Shells

This past Sunday, we witnessed the baptism of Eleanor Mae. Before the service, I, like most priests, sit down with the parents and godparents to fill out all documentation and have a little chat to answer any questions or go through the service. It is the custom here at All Saints to use a scallop shell to pour the water for the baptism. Afterward, the person can take home the shell to remember their baptism. This past Sunday, I was asked about the significance of the scallop shell. I replied that I had no idea but that I was sure there was something there. And I suggested that it might make a good Ponderings of a Priest article, so here we are.

The clearest and perhaps the plainest answer is that the shells are believed to have been commonly used in the Early Church to baptize people. Over time, the frequent use of the shells became associated with baptism. Perhaps the most popular source of this information is an Early Church depiction of John baptizing Jesus in the Jordan with what appears to be a scallop shell. This is reason enough to show why we use a scallop shell; however, pressing a little further we can discern even more meaning from the shell's use.

The scallop shell has been historically tied to a story about St. James. The story has led to the shell being a symbol for St. James himself. After his death, his body was transported to Spain. When the ship reached the shore a horse and its rider fell into the water. Both the horse and the rider are said to have been miraculously saved and came up out of the water covered in scallop shells. The miracle was attributed to the presence of St. James on the ship and has been tied to him since then.

St. James' tomb is in Compostela, Spain. A pilgrimage was set up to the spot that is still in use to this day called Comino de Santigo (trans. "the way of St James"). In the Middle Ages, as a penance for their sins, people would go on a pilgrimage to St. James's tomb. To prove that they have fulfilled their penance, they would bring back a scallop shell to show to their priest. Due to this pilgrimage, the scallop shell took on the symbolic meaning of the Christian's pilgrimage on earth. 

In the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter eleven is often called the Hall of Faith because the author goes through a list of those who have been examples of faith par excellence. About halfway through the list, after discussing the descendants of Abraham says, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city." (Heb. 11:13-16)

Though Christ has come and fulfilled the promises of God to us, we still wait for these to be made complete in the world and ourselves. Ultimately, these will be brought about in the second coming of Christ and the New Heavens and New Earth. It is this final resting place for which we and all of creation long. We too are pilgrims on the way. This earth, as it is now, is not our home, we were made for a greater world; not a different world, but a perfected one. Rather than ascending and dragging the world upward with us, we often allow ourselves to be dragged down by the brokenness of the world. Yet, we have been given a seat at the heavenly table, called to ascend spiritually upwards towards God, and to recline and rest on the breast of God as St. John did with Christ (St. John 13:23). Let us ascend upwards towards God, let us go further that one day we might find our rest at the end of our pilgrimage.

Ultreia et Suseia,

Fr. Aaron