An unknown believer in early times, while wandering through the vast Callixtian complex, all of a sudden thought he had entered the mystical Jerusalem, a city purpled by the blood of martyrs and resplendent with their glory. As he went out he carved on the plastered wall near the crypt of the Popes a statement we can still read to-day: "Gerusale, civitas et ornamentum martyru(m) D(e)i ..." - "Jerusalem, city and ornament of God's martyrs ...".
To-day's pilgrims can likewise grasp the innermost secret of the spirituality of those martyred Popes, of those Virgins and of the numberless host of humble Christians.The inscriptions and paintings, which have survived the many ravages and pillages, reveal at least in part such a secret and still repeat the words engraved in an ancient epitaph "Tàuta o bìos" - "Such is our life".

The spirituality of the catacombs is the same as that of the primitive Church. Nourished on the marrow of Scriptures, simple, yet powerful, it is the sister of the most ancient liturgies; so that the visitors to the catacombs can draw from the very sources of Christian spirituality.
Such a spirituality presents several aspects:
 

Christocentric Spirituality.
Christ is placed as the predominant character. What the Sacred Heart is for Catholics to-day, namely the symbol of Christ's love, the Good Shepherd was for the ancient Christians. It is the most frequently represented in the catacombs; we see it painted on ceilings amidst rich floral decorations, roughly engraved on the tomb-stones, moulded into relief on the sarcophagi or, at last, sculptured with Greek elegance in one of the most ancient Christian statues ever known (4th century, Vatican Museums).
The lamb on his shoulders, tightly held by the shepherd's hands, is the Christian. All around is an atmosphere of confidence, which urged the apostle Paul to say: Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble do it, or distress or persecution or hunger?" (Rom 8,35).
 
The Saviour is often represented at work among men: on the bas-reliefs or on the walls we see Jesus who touches the eyes of the blind-man or raises Lazarus from the tomb; Jesus who multiplies the bread or changes water into wine: it is always the same Christ who goes about doing good.
Then there are the symbols. The most significant ones are those in which Christ does not appear in human form, but under the veil of a symbol. Before Constantine, when the cross was daily used as the gallows for slaves and foreigners, the Christian veiled the repulsive aspect through the symbols, such as, for instance, the anchor.
The Christians of the catacombs with filial affection were fond of painting, close to Jesus, his Virgin Mother. In the Catacombs of Priscilla we can admire the gentle image of Mary, painted at the beginning of the 3rd century. The Madonna carries the child Jesus in her womb, while Balaam points at the star shining over her head.
In another painting the Virgin Mother bears Jesus on her knees, while the Magi approach to offer their gifts to the Child. The adoration of the Magi is repeated in the Catacombs in paintings, but also in sculptures and other precious objects, such as reliquaries, objects in ivory, pendants, rings.

Sacramental spirituality.  
The spirituality of the catacombs is also sacramental. In the Christian sacraments, particularly in Baptism and in the Eucharist, the external world of matter enters, both as a sign and as an instrument, to work the redemption and salvation of man.
In no other Christian cemetery do we find as many sacramental representations as in the Cubicles of Sacraments in the Catacombs of St. Callixtus.
 

Baptism. We have not yet reached the time when splendid buildings were raised for the celebration of this Sacrament (remember the Baptistry in the Lateran). Baptism was still conferred in the domus Ecclesiae, i.e. in private houses, rather often in secret. However the greatness of the Sacrament was well known.
In his letter to the Romans (chapter 6) Paul had spoken of it with splendid words. The Christians were aware that through Baptism we die and are risen mystically with Christ, and by effect of these redemptive acts,we are associated to divine life.
One of the most ancient paintings in the so-called Cubicles of the Sacraments in the Catacombs of St. Callixtus, represents Baptism. By a stretch of water is seated a fisherman holding a fishing-line and drawing out a fish: we like to see in this character an apostle, who obeys the command of Christ: "Come and follow me; I will make you into fishers of men" (Mk 1,17).
Many Christians "seized by Christ" (Phil 3,13), after distressing inward trials, really feel that the moment of Baptism had marked the starting point of a new life. That is the reason for that name which we read on a tombstone in the Eastern Trichora of Saint Callixtus, a name which will become very common in Christianity "Renatus" "Reborn".
 

Eucharist. The Eucharistic triptych is the very jewel of these family tombs.
In the central painting are represented seven persons sitting round a table. Their number reminds us of the disciples who gathered round Jesus on the shores of the lake. On the dishes in front of them is placed the fish: Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour.

Close by, on the left, a priest places his hands on a small table with a loaf and a fish on it, a clear symbol of the consecration which is reserved to the ministers. Standing on the other side, an orante with open arms, reminds us that to reach heaven we must feed on that consecrated bread (the Eucharist).
In the space next to this last picture is a painting of the sacrifice of Abraham and Isaac, a symbol of the sacrifice of the cross in relation to the Eucharist.

