Let’s stick with the head while we are there.Consider the ear. Well, symbolism wise there is not much to consider. If you saw a man, probably in a robe taking a sword and cutting of the ear of another man in a Roman soldier outfit in the middle of a garden, you would immediately know what story is being told. Or if there was a montage of pictures such as a rooster, a bag of 30 coins, and an ear, you would know that Christ’s betrayal is being portrayed. But unless you can think of anything else, I am at a bit of a loss as to any other time the ear plays an important role in paintings, windows, or statuary.
Of course there are a lot of literary references. “He who has ears ought to listen” (Mt 11:15) and so forth. Perhaps more significantly is what you don’t see with ears or with eyes for that matter. A saint is never seen with any type of device to help them hear better or glasses to help them see better. This is because in heaven there are no such maladies. Before God we will “see” and “hear” perfectly, comprehending and understanding all there is.
“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 1 Corinthians 13:12”
There is an exception that proves the rule however. Saint Maxamilian Kolbe is most often depicted with glasses on. This is understandable I suppose since he almost always wore his glasses in this life never appearing in a photograph without them. They are rather iconic. However, my suggestion is to lose them. It should not be about what makes us comfortable. There is a message about Saint Kolbe to be given out. He is in heaven. He longer needs glasses to “see.” There does seem to be depictions of him out there sans glasses though they are few and far between.
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