CATTAILS
The bulrush plant (also known as the cattail) is a lowly, thickly clustered, common plant, growing near the water. Thus it has become a symbol for the multitude of the faithful who live a humble life and obey the teaching of the Church, the source of living waters. This explanation is seen in Job 8:11, 'Can the rush be green without moisture? Or a sedge-bush grow without water?' Also, since the infant Moses (and Moses is taken as forerunner of Christ) was found in the bulrushes, they have come to be connected with the place from whence salvation came. The cattail is also a symbol of peace and prosperity.
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus of Nazareth (2 BC – 36 AD), also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the incarnation of God. The principal sources of information regarding the life of Jesus and His teachings are the four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree Jesus was a Galilean Jew, who was regarded as a teacher and healer. He was baptized by John the Baptist and crucified in Jerusalem under the order of Pontius Pilate. Christian views of Jesus center on the belief that he is divine, is the Messiah whose coming was prophesied in the Old Testament, and that he was resurrected after his crucifixion. His mother was the Virgin Mary, also known as Our Lady or the Madonna.
MADONNA / MADONNA AND CHILD
Mary, called Madonna (My Lady) since the Middle Ages, was the mother of Jesus of Nazareth according to Christian tradition. Mary’s most common titles include The Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady, Mother of God, and Queen of Heaven. The conception of her Son Jesus is believed to have been an act of the Holy Spirit, which fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that a virgin would bear a son who would be called Immanuel (God with Us). Upon her death, she was assumed bodily into Heaven as she was specially favored by God’s grace. Mary, as Mother of God, is the ultimate symbol of the love between mother and child and is also recognized as the Mother of the Catholic Church. Her veneration has grown based upon writings of saints and through apparitions of the Virgin, such as in Lourdes, Beauraing, and Fatima.
RELIGIOUS
Religion is often described as a communal system for the coherence of belief focusing on a system of thought, unseen being, person, or object that is considered sacred, divine, or of the highest truth. The Christian religion is centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God.
Christianity has played a prominent role in shaping Western civilization since the 4th century. Currently Christianity has between 1.5 billion and 2.1 billion followers, representing about a quarter to a third of the world’s population. With more than 1 billion members, the Roman Catholic Church is the largest church representing over half of all Christians and one sixth of the world’s population.