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Icons contribute to the beauty of worship. They are like windows open on the realities of the Kingdom of God, making them present in our prayer on earth. Although icons are images, they are not simply illustrations or decorations. They are symbols of the incarnation, a presence which offers to the eyes the spiritual message that the Word addresses to the ears. According to the eighth-century theologian Saint John Damascene, icons are based on the coming of Christ to earth. Our salvation is linked to the incarnation of the divine Word, and therefore to matter: “In the past, the incorporeal and invisible God was never represented. But now that God has been manifested in the flesh and has dwelt among men, I represent the visible in God. I do not adore matter; I adore the creator of matter, who has become matter for my sake, who chose to dwell within matter and who, through matter, has caused my salvation” (Discourse I,16). By the faith it expresses, by its beauty and its depth, an icon can create a space of peace and sustain an expectant waiting. It invites us to welcome salvation even in the flesh and in creation.
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Ikone pridonose ljepoti molitve. One su poput prozora otvorenih stvarnostima Kraljevstva Božjeg, čineći ih prisutnima u našoj molitvi na zemlji. One su poziv na naše osobno preobraženje. Premda je ikona slika, ona nije samo ilustracija ili dekoracija. Ona je simbol Utjelovljenja, prisutnost koja očima nudi duhovnu poruku koju Riječ upućuje ušima. Temelj ikona, prema svetom Ivanu Damaščanskom (osmo stoljeće), jest Kristov dolazak na zemlju. Naše spasenje je vezano uz utjelovljenje božanske Riječi, te stoga i uz tvar: «U prošlosti, netjelesni i nevidljivi Bog nikad nije bio prikazivan. Ali sada, kada se Bog objavio u tijelu i nastanio se među ljudima, ja prikazujem vidljivo u Bogu. Ne štujem tvar, ja štujem stvoritelja tvari, koji je postao tvarju poradi mene, koji je odlučio nastaniti se u tvari i koji je, po tvari, uzrokovao moje spasenje.» Po vjeri koju izražava, po svojoj ljepoti i dubini, ikona može stvoriti prostor mira, podržati iščekivanje. Ona nas poziva da primimo spasenje čak i u tijelu i u stvorenju.