Flames or Tongues of Fire Tie

This pattern of orange-red flames on a rust-coloured field originated as a background for some of our St. Catherine of Siena (Nuremberg) products. St. Catherine (1347-1380) was a lay Dominican or tertiary, a mystic and stigmatist, advisor to popes and politicians, and author and Doctor of the Church. She famously said: "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” She is a patron of firefighters. + Feast: April 29 + Fire is rich in religious (and secular) symbolism. In the Old Testament, fire can indicate the presence of God as in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2). In the New Testament, fire is most often equated with the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16, Acts 2:2-4, etc.) and is associated with the Feast of Pentecost and the Sacrament of Confirmation. + Pentecost is the moveable Christian feast that is celebrated fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday and ten days after He ascended into Heaven on Ascension Thursday. Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles as well as other followers of Jesus who were gathered together in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Weeks, a Jewish holiday. The flames that appeared above the Apostles' heads were a tangible manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s gifts and a symbol of the missionary zeal with which Jesus’s followers were imbued. Acts 2:1-31 recounts the event in detail. + Confirmation, according to the Catechism, bestows on confirmands the graces of the Holy Spirit that were granted to the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday--the very first Confirmation. In more general terms, fire serves in Christianity as a symbol of purification, enlightenment, and Divine Love. + Makes a suitable gift for firefighters as well as Confirmation sponsors and men involved in the liturgy for Pentecost Sunday. + Image Credit (Flames): Our flame is an adaptation of Seguir’s Incêndio Chama Perigo from Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/pt/vectors/incêndio-chama-perigo-queimar-luz-307384/).