Symbolism is one of the things I absolutely treasure about the Catholic Faith. Every part of the Mass is steeped in symbolism, while simultaneously appealing to all of our senses. From the liturgy of the Word to the liturgy of the Eucharist. Truly only God could pull off that kind of combination in the most perfect prayer between Earth and Heaven.
Okay, so I have a small confession to make. I actually owned the URL for Midlife Realignment for several years prior to starting this blog. When I was becoming convicted about needing to tell my stories I wanted my original banner to represent everything about my Catholic Faith that I treasured, but I was too afraid to share that with others. As you can tell, I am a very visual person. I knew all the symbols in my banner might be confusing to the majority of my readers and that’s when the idea hit me! I could write this post explaining the meaning behind all of my banner's symbols. This post also allows me to preserve the symbolic meaning of this banner, when and if I do get a new banner for my blog.
In honor of my original Midlife Realignment banner here is the meaning of each symbol which represents one of the many things I treasure about the Catholic Faith…
Represents the Miraculous Medal known as the Medal of Our Lady of Grace. The design of this powerful devotional medal was originated by St. Catherine Labouré following her apparitions with the Blessed Virgin Mary (Jesus’ mother) in Paris, France in the 1830s. Mary spoke to St. Catherine, saying, "Have a medal struck upon this model [her vision]. Those who wear it will receive great graces, especially if they wear it around their neck." It was as Mary said and the medal's effects were not only immediate but have been instrumental in bringing about many miracles over the centuries. To learn more Google, The Miraculous Medal.
The large letter "M" represents Mary the Mother of God.
The Cross and bar represent Jesus' Cross of Redemption.
12 stars represent the 12 Apostles, who formed the first Church.
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The Two Hearts represent the Sacred Heart [Jesus], who died for our sins, and the Immaculate Heart [Mary], who intercedes for us. Notice the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts are both aflame? The Two Flames represent the burning love Jesus and Mary have for us.
In many paintings where The
Sacred Heart of Jesus is portrayed, you will see in more detail a lance
wound in the heart, a crown of thorns, and drops of blood. This is to draw our
focus to the intense human suffering endured by our Lord on behalf of all
humanity. Writers as early as
St. Justin (second century) and St. Pope Gregory the Great (seventh century)
drew on the Scripture John 19:34-35 as a metaphor for
the divine graces that flowed from the sacred heart of the crucified Jesus.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary's Fire illustrates the
burning love Mary has for God the Father and for her Son. Mary’s heart is pierced
with a sword to remind us of the sorrows she endured silently in her lifetime
as Jesus's mother. The ringed wreath of roses symbolizes that, throughout
her spiritual suffering, Our Lady remained committed
to the humility, obedience, and purity for which we revere her. Grounded in several references to Mary’s heart
in the Scriptures (Luke 2:19, 2:35, 2:51), devotion to
the heart of Mary was initially developed by St. Anselm and St. Bernard of
Clairvaux in the twelfth century; later, St. Bernardine of Siena
(fifteenth century) became known as the “Doctor of the Heart of Mary” thanks to
his extensive writing on her heart. St. John Eudes (1601-1680) is
considered the founder of the modern public devotion to the Two Hearts.
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The Eucharist means
"Thanksgiving”. The Eucharist is the Real Presence of
God, Jesus Christ, body, blood, soul, and divinity under the appearance of
bread and wine. When Our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist, the
apostles were all present. About a year before the Last Supper Our Lord promised
to give us the Holy Eucharist. This promise is best referenced in the Scriptures
under John 6. The fulfillment of this promise took place at
the Last Supper. Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist the night
before He died in this way: He took bread, blessed and broke it, and giving it
to His apostles, said: "Take and eat; this is My body;" then
He took a cup of wine, blessed it, and giving it to them, said: "All of
you drink of this; for this is My blood of the new covenant which is being shed
for many unto the forgiveness of sins;" finally, He gave His apostles
the commission: "Do this in remembrance of Me.”
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The Hourglass is a classic symbol of time. When the sand runs out so does time as we know it. This is a perfect allegory for life and death.
The hourglass is symbolic of Eternal Truth. Having now been gifted to enter the second half of my life, I am reminded that many of the problems that used to worry me on a daily basis just aren't that big a deal when I look at them from the perspective of time. Time here on earth is temporal and limited but God’s time has no limitations.
The hourglass reminds me that the time we have here on earth is so short compared to the time we will spend in eternity. It would be wise to utilize my time here on earth to follow God’s Will not my own selfish passions and desires. (1Peter 4:2).
The hourglass also reminds me that God’s timing is absolutely
perfect, and it is not for me to know the time or season that the Father has
fixed by his own authority. (Acts 1:7) “God, I trust in You.
Jesus, I trust in You. Holy Spirit, I trust in your perfect timing”. (Sirach
39:17).
This quote by St. Alphonsus Liguori says it perfectly, “Let us make up for lost time. Let us give to God the time that remains to us”.
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This crucifix (from Latin cruci fixus meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") you find in my signature lines, is a cross with an image of Jesus on it and is distinct from the bare cross that most non-Catholic Christians use. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the corpus (Latin for "body"). Roman Catholics see the crucifix as the perfect fulfillment of what was inferred by the serpent created by Moses in the Scripture Numbers 21:8,9, called the Nehushtan. The Exaltation of the Cross on September 14 in the Roman Catholic Church is honored along with the gospel of John 3:14, 15. This connection explains the often front and center position of a crucifix in most Catholic sanctuaries.
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I pray you found what you needed today. Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear how this post might have been helpful for you.
May God Bless You,
Leslie
Remember you are not alone! No matter what you’ve done or failed to do you are still loved unconditionally by a very merciful and just Lord and Savior!
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