S1:E3 - Who Do You Love?

City of Bridges Podcast - season one – episode 3 – Who Do you Love?

In a world fixated on fame, we often find ourselves admiring those in the spotlight. But beyond the buzz, who is truly worthy of our attention? 🔭

This episode, we explore the quiet beauty of Christian veneration—honoring lives shaped by Christ, marked by humility and love. It’s not about idolizing personalities, but lifting our eyes from the fleeting to the eternal. ✝️

Let’s rediscover the grace of turning our gaze from celebrity to sanctity. ❤️

The Creation affirms that matter is good, and the Incarnation reveals that matter can bear God’s presence—together making veneration not only possible, but proper, as we honor the ways God’s grace is made visible through the material world and His holy ones. 😇

Veneration means honoring, not worshipping. In the language of the early Church, worship—latria—is given to God alone. ✅

Veneration—dulia—is the respect we offer to saints and holy things, because they reflect God’s glory. 😌

We don’t adore them as gods. We honor them as faithful witnesses—lives made radiant by grace. Like stained glass, they let the light of Christ shine through.🔆

So when we kiss an icon or ask a saint to pray for us, we’re not worshipping the image or the person— we’re remembering what God has done through them, and seeking communion with the Body of Christ, across all time. ⏳

Veneration is not a distraction. It’s a way of drawing near to God through those who already dwell in His light. 💡 

In a world that prizes charisma and celebrity, we often elevate those who shine brightest in the public eye. But Scripture offers us a different vision of greatness—one embodied in the quiet, radiant life of the Theotokos. 🤰

When Mary magnified the Lord, she did not seek glory for herself. “My soul magnifies the Lord,” she proclaimed, “and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior… For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:46–48). Her greatness was not in fame, but in faith. Not in power, but in surrender. 🛐

The saints follow in her footsteps. They are not icons of self-promotion, but windows into Christ. Their lives point beyond themselves—to the One who is holy, merciful, and true. In them, we see the communion of witnesses: a family of faith that spans centuries, praying with us and for us. 🙏

Meanwhile, the modern world offers its own pantheon—pop stars, influencers, politicians—figures celebrated not for holiness, but for visibility. Yet their fame fades. Their influence often distorts more than it heals. 🤑

So we ask: who do we love, and why? As Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34). The ones we admire shape the people we become.💪

To love well in this age is to choose wisely. To turn our gaze from the fleeting to the eternal. To learn from the saints, and from the Mother of God herself, who shows us that true glory is found in humility, obedience, and the quiet courage to say, “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). 🗣️

 

📚Additional Resources:

“Evangelical Orthodox Church Worship” Talk by Bishop Jakob Palm at Horizon College & Seminary - https://youtu.be/ny8AyWz9pOo?si=KSyhFTQNW_9wx2aU

 

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313–386)

“We mention those who have fallen asleep in the faith… first the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, that through their prayers and supplications God would receive our petition.”— Catechetical Lectures, 23:9

 

St. John of Damascus (c. 675–749)

“I do not worship matter; I worship the Creator of matter, who became matter for my sake… I honor all matter through which salvation came to me.”— On the Divine Images, 1.16

 

St. Basil the Great (c. 330–379)

“The honor given to the image passes to the prototype.”— On the Holy Spirit, 18.4

 

St. Augustine of Hippo (c. 354–430)“The miracles that were wrought through the relics of the martyrs are not to be lightly esteemed… God gives testimony to their holiness.”— City of God, 22.8

 

St. Ambrose of Milan (c. 340–397)

“We love the martyrs with all our devotion… we kiss their relics, we embrace their bones as if they were alive and give healing.”— Letter 22

 

Origen (c. 184–253)

“There are places and objects where the divine presence dwells in a special way, and these we must approach with reverence.”— Homilies on Exodus

 

Martyrdom of St. Polycarp (c. 155 AD)

“We took up his bones, more precious than jewels, and more purified than gold, and laid them in a suitable place… where we may gather in joy to celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom.”

 

Proverbs 31:30

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.”<