Doctrinal Clarity, Not Change: Unpacking the Note on Marian Titles

The pelicans are back in Baton Rouge. Passing the City Park Lake this morning was a stunning experience. The gleaming white of the pelicans contrasted against the greenish water of the lake and made for a beautiful start to the day that the Lord has blessed us with. I had to stop and thank our Father God for creating such incredible creatures. Their long golden beaks pecking in the water for nourishment created ripples that made the entire lake come alive. It reminded me that the Church uses the pelican as a symbol and I have seen it used in many churches around the U.S. The pelican is a iconic symbol of the atonement and the Redeemer. Many years ago, people began to realize that the pelican would wound itself in order to feed its young with its blood and to bring to life those who were dead. "Pelican in her piety" in iconic and symbolical art, is a representation of a pelican in the act of wounding her breast in order to nourish her young with her blood, a practice fabulously attributed to the bird. The pelican cutting open its own breast represents Christ’s death on the cross, and the shedding of His blood to revive us and therefore adopted as a symbol of the Redeemer and of charity. An explanation of this is that the pelican’s bill has a crimson red tip and the contrast of this red tip against the white breast probably gave rise to the tradition that the bird tore her own breast to feed her young with her blood. Because early Catholic explorers found indigenous brown pelicans along the U.S. Gulf coast, and because of the pelican’s special place in Christianity, the pelican was chosen to represent the Catholic Church in Louisiana. From these traditions, the pelican became the official emblem of the State of Louisiana, and the brown pelican, the state bird. The pelican was adopted for the State Seal in 1902, and the State Flag featuring a pelican was adopted in 1912. Just another example of the Catholic Church establishing traditions and creating lasting symbols that have become part of the fabric of America, once and forever a Christian nation. The sacrifice of the mother pelican for her young is a perfect symbol to remind us of Christ's ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Being washed by the blood of Jesus allows us to live in the security that we only need Him in order to be saved and that we do not have anything to prove because He is there to save us.