Faith with Feathers

Two summers ago, a gray catbird began keenly orbiting my patio table, returning every few days in search of food. So began my love of birdwatching, which I pursued quite avidly for the next year. That same summer, I memorably encountered a couple of tree swallows, I witnessed robins raising their young in my backyard, and I became acutely aware of the different birdsongs. My dad nicknamed the catbird Earl Gray and it has returned with its mate every summer since.

Ignatian spirituality urges us to find God in all things. For me, there is much to be said about how birds point to God. A raven and a dove were the first to leave Noah’s ark (cf. Gn. 8:7-8); Christ used sparrows as an example of God’s care for every creature (cf. Mt. 10:29; Lk. 12:6), later likening His Providential embrace to a hen gathering her chicks underwing (cf. Mt. 23:37, Lk. 13:34). Jeremiah pointed to the regularity of seasonal migration as a model of obedience: “Even the stork in the sky knows its seasons; Turtledove, swift, and thrush observe the time of their return, But my people do not know the order of the Lord” (Jer. 8:7). When I ponder Earl Gray, I am awestruck by God’s perennial grace. When I ponder the tree swallow, I admire the beauty of God’s handiwork. In the chorus of birds I find a foretaste of the heavenly choir. Besides these, I see Jacob and Rachel in the blue jay; to earn their mates, male jays must tirelessly follow after a female, who leads them in a chase. The angels, too, are often depicted with feathered wings.

Doves hold particular significance. It is the dove that brought the olive branch to Noah (cf. Gn. 8:10-11). The Holy Spirit descended upon Christ as a dove (cf. Mt 3:16, Mk 1:10, Lk 3:22, Jn 1:32), the same creature Christ used as an exemplary symbol of innocence (cf. Mt 10:16). The Vatican had a tradition of annually releasing a dove into St. Peter’s Square as a symbol, but this was retired when birds of prey intercepted the dove.

Ironically, one of the four faces of God’s hayyot is the eagle. St. Irenaeus interpreted this as an extension of the Holy Spirit’s dove, indicating the “winged aspect” of prophecy whose brevity finds expression in the shortest Gospel, that of Mark. St. Hippolytus saw the eagle representing the Gospel of John, which soars to great theological heights to prove Christ’s divinity. Dove and eagle are two sides of the same coin, respectively signifying God’s gentleness and might. St. Thérèse of Lisieux reflected on this duality in Story of a Soul: “I look upon myself as a weak little bird, with only a light down as covering. I am not an eagle, but I have only an eagle’s eyes and heart.” One may also recall Isaiah: “They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings” (Is. 40:31).

I should also mention St. Francis of Assisi’s famous Sermon to the Birds, or how he and St. Pio of Pietrelcina both successfully ordered chirping birds to quiet down. St. Pio found further inspiration in the kingfisher. When the water rises, its compact burrow floods only minorly, with headroom for the babies within to confidently float upward. Writing to a spiritual daughter, St. Pio observed how the faithful similarly rise above adversity, adding “I want your heart to be like this—well-compact and closed on all sides, so that if the worries and storms of the world, the evil spirit, and the flesh come upon it, it will not be penetrated.”

Traces of the Church are also found in ornithology. According to James Fisher, St. Serf taming a pigeon with food is the first documented instance of bird-feeding. St. Cuthbert originated some of the earliest wildlife protection laws, seeking to protect the seabirds nesting around his cell. The common eider’s nickname of “Cuddy duck”, short for “St. Cuthbert’s duck”, is a legacy of this. The peregrine falcon owes its name to St. Albertus Magnus, who coined Falco peregrinus in De animalibus. Even cardinals are so named because the males’ red feathers reminded European explorers of the eponymous Catholic clergymen.

There are over 10,000 documented species of birds, presenting vast opportunities for spiritual reflection. Fall migration has just begun, so be sure to keep an eye out for our feathered friends. We as Eagles have an especial responsibility to follow them up to the Heavens.