Our TRUE WORTH. The FULL POTENTIAL of our Humanity (On Icons and Flesh)

Summary

The speaker in the script reflects on the profound spiritual significance of icons, which serve as reminders of God's incarnation and the divine potential within human beings. Icons reveal the capacity of human flesh and blood to carry the divine, highlighting the parallel between the Virgin Mary's role in Christ's birth and the believer's ability to embody Christ through Holy Communion. The discourse emphasizes the importance of valuing our physical existence as an integral part of our spiritual journey, urging respect for all creation and our interconnectedness as bearers of Christ's image.

Takeaways

• 🙏 The speaker emphasizes the profound spiritual significance of icons, viewing them as more than mere representations of divine figures.
• 🛐 Icons serve as a reminder of the Incarnation, the belief that God became human in Jesus Christ, and the potential within each person to embody Christ's presence.
• 🕊 The human body, in its flesh and blood, is likened to a chalice capable of holding the divine, reflecting the Incarnation and the mystery of the Holy Eucharist.
• 🌟 The speaker reflects on the personal and transformative power of icons, teaching about one's own being, potential, and the commonality shared with the divine.
• 🔍 Icons reveal truths about both God and the viewer, encouraging introspection and a deeper understanding of one's spiritual identity and purpose.
• 🌱 The potential of the human body to carry Christ is highlighted, drawing parallels between the Virgin Mary's role in the Incarnation and the believer's capacity to carry Christ within.
• 🌼 The speaker calls for a revaluation of the human body, recognizing its sanctity and potential as a vessel for the divine, rather than viewing it as merely fallen or profane.
• ⛪ The importance of the Incarnation in Christian doctrine and its reaffirmation through icons is underscored, highlighting the continuity of Christ's presence in the world.
• 🤲 The act of Holy Communion is described as a personal encounter with Christ, where believers receive and carry His body and blood within their own flesh.
• 🌍 The speaker envisions a world where people interact as bearers of Christ's image, fostering a sense of unity, respect, and love for all creation, including oneself and others.
• 💖 A call to support the monastery, both spiritually and financially, is made, reflecting the communal and interdependent nature of the Christian faith.

Q & A

What is the primary significance of icons in the speaker's perspective?

Icons serve as reminders of the beauty of God and the Incarnation, as well as revelations about one's own being and potential, teaching about the depth of human potential and the mystery of the self.

How does the speaker relate the concept of the Incarnation to human beings?

The speaker relates the Incarnation to human beings by highlighting the shared characteristic of having bodies, flesh, and blood, which are capable of carrying God Himself, just as the Mother of God did.

What does the speaker suggest about the potential of our bodies?

The speaker suggests that our bodies have the extraordinary potential to contain the uncreated Creator, emphasizing the sacredness and importance of our physical form.

How does the speaker describe the process of receiving Holy Communion?

The speaker describes receiving Holy Communion as a way of receiving Christ's Body and Blood within oneself, becoming a 'chalice made of flesh and blood' carrying God within.

What role do icons play in the speaker's understanding of self-worth and the value of the human body?

Icons play a crucial role in teaching the speaker about the inherent value of the human body and the flesh, encouraging a respect for oneself, others, and the world around, as all are bearers of God's image.

How does the speaker view the interaction between the individual and the world when carrying the presence of God within?

The speaker views this interaction as a divine encounter, where even without the world's awareness, it interacts with God through the individual who carries Him within their flesh and blood.

What does the speaker believe will happen when we face Christ 'face to face'?

The speaker believes that when we face Christ 'face to face', we will come to know everything in its fullness, no longer in part or shadow, including the full truth about God and ourselves as God's image.

How does the speaker connect the concept of the Mother of God to the potential of every human being?

The speaker connects the concept by pointing out that just as the Mother of God carried Christ within her body without sin, every human being's flesh and blood, though fallen, still possess the potential to carry Christ through Holy Communion.

What is the speaker's view on the importance of supporting the monastery?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of supporting the monastery through prayers and financial means, acknowledging the challenges of maintaining the monastery and expressing gratitude for the community's continued existence by God's grace.

