(Last time, I promised to follow up Ad Rem 89 with some concrete advice. This will come, God willing, but first something more timely for November.)
Fingerprints burned into a prayer book. A clearly visible charred hand print on a wooden table. Similar marks on shirt sleeves, a night cap, and aprons. These are among the curiosities to be seen in Rome’s Purgatory Museum.
When Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi appeared on Meet the Press a few weeks ago, she was asked about her consistent approval of abortion. Repeating her frequently stated stand, she insisted that she is “an ardent, practicing Catholic” and then claimed that no one knows when life begins. Moderator Tom Brokaw promptly told her [...]
Today, the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, there is an interview with me published on the Renew America web site. Brian Mershon, a traditional Catholic journalist interviewed me several months ago, and this is the result:
One year later…the forgotten document: A reaffirmation of the one true Church of [...]
Every evening we come before our Blessed Mother, bringing her a collection of our day’s efforts. She gracefully produces a gift of value and, in November, we are emboldened to ask if any of it could be applied to the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
November is the month dedicated to the Holy Souls, and they are [...]
One of the earliest and most popular editors of the Catholic newspaper, The Boston Pilot, was an escaped “convict.” John Boyle O’Reilly (1844-90) was unjustly sentenced in 1867, by the English, to twenty-three years of penal servitude in Australia for his anti-British activism as a member of the Irish Fenians. He escaped the [...]
In Catholic religious art the color blue, not white, is symbolic of purity. The white wedding gown originated in the nineteenth century in imitation of Queen Victoria who wore white for her wedding to Prince Albert. The blue that brides were instructed to wear “something borrowed, something blue” on the wedding day was in honor [...]
I’m back from this two-week trip to Rome, but I haven’t gotten the Eternal City out of my mind. Not by a long shot. Thus, this entry, which has a ghoulish picture in it. I think it’s an appropriate meditation on death for November.
In Rome there is a famous church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, [...]
The following is a press release from the Catholic Action League, condemning a deal between Boston College and Victoria’s Secret:
The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts today criticized Jesuit administered Boston College for entering into a business relationship with Victoria’s Secret, the self-described distributor of the “world’s sexiest brands” in women’s lingerie, sleepwear [...]
The first diocese established in North America was not Mexico City or Quebec but Greenland. Viking Leif Erikson, son of Erik the Red, brought along Catholic missionaries when he sailed to Greenland from Norway in the year 1000. His father, exiled from Norway, had established a colony there in 986 at Brattahlid. Leif was raised [...]
The word “saunter,” which means to “wander about,” is derived from Saint Terre (Holy Land). The connection is this: After the age of the catacombs, with the ascent of Constantine and Theodosius to the imperial Roman throne, Christians were free to make pilgrimages to Palestine. This was always a dangerous journey, especially after the seventh [...]
Zenit News has a very interesting article affirming the fact, with documentation, that Pius XII saw the sun dance in the sky and change colors four times, October 30, 31, November 1, and November 8, 1950. He defined the dogma of Our Lady’s Assumption on November 1 that year. The pope testified to this in [...]
Birds are used as Christian symbols. In a previous “Did You Know?” we mentioned the use of the pelican in Christian art. In general, birds have long symbolized the soul’s ascent to God above material things. Some birds are used as examples of specific virtues or attributes of the Christian soul (or their opposite: the vices), while others represent Our Lord (i.e., the pelican), Our Lady, and the saints.
There is a legend that the robin received his red breast as a reward for protecting the Christ Child from the sparks of a fire, which he caught on his breast, while the Holy Family rested on their flight into Egypt.
The peacock is used to symbolize immortality - this from an ancient legendary belief that the flesh of the peacock did not decay. The Roman Catacomb of San Callisto contains a vault, in which Mass could be celebrated, with representations of the peacock decorating it. The thought of spiritual immortality would have been a great consolation to Catholics during the early persecution.
The blackbird represents the darkness of sin (black feathers) and the temptations of the flesh (its beautiful song). Once, while Saint Benedict was praying, the devil tried to distract him, appearing as a blackbird. St. Benedict, however, was not fooled, and sent him on his way with the Sign of the Cross.
The dove is well known as the symbol of the Holy Ghost, as well as representing peace and purity. It is also used in connection with St. Benedict, St. Scholastica, and St. Gregory the Great.
The eagle, like the phoenix (which also stands for faith and constancy), is a symbol of the Resurrection based on an ancient belief that the eagle would renew its youth and plumage by flying near the sun and then plunging into water. (See Psalm 102: 5.) Since St. John the Evangelist begins his Gospel by soaring to the Divinity of Our Lord, the eagle, which flies higher than other birds, also represents him. (See Ezech. 1: 5-10; Apoc. 4:7)
The falcon has two different uses in art. The wild falcon symbolizes evil thoughts or actions, while the domestic falcon represents the gentile converted to Catholicism. In this last sense, it is often shown in pictures of the Three Magi.
The goldfinch frequently appears in pictures of the Christ Child. Because of this small bird’s fondness for thistles and thorns, it has come to represent the Passion of Our Lord. When depicted with Our Lord as a child, the goldfinch associates the Incarnation with the Passion.
Saint Peter is easily spotted when portrayed with a cock; but, especially in Maronite art, the rooster is the symbol of the soul’s awakening and response to God’s grace.
The goose represents providence and vigilance. It is sometimes used in images of St. Martin of Tours, because one of them showed the people of Tours where he was hiding when they wanted to make him bishop.
The lark is a symbol of the humility of the priesthood, because this bird flies high and sings only when in flight towards Heaven.
The owl, in one sense represents Satan, the Prince of Darkness; and in another sense, it is an attribute of Our Lord, Who came to “give light to them that sit in darkness…” (Luke 1: 79).
The partridge likewise has two meanings. One is for the Church and truth; but it more commonly represents deceit, theft, and the devil.
The raven, because of his dark plumage, coarse cry, and supposed tastes, sometimes represents the devil; but God seems to have a fondness for them. One was sent to guard the body of St. Vincent Ferrer; and ravens are known to have fed at least three different saints (St. Benedict, St. Anthony the Abbot, and St. Paul the Hermit) while they were in the desert. Because of this, the raven also represents solitude.
The sparrow, considered the lowliest of birds, represents the least among people.
The swallow represents the Incarnation.
The stork is a symbol of prudence, vigilance, piety, and chastity. It is also associated with the Incarnation; for, as the stork announces the coming of spring, the Annunciation told of the coming of Our Lord.
The woodpecker usually symbolizes the Devil, or heresy, which undermines the Faith and leads man to destruction.
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...