The whole scene is clearly intelligible, if we remember the words of the Eucharistic hymn written by St. Thomas Aquinas: "In figuris praesignatur, cum Isaac immolatur". "In the immolation of Isaac is foreshadowed the sacrifice of Christ".
We cannot leave out a picture which is precious for its antiquity and for its great pastoral value. In the Crypts of Lucina, which date back to the end of the 2nd century, on the wall near the entrance,two fishes face each other. In front of them there are two baskets full of bread. At the centre of these, a flask of red wine can be seen. The fish is Christ; the bread and the wine are, instead, the species under which He makes Himself present in the Eucharist.
We are at the source of Christianity. The ancient christian was well aware that "salvation is not to be found elsewhere. Christ's name alone of all the names under heaven has been appointed to men as the one by which we must needs be saved" (Acts 4,12). He also knew that we can be associated with Christ only through the Sacraments, established by Him to this end.
 
Social spirituality.  
The spirituality of the catacombs is moreover "social". The Christian , who is accustomed to say in prayer not "my Father" but "our Father", knows that in God's family one does not live separately, but socially. "Though many in number, we form one body in Christ" (Rom 12,59). The catacombs give us the image of this mystical body in which, in a hierarchy of roles and in one and the same unity of spirit, Christians live together in an orderly way. Here the Roman Pontiffs lie at rest among the humble anonymous multitude of their flock.
From the front of a sarcophagus a child raises his hands as an "Orante" who happily enjoys the peace of Heaven; on either side of him Peter and Paul, the founders of the Church of Rome, sustain him, as if they were introducing him into heaven. At Domitilla, in a picture of an arcosolium, Veneranda is represented in travelling clothes, on the threshold of the heavenly motherland, at the end of her exile.
The local saint, Petronilla, receives and introduces her. There is an exchange of prayers between the various parts of the Church.

Hundreds of pilgrims, buried in the Memoria of the ancient Appian Way (the Catacombs of St. Sebastian), invoke Peter and Paul, by scratching short prayers on the plaster of the triclia ( hall for funeral banquets, in the open air): "Paul and Peter, pray for Victor - Paul,Peter, pray for Sozomenon".

At the entrance of the Crypt of the Popes in St. Callixtus, the wall is covered with prayers: "O St. Sixtus, remember in your prayers Aurelius Repentinus" " Holy Spirits, p(ray that) Verecundus may be safe at sea with his dear ones". At times there is no expressed prayer: to implore is enough to add a title to his name: " Felicio, priest and sinner".
We have thousands of inscriptions with prayers of the living for the dead or with earnest requests to the dead that they pray for those still alive. In a social mystical body,each individual person is bound to the entire Church..
 

Eschatological spirituality.  
The Christian looks forward to the "éscata", i. e. to the final realities of eternal life. "There is no permanent city for us here on earth; we are looking for the city which is to come" ( Heb 13,14) "We find our true home in heaven" (Phil 3,20). This is brought to light even by a short tour in a catacomb.
On descending the staircase towards the crypt of the Popes, on the left wall an epigraph tells us of Agrippina, cuius dies inluxit: the day of her death was a day of her entry into light, into the hoped for beatitude. A little below there is the Greek inscription of Adas, that "ekoimète" (fell asleep), like the Capharnaum child,who - says the Gospel - "is not dead, she is asleep "(Mk 5,40) and is waiting for the calling of the One, who is the Resurrection and the Life.
In a cubicle Jonah, having escaped the jaws of the monster of death, is seen peacefully resting under a bower. Further on the Good Shepherd lovingly bears a lamb on his shoulders: death for a Christian is no longer terrifying, as he is carried by Jesus towards green pastures.
On a wall of a cubicle five Saints "Oranti" raise their hands in the act of adoration in a beautiful garden full of flowers: it is Paradise, the celestial garden. From a tombstone among the most ancient, an anchor-cross announces us that a Christian lady, bearing the shining name of Star (Hésperos), has reached the port of heaven.
These cemeteries are full of peace. The reason is to be found in the faith of the ancient Christians, which often speaks with a powerful voice in the silence of the catacombs. "Why are you looking among the dead for one who is alive?" (Lk 24,5) "I am the resurrection and life"(Jn 11,25) "Don't be afraid, only believe" (Mk, 5-15).
 
Biblical spirituality.  
Painters and engravers, sculptors and epigraphists are embued and inspired by the Word of God. We are able to meditate on the Old Testament in the light of the New one.The central themes of the Gospels and of the Letters of the Apostles are put in focus in a special way.
As it happens for the Liturgy and the Patristic literature, the spirituality of the catacombs is nourished on Sacred Scripture, following the example of St. Cecilia who, according to the Acts of her martyrdom, "semper Evangelium Christi gerebat in pectore" (she always carried Christ's Gospel in her heart) and in the supreme act of martyrdom with her fingers points to the Unity and Trinity of God.
 
