.

Whatever you choose, I hope you have a very blessed Advent, and an even more Merry Christmas!

An Appointed Time for Everything

[I wanted to share this as a last-minute prep for Christmas – I originally wrote it for the News-Gazette Faith & Worship guide this year. God bless!]

“There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens” (Eccl. 3:1). It may seem odd to see these words from the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes in an article about Christmas, as it is a reading more often associated with funerals! However, in addition to speaking of a “time to weep… [and] a time to mourn,” this chapter speaks of “a time to laugh… and a time to dance” (v. 4). It is wisdom to understand the grace proper to each time, and to live in accord with it. The liturgical year (in other words, the church calendar of seasons, holy days, etc) applies this Biblical wisdom to our lives. As much as we give great significance to changing calendar years, I believe we should give even more significance to the change of liturgical seasons.


Advent encompasses the four Sundays before Christmas Day. The Christmas season is more than a single day, but continues through the traditional twelve days to Epiphany. Too often we miss the grace of the season of preparation, and cut short the celebration of its fruits. I want to look at three ways that Advent complements and prepares for the grace of the Christmas season. Advent is a time of reconciliation – with God and neighbor. This entails receiving forgiveness, granting forgiveness, and working to form stronger bonds. The fruit of this work is peace – the true, profound peace we desire to celebrate on Christmas.


Advent is a time of charity – a generosity that flows from gratitude. Commercialism may drive us to “shop till we drop,” and leave us worn out and in debt. The fruit of helping those in need and service to others opens up an interior freedom that leads to joy – the true, profound joy we desire to celebrate on Christmas.


Advent is a time of prayer – conversation with God. Whereas the world around us is filled with noise, prayer allows us to hear clearly. Scriptures, sacraments, devotions, and personal prayer give us the opportunity to spend quality time with God. The fruit of this time is love – the true, profound love we desire to celebrate on Christmas.


Ecclesiastes wraps up its reflection on the various times of life by stating, “I have seen the business that God has given to mortals to be busied about. God has made everything appropriate to its time, but has put the timeless into their hearts…” (vv. 10-11a). There is a timeless grace hidden in the Child Jesus. What a gift to have this appointed, appropriate time of year to once more make our way to Bethlehem.