Browsing Reflections

Fr. Jo's Reflection for the 4th Sunday of Easter, Yr A, April 30, 2023

One of the sites I visited on my first trip to Rome was the “Catacombs of Priscilla.” My interest to visit that particular catacomb was aroused, first by Priscilla being my mother’s name; and then, a BBC newscaster one morning had a number of women arguing for women’s ordination and pointing at a fresco on the ceiling in one of the vaults of the Catacombs of Priscilla which showed what appeared like a woman wearing priestly robes. She had her two hands extended as if she was celebrating Mass. “There you have it,” said one of the women with a British accent: “There were women priests in the early Church,” she concluded. Deciding to investigate this myself, I pulled the map to find how to get there. With the help of a cab driver, I made it to the Catacombs of St. Priscilla, located north of Rome. The generally held view was that the fresco in question depicted rather figures of an ancient Roman funeral banquet, not Mass. But it wasn’t the painting of the woman apparently celebrating Mass that caught my eyes. There was a fresco of Mother and Child that may have been the earliest of the Infant Jesus and Mary. The fresco that stood out was that of Jesus as the Good Shepherd standing in front of a garden. He was carrying a lamb on His shoulder and motioning to two sheep to enter, while on top of two small trees on either side of the garden’s entrance were two crowing roosters.

A number of Christian symbolisms are depicted in this fresco. The two trees symbolize the garden of paradise from which our first parents were banished. Christ’s resurrection opened again the doors of paradise shut against Adam and Eve; and in place of the expelling cherubs posted in front of the garden to prevent man from reentering (Gen 3:24a), Christ stands as the gatekeeper, lovingly inviting back the lost sheep, Adam and Eve (and redeemed humanity), to the sheepfold. Again, in place of the flame of flashing sword (Gen: 24b), the cross stands as the new tree of life inviting humanity back to the garden. In the same fresco, Christ even carries a wounded lamb on His shoulder to show His care for us when we’re wounded by sin. The rooster is a sacred symbol, which in the Jewish tradition is emblematic of gallantry and honesty; but more so, temple officers were called “Rooster” as one of their titles, to show their roles as the ones who welcomed people into the temple or expelled them. Christ, too, is the “Rooster” or, as He calls Himself today, the Gatekeeper of the heavenly temple who calls His sheep to heaven. In other ancient traditions, the rooster symbolizes the victory of light over darkness. For the Igbos, the crowing of the rooster each morning wakes humanity up from sleep—a resurrection motif of calling humanity back from the death of sin to a new life.

The Shepherd theme pervades every aspect of our religion. One of the most prayed psalms in the Bible is Psalm 23, with the Shepherd theme. Christ, the Good Shepherd provides us through the Church, shepherds (pastors) who lead us to the fresh waters (Baptism) to refresh our souls. They guide us in the right path of sound doctrine for His name’s sake; so that, even should we walk in the dark valley of false teachings, we’ll not fear; for their prayers and guidance give us courage. They feed us with rich food (the Eucharist) for our journey, and anoint us with salvation (Reconciliation) for years to come.

Let us tell Jesus today that with Him as our shepherd, we shall want for nothing. If we truly believe that He guides us in right paths, we must reject other attractions to which the corrupt world and our base nature direct us, knowing too well that these quickly turn to distractions. The world is the beehive of distractions, and St. Peter warns us in the first reading, “Save yourself from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40). Why? Because faith in Christ is incompatible with the mentality of the world.

Fr. Chukwudi Jo Okonkwo

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