How does the speaker express the interconnectedness of all people through the shared experience of the flesh and blood?

The speaker expresses this interconnectedness by stating that all people share the 'extraordinary thing' of having flesh and blood capable of containing God, emphasizing a universal bond and shared divine potential.

What is the speaker's final blessing for the listeners?

The speaker's final blessing is for the listeners to be blessed, expressing love and the wish for prayers to reach them across the world, recognizing the unity of all people in their shared humanity and divine potential.

Outlines

00:00

✨ The Profound Significance of Icons

The author discusses how icons reveal not only the beauty of God but also our own potential and nature. Icons teach us dogmatic truths and remind us of our capacity to carry Christ within ourselves, similar to how the Mother of God did, though in a different manner. By interacting with the world, we, as chalices of Christ, allow the world to interact with God. Icons thus illuminate the mystery of our being and our potential, revealing the fullness of truth about both God and ourselves.

05:15

🚗 Recording in the Car: A Conversation About Icons

The author reflects on an impromptu discussion about icons, inspired by a recent email exchange. Despite recording in a car with distractions, they express gratitude for the opportunity to share personal insights. The conversation highlights that everyone's path to Christ and prayer is unique, emphasizing the personal connection and the reminder that icons provide of Christ's extraordinary love and incarnation.

10:20

🌟 The Dual Revelation of Icons

The author elaborates on how icons reveal both the incarnation of God and the potential of our human bodies. Despite our tendency to disregard our physical form, icons remind us of the awe-inspiring truth that our bodies can contain the uncontainable Creator. This dual revelation is humbling and reminds us that our bodies, like our souls, are integral to our humanity and capable of sustaining divine presence.

15:24

🖼️ The Icon as a Reflection of Our Potential

Icons reveal the depth of God's love and our own potential. They show that our flesh and blood, like Christ's, can sustain the incarnation. The author discusses the sacrament of our bodies and their role in iconography and the incarnation of Christ. By receiving Holy Communion, we embody Christ's presence, demonstrating the extraordinary potential and sanctity of our physical form.

20:30

🔍 Exploring the Truths of Icons

The author revisits the central theme of how icons teach us about God and ourselves. Our flesh and blood, common with the incarnate God, reveal the truths of Christ's incarnation and the Holy Communion. Icons remind us of our potential to carry Christ within us, emphasizing the interconnectedness of humanity and divinity.

25:32

🙏 Valuing Our Flesh and Blood

The author concludes by urging us to value our bodies and the bodies of others, recognizing them as vessels for Christ. They call for respect and care for the physical world, advocating for a harmonious interaction as bearers of Christ's image. The author expresses love and gratitude, requesting prayers and support for the monastery, and highlighting the unity of all humanity through our shared flesh and blood.

Keywords

💡Icon

In the context of the video, an 'icon' refers to a religious image, typically of Jesus Christ or a saint, used in Eastern Orthodox and other Christian traditions. Icons are not merely artistic representations but are believed to embody spiritual truths and serve as a conduit for divine revelation. The speaker describes how icons remind him of the incarnation and the potential within his own being, as they depict the divine in human form.

💡Incarnation

The term 'incarnation' refers to the Christian doctrine that God became human in the person of Jesus Christ. In the video, the concept is central, as the speaker reflects on how the incarnation is a testament to God's love for humanity and how it is mirrored in the human capacity to carry God within through Holy Communion and the potential of the human body.

💡Flesh and Blood

The phrase 'flesh and blood' is repeatedly used to emphasize the physicality of human existence and the divine's becoming human. It underscores the speaker's belief in the sacredness of the human body as a vessel capable of containing the divine, as seen in the incarnation of Christ and in the believer's partaking in Holy Communion.

💡Revelation

In the script, 'revelation' denotes the disclosure of divine truths or knowledge, particularly about God and the nature of human beings. The speaker is not only given revelations about God through the icon but also about his own potential and being, highlighting the transformative power of recognizing one's spiritual capacity.

