NYC: Nativity Scene at Central Park

The public display of the Nativity Scene is putting Christ back into Christmas. This recovers the true spirit of Christmas which, in the first place, is a Holy Day, a Religious Feast. Congratulations to the Catholic League!

NYC: Nativity Scene at Central Park

Nuestra Senora de la O: the Expectation of our Lady

In the town of Pangil, Laguna is an image of the Virgin of Expectation which the people call as Nuestra Senora de la O. I have been intrigued by this title. I asked people about the title and they say that she is called Nuestra Senora de la O because she answers "OO" (Yes) to all petitions given to her. Well, that's folk religiosity for you! Anyway, further reading about this image of the Virgin is that during the Christmas Novena (simbang gabi), a peculiar antiphon is sung wherein the Virgin is addressed with the "O". I thought it was the "O Antiphons" of Advent until I stumbled upon an article by Fr. Z about the Spanish Veneration to Our Lady of Expectation, popularly known as Nuestra Senora de la O.

This is interesting read: Expectation of the Blessed Virgin – interesting customs

Our Lady of the Annunciation

I recently acquired an antique image of Our Lady of the Annunciation just in time for the celebration of Advent. As Advent is the time of great expectation, the Annunciata is the fitting Advent image. At the New Liturgical Movement blog is an interesting article on the Annunciation in Art.

The Apocryphal Gospels as a Source of Imagery

On the devil's hatred for sacred images

Abbot Theodore Aeliotes told of a holy hermit on the Mount of Olives, who was much troubled by the demon of fornication. One day when he was sorely tempted, the old man began to complain bitterly. "When will you let me alone?" he said to the devil "be gone from me! you and I have grown old together." The devil appeared to him, saying, "Swear to me that you will keep what I am about to tell you to yourself, and I will not trouble you any longer." And the old man swore it. Then the devil said to him, "Do not worship this image, and I will not harass you." The image in question represented Our Lady, the holy Mother of God, bearing in her arms our Lord Jesus Christ. You see what those who forbid the worship of images hate in reality, and whose instruments they are. The demon of fornication strove to prevent the worship of Our Lady's image rather than to tempt the old man to impurity. He knew that the former evil was greater than fornication.

St. John Damascene, Apologia against those who decry holy images.

On Profaning Sacred Images

EVERY one must recognise that a man who attempts to dishonour an image which has been set up for the glory and remembrance of Christ, of His holy Mother, or one of his saints, is an enemy of Christ, of His holy Mother, and the saints. It is also set up to shame the devil and his crew, out of love and zeal for God. The man who refuses to give this image due, though not divine, honour, is an upholder of the devil and his demon host, showing by his act grief that God and the saints are honoured and glorified, and the devil put to shame. The image is a canticle and manifestation and monument to the memory of those who have fought bravely and won the victory to the shame and confusion of the vanquished. I have often seen lovers gazing at the loved one's garment, and embracing it with eyes and mouth as if it was himself. We must give his due to every man, St Paul says "Honour to whom honour: to the king as excelling: or to governors as sent by him," (Rom. 13.7) to each according to the measure of his dignity.

St. John Damascene, Apologia against those who decry holy images.

On the legitimacy of Sacred Images

We worship Thy immaculate Image, O Good One, and ask forgiveness of our sins, O Christ God; for of Thy own will Thou wast pleased to ascend the Cross in the flesh, to deliver from slavery to the enemy those whom Thou hadst created. Therefore we thankfully cry to Thee: Thou hast filled all things with joy, O our Saviour, by coming to save the world. (Troparion: Triumph of Orthodoxy, First Sunday of the Great Lent.)


"If we made an image of the invisible God, we would certainly be in error, but we do nothing of that sort, for we are not in error if we make the image of the Incarnate God, who appeared on earth in the flesh, and who, in his ineffable goodness, lived with human beings and assumed the nature, quantity, shape, and color of the flesh." (St. John Damascene)