"Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. / Thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them." (Exodus 20:4-5 DRV)
An evangelical Protestant reader has written to take us traditional Catholics to task for worshipping images -- he uses the term "idols" -- such as that to be seen on the iconostas and elsewhere in our churches.
Yesterday, at Saint Elias Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church, in Brampton ON, Protodeacon David Kennedy, took up this question. In under eight minutes (!) he explains the difference between worship and veneration, and why the icons help us to visualize the God we worship.
Click here for more information on the architecture and iconography of the Church of Saint Elias the Prophet, and here for a further explanation of the church interior. To see what actually happens during an Eastern Catholic worship service, go to the Friends of Saint Elias YouTube channel. New videos of Vespers, Matins and the Divine Liturgy are added at least once a week.
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