In Christianity, the Holy Spirit is the creative process of God and so as I began the Novena drawings, I called upon the Holy Spirit for inspiration.

Accompanying the traditional representation of the Holy Spirit as a white dove are symbols of the Seven Gifts of the Spirit bestowed upon us at our baptism: (Wisdom/Sunflower, Understanding/Flame Vine, Counsel/ Hyacinth, Fortitude/Sweet Pea, Knowledge/ Flame Calla Lily, Piety/Wild Geranium, Fear of the Lord/Crown Imperial Flower) as well as symbols of the Nine Fruits of the Spirit that bud forth in our lives when we work to develop the Gifts (Charity/Fig, Joy/Lemon, Peace/Olive, Patience/Almond, Kindness/Pineapple, Goodness/Cherry, Faithfulness/Plum, Gentleness/Strawberry, Self-control/Beechnut).

Novena to St. Maximilian Kolbe for Asylum Seekers

Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish Franciscan priest who helped over 2000 Jews hide from Nazi persecution. Arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Auschwitz, he ministered to his fellow inmates, eventually volunteering to die in place of another prisoner. He is a patron saint for all seeking asylum from persecution, injustice, and violence.

Cliff swallows are long-distance migrants, traveling between North and South America twice a year in a 3-month journey.

The grid in the drawing is an iron fence, representing the physical and societal barriers we sometimes place in the way of those seeking our help.

In front of the fence are periwinkles, a symbol of friendship, and American starwort which signifies welcome to the stranger. The opened pomegranate represents Christian charity which is open to all. Behind the fence the cactus symbolizes the harsh
conditions that the asylum seeker endures and the arduous journey he makes in hopes of a better life.

One cliff swallow offers a pomegranate seed to another in hopes of overcoming the barrier between them.

The Gospel of Matthew tells the story of King Herod, who in his frustration at not being able to find the baby Jesus, whom he considered a threat to his authority, ordered the massacre of all baby boys in Bethlehem under two years of age. We call on the Holy Innocents to protect all abused, neglected, and abandoned children.

The white egret fiercely protects her young in the nest. Lamb's ear plants, daisies, and strawberries are traditional symbols of innocence. St. Joseph, represented by the St. Joseph lily, protected the Christ Child and is the patron protector of all children.

The grid is formed from cordgrass, native to the marshes where the egret nests.

Mary Magdalene, often called the Apostle to the Apostles, was the first person to see the risen Christ and give witness to His resurrection. As is sadly still too often the case, the veracity of her testimony was questioned because she was a woman.

The peregrine falcon is a symbol of the courageous Christian convert casting away old ways to take on a new life, as Mary Magdalene did when she began to follow Jesus. The falcon also lays red eggs, a symbol identified with Mary Magdalene because of her association with the resurrection: early Christians dyed eggs red at Easter to mimic the blood Christ shed.

In some Native American lore, the blue jay was honored for its talkative boldness and, because it was the color of the sky, it was a symbol of clarity and truthfulness.

The touch-me-not plant refers to John 20:17 and the phrase Jesus spoke to Mary Magdalene when she first encountered Him after the resurrection. The trumpet vine represents the courage to speak truth to power. The dandelion also represents courage. The oak tree represents strength, courage, and power.

Pearls, which form the grid, are symbols of tears. Here they represent both the tears of repentance shed by Mary Magdalene and the tears of grief and frustration shed by women whose voices have not been heard or believed.

A German Benedictine abbess of the 12th century, Hildegard Von Bingen was a writer, philosopher, mystic, and visionary. She is considered by some to be the founder of natural history in Europe. She wrote many theological, botanical, and medicinal texts. Her views on nature and our relationship with it make her a perfect patron to protect Mother Earth, whom we have treated so badly. “If we fall in love with creation deeper and deeper, we will respond to its endangerment with passion.”

The pelican, believed in medieval times to give its own life’s blood to protect and nourish its young, is a symbol of protection. The three brown pelicans which shelter our planet are surrounded by medicinal and healing plants such as Hildegard would have used: hollyhock, feverfew, aloe, coneflower, and sage.

The grid is formed of bamboo. Among its many symbolic meanings in Chinese culture are flexibility, resilience, and harmony between people and nature.

A nun in 5th or 6th century Ireland, Gobnait was a beekeeper for the convent in which she lived and used honey for the treatment of illness and healing of wounds. Legends say that she also drove off invaders by releasing bees from her hives to attack them.

Honeybees are essential to at least a third of the food we consume. Multiple causes—disease, pollution, pesticides, habitat destruction—have resulted in an alarming decrease in their numbers over the past decade. Their disappearance would radically change life as we know it in very part of our planet.

The beehive in the drawing is surrounded by some of the plants the bees love best: clover, bee balm, and honeysuckle.

Novena to St. Francis of Assisi for Guidance in the Climate Crisis

Francis of Assisi, an Italian friar of the 12th century, believed that nature was the mirror of God and that people must protect and enjoy nature both as stewards of God’s creation and as creatures ourselves. Thus, we turn to him for help as the climate of our planet changes and we experience increasingly extreme weather events.

Various flora and fauna named for weather phenomena populate the drawing: flame bowerbirds, red-hot poker plants, hurricane lilies, snowdrops, thunder-and-lightening plants, Grecian wind flowers, and a volcano hummingbird. The crumbling masonry of the grid emphasizes the urgency of the problem.

Mother Teresa, a native of Albania, devoted her life to serving the poorest of the poor in India and around the world. She founded the Missionaries of Charity, a religious congregation devoted to helping those in extreme need. “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” Pride is the root of all sin, leading us away from love of neighbor, so we pray to Mother Teresa for humility to lead us back to compassion.

The red color of the cardinals represents love and compassion. The candle plant brings to mind lighted candles: in giving light the candle is consumed in the same way as a kind person wears himself out in service to others. The wild violet plant which grows in hidden places and the pea plant climbing the trellis that forms the grid represent humility.

©2019 Mary Lee Eggart
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