The collaboration between Father Alessio Fucile, an art expert, and the Shalom blog continues. Father Alessio will guide us in exploring the most important moments of the liturgical year through beautiful works of art that, in addition to inspiring wonder at their splendor, can help us better understand the Holy Scriptures and Jesus’ message.

Today, Father Alessio presents the “Christ the Shepherd” mosaic, which can be admired in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna.

We begin a new journey to discover the wonders created by the art of the past. In the Temple of Jerusalem, Jesus revealed himself by saying: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” This powerful image of Jesus as the good shepherd has its roots in the earliest days of Christian art, visible in the ancient paintings of the catacombs.

Today, I guide you through the allegorical mosaic of Christ the Shepherd, located at the entrance to the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna. The landscape is painted with realism and attention to detail. Jesus, seated at the center of the lunette, represents the way through which the sheep “will come in and go out and find pasture,” as narrated in the Gospel of John.
The staff and the crook, symbols of the divine Shepherd mentioned in Psalm 23, converge in the cross, emblem of salvation. The short staff guides the flock and protects it from threats, while the long, curved crook retrieves the lost sheep, bringing them back to the right path.
Jesus reigns over a three-stepped rock, a metaphor for the Trinity and the shepherd’s vigilance over his flock. This image evokes the biblical mountains, sites of divine covenants: from Sinai to Calvary, where the final covenant was sealed with the blood of Christ. On the left, behind the sheep, a hill can be glimpsed concealing Christ’s tomb.

The beardless “good shepherd,” who would become characteristic in later art, enchants and attracts the sheep with his genuine love and the promise of an existence full of meaning. He is a universal shepherd, dressed in Roman style, who transforms the cross, an instrument of torture, into one of mercy and redemption.
Dressed in a golden tunic and a purple mantle, imperial and divine colors, Jesus is the living one, the victorious one. His divinity is manifested in service and care for the flock. The sheep, arranged in a chiastic pattern, are all turned toward him, each personally known and loved.

The Last Judgment, described in chapter 25 of Matthew, reminds us that, despite the shepherd’s desire for salvation, the sheep’s freedom to accept or reject his love remains sacred.
Jesus’ golden tunic symbolizes incorruptibility and eternal faithfulness. The shepherd’s promise is that “we have come so that we may have life, and have it in abundance.” Even in the darkest nights, let us always feel supported and guided by this unchanging faithfulness.
Like sheep in a mosaic of life, we may feel lost, with pieces that seem not to fit together. But it is in this context that Jesus calls us by name, knowing us deeply. In the opposite lunette, the stars recall Psalm 147: “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name,” symbolizing the Creator who gives meaning to the existence of every being.

Let us feel called by this shepherd and allow his presence to transform our lives.

The guidance of the Good Shepherd: a refuge in the rush of life

Amid the turmoil of our days, it is easy to ignore the call of the good shepherd and instead follow those who reveal themselves to be hired hands. Jesus warns: “The hired hand… sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep, and flees… he does not care about the sheep.” This metaphor reminds us that, despite the freedom granted to us, we often lose our way, drawn by false guides in a chaotic and sometimes cruel world.
But the true shepherd never gives up on our ruin. He continues to seek us, like the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep to find the one that is lost, reflecting the will of the heavenly Father that “not one of these little ones should be lost.”

Let us listen to the voice of this shepherd, passionate about souls, who guides us with genuine love, even to the sacrifice of his own life for our salvation. “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
Let us pause before the image of the good shepherd and meditate on these words: “The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through a dark valley, I fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
These verses from Psalm 23 offer us comfort and security, reminding us that, despite challenges and fears, we are never alone. The shepherd’s presence is a constant reassurance of protection and guidance.