LIVING ORTHODOX

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Brothers and sisters, a blessed feast to you. What a glorious praznik for our parish. The Image Not-Made-by-Hands. What a wonderful icon to have as our parish’s patron. The Image Not-Made-by-Hands—in English, simply rendered as Christ the Saviour—actually perfectly incapsulates the incredible spiritual reality and testament to the resurrection this icon is.

We are surrounded by so many images, dear ones, and many imprint themselves upon on us. Many that are lustful, envious, or desirous of money, fame, and wealth.

Tradition tells us that the origin of this icon comes from the time when our Lord walked the earth, preaching the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. Abgar, the ruler of Edessa, was stricken with leprosy. He had faith that if only he could see the Saviour’s divine image, he would be made well. So he sent one of his men to capture the Lord’s likeness in a painting. The painter was unsuccessful as the Lord was always distant or surrounded by a crowd.  

The Saviour, Himself caught sight of Ananias, called to him by name, and gave him a short letter for Abgar in which, having praised the faith of this ruler, He promised to send His disciple for both healing from leprosy and guidance for salvation. Then the Lord asked that there be brought Him water and a cloth (linen, or washcloth). He washed His Face, drying it with the cloth, and upon it was imprinted His Divine Countenance. Ananias took the cloth and the letter of the Saviour to Edessa. With reverence, Abgar took the holy thing and he received healing; only a small part of traces of the terrible affliction remained upon his face, until the arrival of the disciple promised by the Lord. He was the Disciple from the Seventy, Saint Thaddeus (Comm. 21 August), who preached the Gospel and baptized the believer Abgar and all the people of Edessa.

Abgar had some remaining imperfections upon his face from the leprosy, until the disciple of the Lord came and baptized him and his people. Which shows how though one can have faith, it is incomplete if one isn’t a member of the Church. 

As time went on and various iconoclasts and pagans attacked Edessa and other places where the icon was located, it would be hidden and moved around. However, each time it was hidden behind a board or a wall, the image would miraculously imprint itself (or copy itself) onto the adjacent surface of whatever was covering it. This, dear ones, is not only a testament to the incarnation of Christ, but a reflection of how Christ’s image should be imprinted upon our hearts. 

In Biblical language, the face is meant to denote the immediate presence of God (turn not Thy face away from me, and cast me not away from Thy presence and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me). The face is used to denote that immediacy, that closeness of God, which we see in how the image of the face of our Saviour was enough to heal Abgar. So too, dear ones, must we have unwavering faith in our Lord. We must set the eyes of our hearts upon Jesus, so that His image may be imprinted, emblazoned on our hearts. 

To be in the image of God and to be God bearing. We image our Lord by doing as our Lord does. We must be long-suffering, compassionate, and merciful. Humble, meek, and self-restrained by that extent. Not to speak ill or desire the destruction of others, as Christ said in His rebuke when His disciples wished to call down fire upon those who rejected Christ. Our Lord simply said: “The Son of Man came not to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” Many times, in the Greek of the New Testament, “to save” is rendered from a word which means “to heal.”

Brothers and sisters, there couldn’t be a more perfect name, or feast day for our parish. For truly I have seen how the image of our Lord is emblazoned on the heart of this parish. In your love of one another and in the way in which this parish has helped to spread Orthodoxy in our own little corner of the world. We have welcomed many new faces into our hearts, into our Church, and have helped them to have the image of the Saviour imprinted on their hearts by example, faith, and love. Let us always continue to set our eyes upon the mark for which we aim, that is Christ our God, our Hope. 

Amen 

Fr. Mikhail