💡Humanity

The word 'humanity' is used to describe all human beings collectively. The speaker discusses the shared divine-human connection through the incarnation and how humanity, in its flesh and blood, mirrors the divine and partakes in the divine through Holy Communion.

💡Chalice

A 'chalice' is a cup used in religious ceremonies, especially in the Christian Eucharist. The speaker uses the metaphor of the chalice to describe the human body as a vessel that carries the body and blood of Christ within it after partaking in Holy Communion.

💡Theotokos

The term 'Theotokos,' meaning 'God-bearer' in Greek, refers to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. The speaker draws a parallel between the unique incarnational role of Mary and the believer's capacity to carry Christ within through the sacrament of Holy Communion.

💡Holy Communion

Holy Communion, also known as the Eucharist, is a Christian sacrament during which believers consume consecrated bread and wine, symbolizing the body and blood of Christ. The video emphasizes the transformative experience of Holy Communion, where the believer becomes a vessel of Christ's presence in the world.

💡Sin

The concept of 'sin' is integral to the Christian understanding of human imperfection and separation from God. The speaker acknowledges his own sinfulness but also the transformative potential of the human body to carry the divine, despite the fallen nature of humanity.

💡Resurrection

Resurrection in Christian belief refers to the rising of Jesus Christ from the dead, symbolizing victory over death and the promise of eternal life for believers. The speaker mentions the resurrection to emphasize the enduring significance of the human body, even in the afterlife.

💡Bearers of Christ's Image

The phrase 'bearers of Christ's image' speaks to the Christian belief that humans are created in the image of God and thus carry a divine likeness. The speaker encourages viewers to recognize and honor this image in themselves and others, fostering a respectful and loving interaction with the world.

Highlights

The profound connection between viewing icons and the unspeakable beauty of God's nature.

Icons as a medium for learning about God's dogmatic truths and personal revelations about one's own being.

The concept of humanity sharing an extraordinary commonality with the incarnate God through our bodies, flesh, and blood.

The idea of individuals being capable of carrying Christ within themselves, similar to the Mother of God.

The transformative experience of engaging with the world as a 'chalice' containing God, influencing interactions unknowingly.

The significance of icons in teaching about Christ's incarnation and the depth of human potential.

The anticipation of a future revelation of the fullness of truth about God and ourselves when facing Christ.

The personal narrative of the speaker's unique relationship with icons and their spiritual significance.

The reminder of the incarnation奇迹, emphasizing the Creator's love through becoming flesh and blood like ours.

The exploration of the human body's capacity to receive the uncreated Creator, challenging traditional perceptions.

The sacrament of our flesh and blood, its role in sustaining the incarnation and its significance in iconography and faith.

The parallel between the Mother of God's sinless flesh and the potential purity of our own bodies.

The reflection on the resurrection and the spiritualized form of our bodies, emphasizing their importance in our humanity.

The speaker's personal realization of the icon's revelation about their own flesh and blood's potential to contain Christ.

The distinction between the incarnation in the Mother of God and the reception of Christ through Holy Communion.

The call to value ourselves, our bodies, and the world around us as bearers of Christ's image and sacrament.

The speaker's heartfelt plea for support and prayers for their monastery, highlighting the community's resilience and faith.

The expression of universal love and prayer, emphasizing the shared human experience and the capacity to contain God.

Transcripts

When I look at an icon I'm reminded not only  of the unspeakable beauty of God Himself;  

when I look at an icon I'm being taught not only  dogmatic truths about God; I'm not being given  

revelations about God; but I'm being given  revelations about my own being: I'm being  

taught my own potential: I'm being reminded who I  was created to be; because we, all of us, humanity  

itself at large, we have this extraordinary thing  in common with the incarnate God: our bodies,  

our flesh and our blood. Like the  Mother of God but in a different manner,  

not from within ourselves but from the outside,  we can carry within ourselves Christ Himself, God  