New and transforming spirituality.  
Here we discover the true revolution carried out by the Christian Religion. In particular two types of characters are here present: the "Martyr" and the "Virgin". The martyr gives up his life to bear witness to the certainty of his own faith; he offers his life with serenity and with no regret, while brutality and tortures rage against him; he dies without hatred towards his executioner; on the contrary he prays for him. Numberless Christians, buried in the catacombs, faced martyrdom in a sublime way, to the shedding of their blood.
The figure of the Christian Virgin is not lacking in the catacombs. We have a significant testimony in the funeral eulogy written by Damasus in honour of his sister Irene, buried in the Callixtian complex:

When we leave the catacombs of St. Callixtus, we come across a last big tombstone at the foot of the stairs. It belongs to Baccis. Big red letters, roughly carved on the gray stone tell an humble story. There we can see, with the eyes of faith, appear two faces: the delicate one of the dead child and the rugged features of her father, with a tender smile full of tears. Here are the words: "Baccis, sweet soul. In the peace of the Lord. She lived 15 years, 75 days. (She died) on the eve before the Kalends (the 1st) of December. The father to his sweet daughter." A divine wave of purity and tenderness had got into the humble families with the Christian faith.

In the same catacombs, one day, a Christian, in deep sorrow because of the loss of a dear person, went down in search of comfort. At the bottom of the stairs he wrote on the wall for her beloved wife a wish for a happy life: "Sofronia vivas cum tuis"(Oh, Sophronia, may you live with your dear ones). A little further on, the dear name turns up again with a wish for a life in God: "Sofronia, vivas in Domino" (Oh, Sophronia, may you live in the Lord).
In a cubicle on the side of an arcosolium he wrote for the third time: "Sofronia dulcis, semper vives in Deo" (O sweet Sophronia, you will live forever in God). In this prayer the mourning looses all its bitterness and becomes a hope "full of immortality". And, as if that were not enough, tenderness overflows from his heart, with a great serenity: "Sofronia, vives..." (Yes, Sophronia, you will live).

It is a wonderful synthesis, in which a human drama of death and mourning is melted together with the passionate expression of the consoling faith: a life beyond death, a life among the loved ones, an eternal life, a life in God.
Lastly, with the family relations here are ennobled the social relations. The Christian tombs ignore the inscriptions with offices and honours, that are usual on the pagan epitaphs.
Instead we get frequent information about not only the noble professions, such as the one of Dionysius, physician and priest, but also information about the humblest crafts, the crafts of the poor "banausòi"(workers), despised by the intellectuals of paganism.
To confine ourselves only to the Catacombs of St. Callixtus, here is the farmer Valerius Pardus, with a sickle in one hand and vegetables in the other; Marcia Rufina, the worthy mistress, to whom her freedman prepares the tomb with the sign-board of a work-shop: a hammer and an anvil. On an arcosolium, a huckster woman is sitting among her vegetables. The religion of the Carpenter of Nazareth had ennobled work.
To these aspects of spirituality illustrated by the lamented scholar Fr. Ugo Gallizia, SDB, we thought it would be useful to add another important aspect of the spirituality of the catacombs, which is usually overlooked, the spirituality of silence.
 
The spirituality of silence  
It may seem strange to talk of a spirituality of silence, since silence, at first sight, is only a meaningless emptiness, a mere lack of words, thoughts and feelings. In reality silence of speech, of imagination and of spirit is a fundamental human dimension; it belongs to our essence, because it is the guardian of our interior world, the preliminary condition to listening, the necessary prelude of any human communication.
Walking along the galleries of the catacombs and pausing in the crypts, we are plunged into an atmosphere of silence, which is however only the silence of an ancient cemetery. But it affects us deeply; for it is not the silence of death, of a hopeless regret of all that was dear to Christians in life. It is a silence of fullness, filled with the voice of martyrs who have lived our life, yet had courageously and perseveringly witnessed their faith not only in times of religious peace, but especially in times of persecution.
This silence is full of peace, of hope in a future, better life, in the light of Christ's resurrection. The silence of the catacombs is full of history and mystery; it is sacred, meaningful and more eloquent than the words themselves; it is enriching as it leads us to reflect on the Church in its origins, on the heroic testimony of Martyrs, as well as on the common witness of simple Christians, who did not bury their faith underground, but lived it in everyday life, in the family, in society, at work, in every job and profession.
It is a communicating silence, that speaks to the heart and mind of pilgrims; that reveals to them the unknown world of the primitive Church, with its social classes, sentiments and affections; with the pains and hopes of the Christians buried in the catacombs. We cannot quench this silence, which speaks by itself, or rather shouts overbearingly. Saint Gregory the Great once spoke of the "strepitus silentii" " the uproar of silence", a mark which applies perfectly to the silence of the catacombs.
This atmosphere of silence, evocative of the life and sacrifice of the early Christians, constitutes a privileged place of spiritual meditation, of the review of one's life, of the renewal of faith. Their courageous and faithful witness questions us personally: What is "our" answer to God's love to-day, in a society which perhaps is not so hostile as theirs, but which is mostly indifferent to religious values?
The catacombs leave us a silent, yet clear message of faith, all the more necessary, as our age is affected with noise, outward appearance and superficiality. Words are here unnecessary, for the catacombs speak by themselves. In the footsteps of the martyrs and the early Christians, the spirituality of the catacombs will help us to celebrate the Jubilee with a true and deep renewal of our faith, in order "to live by the fullness of life in God" (Tertio Millennio Adveniente,n.6).