How is the proper use of holy icons in harmony to the Second Commandment and to God’s revelation?

To understand the Church’s wisdom in blessing and regulating the use of holy images, one must consider the alternatives: either the complete prohibition of all representations or the indiscriminate blessing of every kind of representation and veneration.

The first position, that of Islam and of certain Christian sects, is incompatible with the allowance and even prescription of representations found in the Old Testament. Since the world is filled with images, it results in people possessing representations of everything imaginable except the holy: it effectively builds a wall between secular life (where images abound) and sacred life, a separation unknown to the Scriptures: “whether you eat, or drink, or whatever else you do, do it all to the glory of God” (1Co 10:31).

As St Gregory the Great explains:

Antiquity has not without reason admitted the histories of saints to be painted in venerable places… If anyone wishes to make images, by no means prohibit him, but by all means forbid the adoration of images. And carefully admonish the people that, from the sight of the event portrayed, they should catch the ardor of compunction and bow themselves down in adoration of the One almighty Holy Trinity. (St Gregory the Great, Pope of Rome, Letter to Serenus of Marseilles)

For this reason the Church has approved specific types of representations, together with proper forms of reverence, such as are always accorded to the book of the Gospels, to the holy Cross, and to the living saints: the holy kiss (Rom 16:16; see Q520), the offering of incense (Mal 1:11; Rev 8:3–4; see Q043, Q319), and, when the context calls for it, a respectful bow which is never confused with worship (1Sa 24:8; Est 3:2; Sir 50:20–21).

(Q522a. With what disposition of mind should we reverence the icons, so as to avoid both disrespect and idolatry?)

While we look upon them with our eyes, we should mentally look to God and to the saints who are represented on them: “surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses… looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:1–2; see Q390, Q542).

Care must also be taken to avoid abuse and superstition, as St Athanasius of Alexandria testifies:

We, who are of the faithful, do not worship images as gods, as the heathen did (God forbid), but we mark our loving desire to see the face of the person represented. Hence, when the image is obliterated, we throw it as so much wood into the fire. As Jacob, when about to die, bowed in worship over the head of Joseph’s staff (Gen 47:31 LXX; Heb 11:21), not honoring the staff but its owner, in the same way we greet images, just as we embrace our children and parents, to signify our affection (attributed to St Athanasius, cited in St John of Damascus, Apologia Against Those Who Decry Holy Images).

(Q522b. Do Orthodox Christians actually “pray” to icons?)

Accurately speaking, Orthodox Christians do not pray to icons, but toward or in front of icons, even as the Israelites of old prayed not to but toward the temple: “I will worship toward Your holy temple in the fear of You” (Psa 5:7); “I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness” (Psa 138:2; see Study on the “Pray” in the Language of Scripture: Prayer to God and Petitions to Persons).

Christians rejoice that “our eyes have seen salvation” (Luk 2:30), and that through the holy icons we recognize the “great cloud of witnesses” that surrounds us, while recognizing that many forms of prayer exist, with and without icons (Joh 17:1; 1Co 14:15; see Q390, Q266).