Himself. Like the Mother of God but in a different  manner we become these flesh and blood chalices,  

carrying within ourselves---this body of mine  becomes a chalice for Christ's Body and His Blood  

and then I go out into the world and then I walk  the streets and I speak to people and I hug people  

and I bless people and I pray for people, not only  as the sinner that I am---and I am a sinner---but  

also I walk the streets of this world as a chalice  made of flesh and blood containing within myself,  

carrying within myself God Himself Whom I have  eaten and I have within myself, and then when the  

world interacts with me and I interact with the  world, even without the world being aware of it  

the world interacts with God Whom I carry in  this chalice made of my flesh and my blood.  

Icons, my brothers and my sisters, icons  teach us so much more, not only about  

Christ's incarnation but about the depth  of our own potential, about our own  

miracle, about the mystery that we are to  ourselves, because we remain mysteries to  

ourselves until the day when we are going to face  Christ person to Person, face to Face, and then  

looking at Him the way we look now at an icon, we  are going to know everything, no longer in part,  

no longer in a shadow, we are going to know the  fullness of the truth concerning not only God, but  

God's image, ourselves, as well. These icons  have so much to teach us about not only Him  

but about us as well. May Christ bless us. my  brothers and my sisters, may he pour within  

ourselves the fullness of His revelation, the  fullness of His knowledge, not only concerning  

Himself but concerning ourselves, so that we learn  to value ourselves, so that we learn to value  

our bodies, our flesh and our blood, so that we  learn to value the flesh and blood of our brothers  

and our sisters, the flesh and blood of the  world around us, of these trees and of that ocean  

so that we no longer abuse them and destroy  them, so we no longer abuse ourselves and  

destroy ourselves and our brothers and our sisters  but that we interact with each other the way we  

should as bearers of Christ's image, bearers of  His Body and His Blood through Holy Communion.

Hello, dear ones! Well, we eventually got to  this as well. I kind of expected it to happen  

but I thought it would happen a bit later because  there are so many things that need to be done,  

I have to record this from the car and I must  apologize for the sound, the noise of the cars  

passing by and everything else. I am in fact  quite grateful to God that I could park the car  

and I don't have to record this as I'm driving,  I'm not entirely certain that would be legal  

and the thought of prison doesn't yet feel  that appealing to me. Someone pushed me last  

week into the conversation about icons. It  was a conversation that happened by email  

and it was a conversation that simply flourished  and ended up revealing things to me about  

myself and my own reasons for loving icons and I  want to share those things with you. It is true to  

how I relate to icons and---

that bird is actually quite distracting---

anyway apart from the dogmatic reasons  for anything, we all have our own stories  

and these stories include our own  personal unique reasons for feeling  

more inspired by some things and less inspired  by others. There are as many paths to Christ as  

there are human beings, there are as many types  or modes of prayer as there are human beings,  

because our prayer and our path to Christ is  entirely personal and unique. When I see an icon  

what I see is flesh and blood, what I see is the  Body of Christ and I'm constantly reminded of this  

extraordinary event this extraordinary,  beyond-words, beyond-thought love of our Creator  

to the point that He has become created, to  the point that He has taken on created flesh,  

created blood, He has wrapped Himself in flesh  and blood like my flesh and my blood in order for  

Him to save me and to save you and to save all  of us. I am constantly reminded of this, beyond  

logic, beyond our mind's miracle, of the  Creator taking on a body, a body which is  

just like my body, a body which is made  up of flesh and blood like my own body.

But there is the other side of the coin, and  that other side of the coin has less to do  

with Christ's love for us and His act of  incarnation and has more to do with the fact that  

our bodies, our flesh and our blood deep down in  themselves have this amazing ability to receive  

in themselves the uncreated  Creator of everything---do  

you follow what I'm trying to say? The  Incarnation, which is always depicted in any icon,  

the basic dogmatic reason for painting any icon is  to reaffirm generation through generation from the  

Apostles to our generation the reality of Christ  s Incarnation, to reaffirm that His Body and His  

Blood are in no way different from my flesh and  my blood and therefore they can be depicted,  

but beyond this, beyond this endlessly beautiful  and endlessly humbling expression of God's love  

in the incarnation, what lies hidden  there is a truth about ourselves,  

about who we are as human beings, and  in a certain way, maybe not for everyone  

but definitely for me, in a certain way what  speaks to my heart mostly when I see an icon  

is this reminder, which is not entirely understood  by my brain because it cannot be entirely  

comprehended by our created brains,  this understanding, this reality that my  

body has within itself the ability  to contain the uncontainable.  

