Art/ Heritage

THE SACRAMENT OF SACRIFICE: ‘The Door of the Fold’ by Sybil Parker (1895)

 Christ as the Good Shepherd is one of the most endearing and abiding images in Catholic faith and tradition. This theme has also featured in a variety of art forms throughout history. In fact the earliest depictions of Christ can be traced to the catacombs where a beardless young Jesus, dressed in a short white tunic, carries a lamb across His shoulders. He is the gentle Shepherd who protects, gathers and lays down His life for His sheep. Today’s painting in consideration invites us to dwell on this sacrificial and sacramental beauty of Christ.

We are at once drawn to the perfectly proportionate immaculate figure of Jesus. Dressed in an elegantly flowing white robe, His beautiful face mirrors the purity of the spotless lamb that He carries. And yet Christ here serves not only as the sacrificial Lamb of God but rather a resurrected Shepherd whose death brings fullness of life.

The painting is buffered with theological and spiritual significance. Notice the downward gaze of the gentle Shepherd. It is clearly directed towards the sheep. Christ seems to be engaged in an intimate conversation with His flock. This gesture echoes the words of the Gospel, ‘My sheep hear my voice….I know my sheep and they know me.’

The essence of ‘the voice’ is scripturally found throughout the Bible, especially, as one may recall, during the Baptism of Jesus as well as during His transfiguration. It is ‘the voice’ that calls the sheep by name and leads them out. It is through ‘the voice’ that the sheep recognize the Master and belong to Him and it is ‘the voice’ that speaks to the heart of the sheep; the sheep who care to listen to Him. Thus this ‘voice’ represents the relationship that the sheep share with the Shepherd. The sheep, dim-witted as they are yet respond to the voice of only the Shepherd. They call us to do the same in the storm of a cacophony of voices.

The next function of the Good Shepherd is illustrated by the painting through the placement of the figure of Christ. Observe carefully that it is Jesus who unlocks the gate from the outside. He leads the sheep far beyond the desert waste and the scorching sun into greener pastures and restful waters. While willingly obliging to be the doorkeeper, Jesus also assures us that He is the Gate Himself. He further adds, ‘Those who come in by me will be saved.’

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Resurrecting the heart- Saturday, 3rd week of Easter- Acts 9:31-42

The pericope of today’s Gospel has some interesting details to offer us. There are two miracle stories that are both worked by Peter. One in the city of Lydda, modern day Ludd which is about twenty two miles north west of Jerusalem and the second in the port city of Joppa.

Lydda is located in the midst of a rich and fertile plain. It was one of the most westerly of the Jewish settlements after the Exile, the site of which is described as Gehaharashim, the valley of the smiths or craftsmen. It was here that Peter healed the paralytic and secured many converts (Acts 9:32-35). It was not a Jewish town, but pagan, under the name Diospolis.

The miracle of the healing of Aeneas who had been bed ridden for eight years brought about a conversion of unprecedented number. We are told that “all the residents of Lydda and Sharon turned to the Lord” after the miracle.  Sharon was not a town as Lydda, but rather a level tract, the maritime plain between Carmel and Joppa. It was once covered by a great oak forest; full of quiet but rich beauty.

The man healed in Lydda was merely paralyzed and yet the results were stupendous. In Joppa, it was a dead girl who was raised to life and yet the response seemed almost luke-warm in comparison; we are simply told that “many believed in the Lord.” Conversion, as I have said before, is divinely ordained in conjunction with the openness of the human element. Joppa had a large Jewish population, yet it was not open enough to be touched by so great a miracle than the resurrection from the dead itself, whereas the Gentile town of Lydda was far more receptive to a healing of a paralyzed man.

But Joppa held a special citizen who was deeply loved. Tabitha, we are told, is a disciple; the only woman in the New Testament who has been specifically called a ‘disciple’. The very word disciple in Greek, Mathetria (feminine), comes from the Greek word from which the English word ‘math’ is derived. A disciple is one who ‘thinks things through’ like one would in a math problem.

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God converts, not man – Friday, 3rd Week of Easter, Acts 9:1-20

Perhaps as many scholars suggest, this passage of the conversion of Saul (his Hebrew name) is one that was dear to the heart of Luke, for he mentions it thrice in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 22:6 -16; 26:12—18).

