That is the ugliest, most beautiful bird I've ever seen!

I’m referring to none other than the pelican.

Up until a few weeks ago, I had never given the pelican much thought. I knew it was a large, white, sea bird with a huge, cavernous beak; short, strong legs and a very wide wingspan. They are capable of expanding their throats to hoard the fish they catch. It really is an odd looking bird. On top of it, I’ve never been a big fan of birds. I had Finches when I was a kid, but they made the biggest birdseed mess you’ve ever seen on the shag carpet that I had in my room. Vacuuming was a nightmare and a couple pair were accidentally asphyxiated during my aerosol hairspray sessions. It was the late ‘80’s. Please don’t call PETA. I thought the pet store was selling me sickly birds.  We currently have a few interesting looking birds in our backyard every now and then, but for the most part, I avoid birds. The spastic, flapping feathers and the potential for viral disease and lice getting into my lungs and hair makes me very nervous. However, I discovered something very special about the pelican that has dramatically changed my opinion of the awkward looking beast and has deepened my sacrificial devotion to my family and Church.

When our parish installed its new marble altar, there were four tiles placed on the front representing different aspects of our faith. The tile on the bottom right was of a pelican and her babies. I know an explanation of the pelican was given, but I wasn’t paying attention.  It wasn’t until a discovered an alternate translation to the hymn Adoro te devote by St. Thomas Aquinas that I began making the connections. The sixth verse of the seven verse hymn is all about the pelican. The translation usually heard in the hymn Humbly We Adore Thee, is not even close to what St. Thomas originally wrote. Surprise! The Church has been saturated with bad translations – a rant for another day. Until I had seen that verse, it had never occurred to me that such a ghastly looking bird could be portrayed in such gentle and sacrificial way.

                                O soft, self-wounding pelican!

                                Whose breast weeps balm for wounded man,

                                That blood, whose least drops sov’reign be

                                To wash my words of sin from me.

Early Christianity adopted the image of the pelican because of the belief that the pelican would gouge into its own breast to feed its offspring, blood and flesh, to keep them from starving in times of famine. This can easily be made into a metaphor for Jesus Christ’s sacrificial life, not only in the way He gave His life for us on the cross, but  Jesus actually says, “. . . unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life within you.” (John 6:53) It’s not far-fetched to see the parallel between Christ and the pelican. It’s also important to recognize that we are called to live in imitation of Him and the bird.

One night after rehearsal, I stopped at the front of the church to pray before I turned off the lights to go home. I was having a personal struggle with the fact that a job I really wanted was no longer available. While I know in my heart it wasn’t in God’s plan for me, it still left a painful sting. My initial conversation with God began with my sad lamentation. I was on my knees in the front pew and that little tile of the pelican caught my eye. I was mesmerized. Here was this bird, self-wounded, with the drops of blood suspended over the open mouths of its babies. Here was a mother giving her life to sustain the lives of her children. I realized I needed to be more like the pelican and of course, more like Christ.  Our decision to home school and putting aside my personal ambitions made choosing the pelican as a model for imitation, a logical choice. I think all mothers will find comfort and encouragement in the image of the pelican, once they take a good look at it. Reflecting on it can inspire us to give until it hurts, literally, even in a physical way, and can help us become more generous and loving in a world that encourages selfishness and loathing.

My course this semester is private composition lessons. When asked what my goals were, I informed my professor that I wanted to compose sacred choral music and in the tradition of the Church, I wanted the music to serve the text. He thought that was a lovely idea and sent me on my way to find a text for my first project. I immediately knew what I would be working on. I returned the next week with the pelican verse from St. Thomas. He looked a little puzzled. Of all the text from which I had to choose, I chose a verse with the word pelican in it? He wasn’t sure that would be easy to sing for various aesthetic reasons. When I explained the legend of the pelican, he looked very intrigued and protested no more. On his advice, I set aside the English translations I had collected and I returned to the original verse in Latin, which is actually going to be very beautiful to sing. O Píe pellicáne, O loving pelican . . .

                                                               

        Píe pellicáne, Jésu Dómine,

                                Me immúndum múnda túo sánguine,

                                Cújus úna stílla sálvum fácere

                                Tótum múndum quit ab ómni scélere.

                                Loving pelican, Jesus Lord,

                                Me unclean cleanse-Thou in-Thy Blood,

                                Of-which (a) single drop to save

                                (the) whole world is-able from all (its) guilt.

That translation is literal and a bit awkward. You certainly get the idea but if it bothers you, please go back up to the one near the top. It is a little gentler.

I think it is also important to add that in the image below, my professor pointed out that the pelican looks more like a swan. Yes, that is the beauty of it.