Traditional Marian iconography contrasts Eve with Mary. This representation arises from the reflection of the Church Fathers on these two figures. Eve, mother of all living, condemned us with her sin. Mary, with her faith, reopened the doors of Heaven for us, by welcoming the Lord Jesus into her womb. As Tertullain explains well in […]
The woman of the Apocalypse is She who crushes the head of the serpent, thus inaugurating the time of Salvation. This is depicted by the crescent moon placed under her her feet. To pray on the 4th day of the Novena of the Immaculate Conception click here.
The traditional iconography of the Immaculate Conception associates the lily with Mary. This flower symbolizes purity both for its white color and for the sweet scent it gives off. Furthermore, the flower recalls the beauty of Mary who is the most perfect creature of God. To pray on the 3rd day of the Novena of […]
The traditional iconography of the Immaculate always depicts Mary as a young woman. Her youthfulness represents the fact that she is only creature conceived without original sin. Therefore, Mary’s youthful features in the images of the Immaculate Conception indicates that she did not suffer the consequences of original sin. Mary Most Holy is the […]
The traditional iconography of the Immaculate Conception depicts Mary dressed in white and blue. White, the color of purity, represents the candor that the Virgin enjoys, as she is unstained by original sin. The light white robe is then covered by the deep blue mantle, the color of the sky. Blue, therefore, becomes a […]
In the encyclical Quas Primas, Pope Pius XI proclaimed the Solemnity of Christ the King for the Universal Church. To celebrate the Solemnity, the Holy Father requested that mankind be dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus because Christ must reign in the hearts of men so that His Kingdom may come on earth. The […]
A Special Indulgence for the Holy Souls. November is the time in the Liturgical year when the Church calls us to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. With the feasts of All Saints and Holy Souls on the 1st and 2nd of November respectively we are drawn to think about that eternal link that […]
As the 31st October approaches we see little devils, witches, skeletons, pumpkin lanterns and such things filling the shops. To some it seems ‘harmful fun’, to others, a ‘commercial exercise,’ but what should the Catholics view of the festivities of Halloween be? Halloween is thought to have originated from the Celtic festival of Sambain which […]
Pope Innocent XI instituted the feast of the Holy Name of Mary on the 12th September to thank Our Lady for the victory of the famous battle of Vienna against the Ottoman Empire on the 11th September 1683. On this day, Europe found itself on the brink of distruction. The Ottoman forces had invaded Vienna […]
The Navicella, by Giotto di Bondone (1266/7 –1337),which illustrates the scene from St Mathew’s Gospel when St Peter walks on water towards Christ, (Mt 14:22-33) is one of St Peter’s Basilica’s most important works. This icon of faith has greeted visitors leaving the Basilica since the early 14th Century onwards. The mosaic that remains today, […]