This is the third conversion story that we will read in quick succession. The Samaritan conversion facilitated by Philip is followed by the eunuch of Ethiopia, and now the show stopper – the conversion of Paul. It is a fallacy to believe that humans have the power to convert; they are only chosen by God to be the human instrument as we will see in the case of Saul and Ananias. The one who truly converts is God, and hence I think a certain correction in our minds is imperative for those who see ‘Christians as convertors’.

The passage begins with the rage of Saul against the Christians. We are told he is “still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.” Anger, if not checked can be a ballistic missile gone rogue; crazy enough to murder others. To ignore anger as a minor irritant in our spiritual life is to ignore the early warning signs of the impending doom of our actions. Where the mind goes, the man follows.

Paul has set out on the way to Damascus to put to death those who belonged “to the way”; this is how the early Christians were referred to. It is ironic how Saul, who had lost his way was seeking those who were ‘of the way’. Yet it is on the way that he encounters the ‘Lord of the way’.

The encounter we are told is ‘sudden’ for God enters our life at His time, when we least expect. This word “suddenly” finds itself in Acts 2:1 on the day of Pentecost and again in Luke 24:4 (Acts and Luke are both written by St Luke) on Easter Sunday. Interestingly the Lord does not only make a sudden appearance but He also ‘care-fronts’ the person with a direct question. Jesus makes it clear that it is not the Christians that Paul is persecuting, but Jesus himself; “Why do you persecute ME…I am Jesus whom you are persecuting” (verse4).

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Why stand in the way- Thursday, 3rd week of Eastertide – Acts 8:26-40

The eunuch in the narrative was of Ethiopian descent, that makes him the first African to be converted and while he is referred to as the eunuch five times in this passage we are not told his name.  Clearly now, the Church was moving beyond Jerusalem and Judea. So what do we know about this first convert from Africa and what can we learn from this narrative?

The Eunuch is heading to Gaza, an important city on the Mediterranean coast. We are told that he has gone to Jerusalem to worship. It is most unlikely that he was a convert to Judaism and hence the man could be described as best as a seeker.

Since he was a eunuch, he would be under prohibitions from the Jewish Law. Deuteronomy 23:1 stipulated that since he was ‘half a man’, he would be unable to enter “the assembly of the Lord.” It is unfortunate that his sexual identity prevented him from worshiping God. Yet it is to him that Philip is sent, not stirred by Philips’ zeal to evangelize but prompted by and angel and the Holy Spirit. The message of Christ’s redeeming love must be shared with all irrespective of caste, creed or sexual orientation.

Socially and politically he was, as we would say, landed. He was a minister of Candace, the queen of Ethiopia in charge of her entire treasury.  This would put him in a position of great power, influence and wealth; he was riding a chariot which in those days was the Mercedes Benz of the Roman roads.

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Don’t shut shop!  Wednesday, 3rd Week of Easter-   Acts 8:1b-8 ( read up to verse 12 for a better understanding)

There is sadness and joy woven together in the same passage; perhaps a well-rounded presentation of Christian life. There are some who believe that being a Christian is like wearing a coat of armour, a sort of protection from the challenges that life throws us. Not so, for Christian life is a balance of both; the Lord gives the Lord takes, blessed be His name.

We are told of a great persecution began in the Church in Jerusalem the day Stephen was stoned. The apostles remained in Jerusalem but the disciples scattered through the countryside. The main protagonist of these persecutions is Saul of Tarsus whose brutal methods included dragging men and women from their house to prison. There was no charge against these Christians nor does it seem that Saul had any authority but perhaps this well describes the madness that surrounds religious jingoism; law gets taken into ones hand.

But while Saul ravaged the Church, the Acts tells of the workings of the Holy Spirit through another man. While Jerusalem was being ravaged, Samaria was being healed. As I mentioned before, of the seven deacons named in Acts, only two find mention again in the New Testament. We heard of Stephen and now we hear of Philip the Deacon. This table boy, like Stephen, shares in the ministry of preaching, teaching and healing and the impact that he makes is sufficient to bring in the big guns from Jerusalem as back up. We are told in verse 14 that the apostles sent Peter and John to help Philip.

For many Christians engaged in ministry, obstacles such as the persecution experienced by the Early Church are reason for them to shut shop. The Early Church teaches us how to take the rough and tumble in our stride but to also pick up the pieces and move on. What man sees as failure is often opportunity in God’s eyes. He needs us to trust in Him.

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