When I look at an icon, one side of that  revelation is that God has become incarnate,  

but the other side of this coin, the other  side of this dogma, of this reality is that  

my body is able to sustain the Incarnation,  that my flesh and my blood are able by some  

miraculous act on God's part are  able to contain within themselves  

the uncontainable Creator of everything,  and that is so extraordinary, that is so  

frightening and awe-inspiring. It is awesome in  that primary meaning of the word, it is filled  

with awe, because because we've learned to think  about our bodies as these fallen things, fallen  

accessories, almost to our being to the point  where we almost define ourselves even amongst  

Christians through our souls and we forget that  our bodies are still part of this beautiful mix  

that creates our humanities, we forget that when  we are to be resurrected, we are going to be  

resurrected in our bodies---a spiritualized form  of our bodies, but in our bodies nevertheless.  

Death does not obliterate our bodies and the  resurrection does not let go of our bodies,  

it does not erase the reality of us being bodily  beings. We humans are made of bodies as much as we  

are made of souls, we are the mix of a soul  and a body. These bodies of ours whom we've  

learned to disconsider or even hate, they are  able to sustain the Incarnation of our Creator,  

this flesh of mine and the blood  hidden in it were able in a sinless  

human being, in the Mother of God to sustain the  incarnation of God Himself; this sacrament of  

our bodies, this sacrament of our flesh and  our blood is something that we rarely think  

about and we rarely talk about but this sacrament  of our flesh and our blood is what sustains  

the incarnation of Christ, is what justifies and  necessitates the dogma of iconography, is what  

justifies the faith and the dogmas concerning  the Mother of God, because this flesh of ours,  

had I only been born with Adam's sin, our  ancestors sin, and had I been free from any  

personal sin the way the Mother of God is, then  Christ could have been incarnate in any one of us.  

You see, when I look at an icon---and  I always have an icon with me;  

it's true, not as big or  as beautiful as this one---

but when I have Christ's icon before  before my eyes, when I when I see His  

face, when I see His flesh and His eyes  and His lips and His nose and His forehead,  

this flesh of Christ and the blood of Christ  are not just a revelation about God Himself,  

the incarnation of Christ which is affirmed  again and again, and His icons do not  

reveal to me and to us a dogmatic truth about God  alone, they also reveal a dogmatic truth about who  

we are, they also show us not only the measure of  God's love but the measure of our own humanity.  

When I look at an icon, what I see, what I learn,  what I absorb is not only knowledge about God  

and His incarnation and the love that motivates  the incarnation and everything that follow the  

incarnation but I also am being taught I'm also  being shown a revelation concerning myself my own  

flesh my own blood which can sustain the reality  of Christ incarnation because this flesh and blood  

are in no way different from Christ's flesh and  blood what I do with my flesh and my blood whether  

or not I use them for my own salvation or for acts  of sin that is an entirely different conversation  

but the fullness of the potential of  my flesh and my blood are the fullness  

of the potential of Christ's flesh and blood  and this is the other coin of iconography  

they remind me of who I am they remind me of what  I through my body through my flesh and my blood  

am able to contain and able to achieve this  is different from the manner in which Christ  

was incarnate in the most holy Mother of God of  course it is different but nevertheless her flesh  

was my flesh she was a daughter of adam and  eve just like I am a son of adam and eve

and my body can still sustain  to this day Christ himself in me  

because every time I receive holy communion  I receive in myself I receive bodily  

in in my flesh and in my blood Christ  himself Christ's flesh Christ's blood  

but it is a different way of sustaining his  presence it is a different way of containing  

