Icons reveal character

Icons reveal something about the character of the world in which we live. They reveal that there is a distortion within us such as what things seem to be is not what they are. Icons are windows to heaven but also windows to the Truth and thus also windows into the truth about our selves. The fact that icons cannot be truly seen without also being venerated points to the fact that our perception of the world and reality is rooted in our relationship with the world and reality. Perceiving the Truth is not an abstract, gnostic exercise, but a function of love and holding things in the proper place of honor.

Stephen Freeman