Questions of the Week: Why do those who believe in Jesus “have life in His name?” What happens to a person when they believe in Jesus?
The Shroud of Turin was recently displayed for public veneration on Holy Saturday in Turin, as the world prayed for the end of the pandemic.
The Shroud remains one of the most amazing and perplexing religious artifacts in human history. It is also one of the most studied.
When photographed, the clear image of a man brutally tortured appears in the negative. From careful study of this image, one can conclude that it reveals a man who suffered and died in ways identical to the way Jesus died in the Gospels.
When Jesus rose from dead, those who went to the tomb found it empty, except for some burial clothes that were left behind. It would make sense that those burial clothes were retrieved and honored.
It is very interesting that of all the things the Gospel writers could have mentioned, they chose to mention these clothes.
They were a sign of the resurrection! There was no longer a body within them! Today, they also can be a sign of the resurrection in a second way, for while they no longer are wrapped around a body, they contain an image which the body left behind, and only today is able to be examined and reveal its hidden secrets.
Those who study the shroud say that it was wrapped around a man who was brutally beaten and scourged 120 times (not the normal 39). We remember how Pilate had Jesus scourged in order to make an example of him in the Gospel of John. The cloth shows a man who was crucified using nails through the hands and feet, was tortured with a crown of thorns, and who was pierced through the side. He was around 6 feet tall. The cloth itself is very old, and even contains trapped pollen and plant life from around Palestine. There are many other incidental observations concerning the shroud that all add their voice to its authenticity. How amazing to consider. For those interested in learning more about the Shroud, I found a great website with many links: www.shroud.com .
For believers, gifts like the shroud can help us ponder even more the amazing reality of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. Our Risen Lord helped the Apostles believe at a time when they needed Him the most. That is Divine Mercy. Our Lord will do the same for us. He came to St Faustina with a great message of Divine Mercy right before WWII broke out. He is with us now to help us.
This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. Let’s continue to pray together that Jesus in His mercy will end this pandemic. We also pray for each other and ourselves, that as believers, we may be able to reveal the kindness and mercy of God to those around us. Jesus I trust in You!
If you can, please join me for some special prayers from 2 PM- 3:30 PM this Sunday. We will adore Jesus in the Eucharist and ask that His Mercy be upon us and the whole world. God bless you! The Lord is Risen. He is truly Risen. Alleluia!
Fr. Bill