Portfolio Category: Signs & Symbols

THE PELICAN  The pelican, a symbol of Christ and the Eucharist, is readily recognisable.  Until quite recently, the people of Ireland used to go to Pelican House in Dublin, to give their blood for the benefit of those whose lives were in danger or who were otherwise in need of blood transfusions. Also, in many…

THE LAMB “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.”(John 1: 29).  These are among the very first words in St. John’s Gospel when he narrates the story of the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. These words of John the Baptist arse prophetic as they foretell…

THE GOOD SHEPHERD Two of the most beautiful passages in the Gospel tell of the Good Shepherd:  in Luke 15: 3-7 the Lord tells the parable of the Lost Sheep, in which the shepherd leaves all those who are safe to go and look for the one that is lost.  When he finds it he…

THE GRAPES/WINE Vineyards were very much a feature of life in earlier times.  Jesus always used the ordinary things of life to teach people about the extraordinary realities of the afterlife in the Kingdom of Heaven.  So then, we are not surprised at his use of wine to teach them.  To prepare them for His…