The symbolism of the mother pelican feeding her little baby pelicans is rooted in an ancient legend which preceded Christianity. The legend was that in time of famine, the mother pelican wounded herself, striking her breast with the beak to feed her young with her blood to prevent starvation. Another version of the legend was that the mother fed her dying young with her blood to revive them from death, but in turn lost her own life.

This tradition, one can easily see why the early Christians adapted it to symbolize our Lord, Jesus Christ. The pelican symbolizes Jesus our Redeemer who gave His life for our redemption and the atonement He made through His passion and death. We were dead to sin and have found new life through the Blood of Christ. Moreover, Jesus continues to feed us with His body and blood in the holiness of commemorating the Last Supper, in which bread and wine are consecrated and consumed. God is unlike anything or anyone we could ever know or imagine. He is one of a kind, unique and without comparison.

Job 11:7-11

 “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know?

Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.

“If he comes along and confines you in prison and convenes a court, who can oppose him?

Surely, he recognizes deceivers; and when he sees evil, does he not take note?