July 29, 2011 – Philippians 3-4

I don’t understand the objection to having statues and images in churches to remind us of holy people and their lives when Paul says to be imitators of him.  Yes, we are to look to Christ and try to be like Him, but those that lived their lives in a holy way and lived by God’s will should be role models for us.  We can be imitators of them as well.  I hear many times that the statues and images distract us from God.  That could not be farther from the truth, they point us to God.  If the statues or images are a distraction or become something they were not intended for, then I would agree that is an issue, but I have not heard of that being an issue.  They are arrows pointing us to Christ, examples that we can follow in our own life, leaders in our Church and those that are with God right now.  The saints are a great reminder for us of God’s love and the ability for us to live God’s will when we may become discouraged and feel that we can never accomplish it because we are only human.  Remember that they were as well.