Mary & the Saints
Sacred Images and the Second Commandment
Because God himself took a visible human nature in Christ, the Church may fittingly depict Christ and the saints in images used to aid, not replace, worship of God.
Catholic teaching
The commandment against graven images forbade the idolatry of worshiping images as gods, not the making of religious art as such, since God himself commanded Moses to craft cherubim and a bronze serpent for sacred purposes. Catholics venerate, but do not worship, images and relics, honoring the person depicted rather than the material object.
Biblical foundation
God commands the crafting of golden cherubim for the Ark of the Covenant, an object of sacred art within the very sanctuary of worship. He also instructs Moses to make a bronze serpent that heals those who look upon it, showing sacred images can be vehicles of grace, not idols.
Scripture references
Historical evidence
Christian catacomb art depicting Christ, Mary, and biblical scenes dates from as early as the second century, and after the Iconoclast controversy the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 formally defended the veneration of sacred images as consistent with apostolic Tradition.
The Church Fathers
“I do not worship matter, but I worship the Creator of matter, who became matter for my sake.”