219. The Holy Shroud, True or False?
Photo: Courtesy of Wikipedia
I am not going to deal with facts about the Holy Shroud, I’ll leave those to encyclopaedias, a link may be found at the end of this article to such. All I’d like to say on this is: for the Shroud to have survived 2000 years of wars, fires, natural catastrophes, litigations and contestations is not something of a daily occurrence, only in virtue of such does it deserve some attention.
“In the Holy Shroud is reflected the suffering of humanity, this is the icon of the suffering of the most Innocent of all times, of the innumerable tragedies and dramas that have marked history. It is the image of the love of God, and of the sin of man, it is the image of the impotence of death.”
Those who believe need no explanation. Those who don’t believe, no explanation will satisfy them. However, I am writing this article from neither point of view but from someone who does not believe nor disbelieve and of those, there are also, many.
Before I quote what some popes have said in regards to this phenomena I should like to mention that the cloth has to be dated at the time of Jesus as there were no crucifixions in the middle ages and I can’t imagine anyone going so far as crucifying someone on purpose so as to prove or fake a point, can you? What can be of a legitimate doubt is, if the body that wrapped the crucified person was in effect that of Jesus or not.
Strangely enough many non-Catholics and even some Catholics themselves seem to think that the faithful are bound to believe in the Holy Shroud, we are not, nor are we bound to believe what popes have said on this matter. Catholics often take guidance from what the Pope says but unless he is making a formal declaration ex cathedra, (from his chair/throne) Catholics are not held or bound to his sayings. So when the Pope talks to journalists on the plane, to his Wednesday audiences, from his balcony in St Peter’s Square or if you happen to converse with him on one of his walks in the Vatican gardens, no one is bound to take his words as infallible, and indeed, there and then, they are not. Even though, I personally would think twice before disregarding them.
I think John Paul II came close to expressing this kind of thinking when in 1998 he defined the Holy Shroud as:
“A provocation to one’s intelligence.”
As a youth Karol Wojtyla read about the Holy Shroud in Polish and during the exposition of the Shroud in 1978, shortly before being elected Pope he had this to say:
“It is an astounding testimony which speaks, through its own silence, in a most amazing way.”
And strangely enough these words, which I had only read days after seeing the Shroud, were to prove themselves a reality. But more on that later. Pope John Paul continues to say that:
Whereas Pope Benedict XVI in the Via Crucis of 2005 states:
“The Holy Shroud allows us to have some idea of the incredible cruelty of the crucifixion.”
But to return to what I referred to previously regarding John Paul’s II words, “It is an astounding testimony which speaks, through its own silence, in a most amazing way.” which at the time were not known to me, came into being as I neared the Shroud. I knew I only had brief minutes to view the Shroud so I made a drastic decision and opted to give preference to my camera rather than my naked eye. As I was trying to place the camera in a position that would cut out the heads of other people, I saw the strip of cloth run across the lens. My most prominent thought was “the face”, where was the face? I could not find the face.
I was nervous, tense, I placed the lens into close-up position and tried to slowly, carefully scan the cloth until I could see the image of the face. But thinking my time would be up before I could even take a snap, I looked at the Shroud without the camera and I saw the frail, faded shadowy shape of the face at the centre, I fixed my eyes upon it and placed the lens in front- and then I saw the face through the lens... Slowly, ever so slowly I pulled the lens up closer, but as the image gradually, most gradually emerged, a strange sensation of harmony, peace, joy and happiness all were incredibly wound up together.
No one spoke, there were no words but an essence was calling me to draw closer, and closer and closer to this intense but amicable force, yet blending with this indescribable delight I felt a touch, ever so slight, of fear, but it was a friendly fear, yet a fear that prevented me from drawing closer as if by touching this moment I would be completely consumed by it. I held back with a smile, as if my refusal was not incongruous. I took the close-up photo, but I realized my index finger had not pulled the lever any further, which left a distance between the image and my lens, like the one I created between me and that silent essence which called to draw near with an infinite patience- yet knew no disapproval at my drawing away.
And that to me is the Mystery of the Holy Shroud:
“It is an astounding testimony which speaks, through its own silence, in a most amazing way.”
John Paul II October 1978
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Comments
As an object it tells the story of the human condition, one that we are ashamed of, the one causing the suffering of others - and if it is there just to remind us of what we, the human race, did - then it is there for a good reason - authentic or not.
A great article again, Eva!