Christ himself because for me like for  all of us this comes from the outside  

we receive the flesh of Christ and the blood  of Christ from the outside within ourselves  

whereas in the most holy Mother of God Christ took  his body from her body his flesh was slowly formed  

his blood was slowly formed inside the body of the  Mother of God the same way in which any baby any  

fetus grows to the fullness of  that body inside their mother  

inside the body of the  Mother of God Christ himself

embroidered himself a most  beautiful flesh and blood  

because the Mother of God apart from the sin  of Adam with which everyone is being born  

she had no personal sin and because of  that her flesh and blood which are like my  

flesh and blood like your flesh and blood were  pure enough were clean and seamless to the point  

that the unthinkably pure uncreated God could sow  himself embroider himself make for himself a body

when I look at an icon I'm reminded not only  of the unspeakable beauty of God himself  

when I look at an icon I'm being taught not only  dogmatic truths about God I'm not being given  

revelations about God but I'm getting I'm  being given revelations about my own being  

I'm being taught my own potential I'm  being reminded who I was created to be  

because we all of us humanity itself at large  we have this extraordinary thing in common  

with the incarnate God our  bodies our flesh and our blood  

and that flesh and blood the truths concerning  that flesh and blood will teach us everything we  

need to know about Christ's incarnation about  iconography about the most holy Theotokos  

the Mother of God about Christ's body and  blood which is given to us to this day  

in holy communion so that like the Mother of  God but in a different manner not from within  

ourselves but from the outside we can carry  within ourselves Christ himself God himself  

like the Mother of God but in a different manner  we become these flesh and blood chalices carrying  

within ourselves this body of mind becomes  a chalice for Christ's body and his blood  

and then I go out into the world and then I  walk the streets and I speak to people and I hug  

people and I bless people and I pray for people  not only as the sinner that I am and I am a sinner  

but also I walk the streets of this world as a  chalice made of flesh and blood containing within  

myself carrying within myself God himself whom I  have eaten and I have within myself and then when  

the world interacts with me and I interact with  the world even without the world being aware of it  

the world interacts with God whom I carry in  this chalice made of my flesh and my blood

icons my brothers and my sisters icons  teach us so much more not only about  

Christ's incarnation but about the depth  of our own potential about our own miracle  

about the mystery that we are to ourselves because  we remain mysteries to ourselves until the day  

when we are going to face Christ person to person  face to face and then looking at him the way we  

look now at an icon we are going to know  everything no longer in part no longer  

in a shadow we are going to know the  fullness of the truth concerning not only God  

but God's image ourselves as well these icons  have so much to teach us about not only him  

but about us as well may Christ bless us my  brothers and my sisters may he pour within  

ourselves the fullness of his revelation the  fullness of his knowledge not only concerning  

himself but concerning ourselves so that we learn  to value ourselves so that we learn to value  

our bodies our flesh and our blood so that we  learn to value the flesh and blood of our brothers  

and our sisters the flesh and blood of the world  around us of of these trees and of that ocean  

so that we no longer abuse them and destroy  them so we no longer abuse ourselves and  

destroy ourselves and our brothers and our sisters  but that we interact with each other the way we  

should as bearers of Christ's image bearers of  his body and his blood through Holy Communion.

I love you so much I could do a silly dance  right now just to show you how full my heart is.  

Pray for me, brothers and sisters and  pray for the monastery, and please, please  

support us if you can and if your heart  wants to. Support us through your prayers,  

support us financially, because we've gone  through one full year of no real income,  

but we are still here by the grace of God,  and by His love we shall continue to be here.  

All our love and our prayer may they fly to you  over that ocean all the way to North America to  

Australia to Romania and Russia and Greece and to  Asia and to Africa and everywhere in the world,  

because we are all one and we all share this  extraordinary thing, this thing called our flesh  

and our blood that can contain God Himself.  Be blessed, dear ones. Amen, amen, amen.