Visible/Invisible
- Michael Haldas
- Aug 15, 2023
- 4 min read
“Though our secular society believes in the unseen forces of “dark matter,” “black holes,” and the “solar wind,” it denies the invisible spiritual forces that Scripture and Holy Tradition assume. But if we are faithful to the Word of Life, we will live in a three-dimensional world, a world that includes angelic and demonic powers as well as earthly rulers and authorities…we must look to Christ to contend with the dark forces of evil that otherwise would overpower us. Of all the visible and invisible forces that surround us, only He has won the victory over them. Therefore, we must put our faith in Him as our champion in our fight against the rulers and powers of darkness. And all that we do should be done in His Name.” (Fr. Basil)
“For Christians of today, angels and demons are an afterthought, perhaps even an embarrassing one. They may be seen as some kind of holdover from paganism or premodern, superstitious cosmologies. Yet the belief systems of ancient Israel, Second Temple Judea, and early Christianity all embraced these beings. They envisaged the invisible realm and its occupants interacting constantly with the visible world and the people who inhabited it.” (Fr. Stephen De Young)
“We are not saved from our bodies, and we are not trying to escape our bodies to become spiritual beings. The goal…is the deification of the entire person, including our bodies. Divinity while being spiritual is not opposed to the physical, for the Word became flesh. In the incarnation, in the person of Christ, divinity and humanity are united, as are the spiritual and physical, heaven and earth. In Christ is the union of all things visible and invisible. Theosis [union with God] is God’s goal and salvation for all humans.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)
“…there is within all people (and all things) a purpose and an end towards which we are moving (or resisting). That end, according to the Fathers, is Christ Himself, the eternal Logos of God. “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Col. 1:16-17). Christ is more than a relationship that fills an empty place in our very busy, scattered lives.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“Certain invisible powers are indeed relating to us with wholly malicious intent, and they even use accidents and the weakness of those around us to further their aim of destroying us both physically and spiritually. We call out to our guardian a
“The world is a production of God's free will, goodness, wisdom, love and omnipotence. God did not create the world in order to satisfy some need of His. Rather He created it without compulsion and without force in order that it might enjoy His blessings and share in His goodness. God then brought all things into being out of nothing, creating both the visible and the invisible.” (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese)
“Things hoped for and not seen, a vision of the future, have encouraged the people of God throughout history: the invisible is often more real than the visible.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Hebrews 11:1)
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1). It is the essence of our hope, even though it cannot be proven by means of our physical senses. If we touch, taste, see, hear, and smell what we hope for, we have information, but not faith….In this earthly life we live on the basis of trust. We accept the fact that “the worlds were framed by the Word of God” (vs. 3), although we did not see creation occur. We perceive, rather, that the world is orderly, reliable, and consistent; we infer from things seen the “unseen” hand of God who made the world….God brought everything into being by His Word. He spoke, and it came to be. God created all things and holds everything in existence.” (Dynamis 12/20/2018)
“The truth is that there is an invisible world that is just as real as the visible world. There are vast numbers of angels, both good and bad—spirits that exist all around us. There are glorious beings that would take our breath away if we saw them, and there are evil beings that would horrify us if we could see them.” (Chip Ingram)
“The truth is that the feelings we receive from our devotional life are the least of its benefits. The invisible and unfelt grace of God is much greater, and it is beyond our comprehension.” (St. John of the Cross)
"So in faith we “see” the visible, and “understand” its invisible Source. Thus the visible can, in faith, be a constant reminder of the invisible; In faith, the visible is a channel for divine revelation. Thus we use visible symbols and icons in our liturgical Tradition, so that they point us to the invisible. Our “vision” does not stop, so to say, at the icon, but extends beyond it, toward the One or the ones depicted on it." (Sr. Dr. Vassa Larin)
“God did not remain in His invisible nature . . . and leave Himself utterly unknown to humankind. He structured creation so that, although He is invisible by nature, He may nonetheless be known by His works.” (St. Athanasius)
"Since God is invisible, forgetfulness of God is one of the greatest human temptations. Fasting helps to mitigate that forgetfulness and, in so doing, makes love for God possible." (Aristotle Papanikolaou)
"Throughout its pages, the Bible presents a holistic view of reality that encompasses both the familiar visible world and the invisible world that coexist as a kind of parallel universe. In every instance of human time eternity is present. An act of love justice compassion - or hate and cruelty - has consequences in this world and in the unseen world as well." (Philip Yancey)
“The attention of the Creator reaches to everything—invisible and visible alike, small and great—for all created things require the attention of the Creator.” (St. Athenagoras)
Comments