By Father Mieczysław Piotrowski TChr,
Love One Another! 16/2010 → The main topic
Jewish tradition required two witnesses to come forward before
a matter could be brought to court. In this instance, we have two witnesses–Peter
and John–but we also have two items of proof, two pieces of cloth: the
Shroud of Turin and the Veil of Manoppello.
Klaus Berger, Professor of New Testament Theology in the Department
of Evangelical Theology of the University of Heidelberg, is one of
Germany’s best-known modern biblical scholars and author of numerous
books. Apropos of the Veil of Manoppello, he states in the German-language
publication Focus, that the image of Christ’s face represents “the
first page of the Gospel. If the Gospel is the text, then this image
of the Resurrection is its frontispiece….Jewish tradition required
two witnesses to come forward before a matter could be brought to
court. In this instance, we have two witnesses–Peter and John–but
we also have two fragments of cloth: the Shroud of Turin and the Veil
of Manoppello. They constitute two pieces of material evidence attesting
to the Resurrection. The Resurrection is a fact; it is not a theological
metaphor. The Resurrection is a reality, and [the] Manoppello image
attests to this.”
On being removed from the cross, Christ’s body was first wrapped
lengthwise in a long linen cloth (sindon). Custom required this for
two reasons: to keep the body from being defiled by bare hands and
to prevent further spillage of blood. Once so wrapped, the body was
bound laterally with broad linen bands (othonia). Throughout this
process, generous quantities of aromatic oils were poured in and outside
the wrappings. The body of Jesus was then laid like a cocoon in the
tomb; and there, a costly napkin made of marine byssus (sea silk)
was placed over His head. This very napkin can be seen displayed in
the Church of Manoppello in Italy.
Having learned from Mary Magdalene early in the morning of the first
day after the Sabbath (Sunday) that Jesus’ body had vanished from
the tomb, the apostles Peter and John ran straight to the burial site.
For John, the sight of the tomb containing nothing but the sunken
winding sheet and linens was sufficient proof of the resurrection.
The burial cloths lay unwrapped, exactly as they had been left when
the Body was interred, and yet there was no body inside. Since the
linens lay undisturbed (and that therefore no one had rifled their
contents), the astounded apostle concluded that the Body had in some
mysterious way “passed through” the material. This was the circumstance
of his “seeing and believing” (John
20: 8). Seeing the empty linens, he believed Jesus had risen from
the dead.
This very burial shroud, which ran the entire length of Christ’s
body, top and bottom, has been preserved to this day and reposes now
in Turin, Italy. Upon it, Jesus has left a striking imprint of his
lifeless body. An image of His face has also been preserved on the
veil of byssus, which covered His shrouded face.
Silent witness of death and resurrection
Commenting on the Shroud of Turin and the many years of intensive
research devoted to it, John Paul II observed: “In accepting the findings
of so many scientific experts, we accept the Holy Shroud of Turin
as a special witness to the Paschal Mystery: the Passion, Death, and
Resurrection. A silent witness, yes, but at the same time, a strikingly
eloquent one!” “To a believer, what is most important is that the
Shroud provides a mirror to the Gospels….By contemplating it, every
person of delicate feeling experiences an inner movement of the heart
and a deep shock….The Shroud is truly an extraordinary sign, pointing
us back to Jesus, the true Word of the Father, and calling upon us
to follow the example of Him, Who gave Himself up entirely for us
all” (Turin, May 24, 1998).
Projected with striking precision on the Shroud of Turin (it measures
4.36 meters by 1.10 meters) is a three-dimensional photographic negative
of Jesus’ dead body. Numerous bloodstains of the AB group appear on
it in the form of a positive print. The image of the Crucified One
is anatomically perfect. Clearly visible are the wounds sustained
as a result of scourging, the imposition of a crown of thorns, crucifixion,
etc. Modern science is unable to replicate the image. Scientists speculate
that the imprinting was caused by a mysterious burst of radiation
from within the Shroud, causing a yellow “searing” of the surface
of the cloth fibers. The image is indelible; no known solvent will
remove it.
Based on their knowledge of the blood coagulation process and the
fact that the Body showed no signs of decay, forensic medical experts
have ascertained that the Body was wrapped in the Shroud some two
and a half hours after his death, and that it remained inside for
thirty-six hours. Since there are no traces of tearing and the blood
clots remain intact, the Body could not have been removed from the
Shroud. How then did the Body pass through the linen without disturbing
its structure? Whence came that “burst of radiation,” which caused
the extraordinary three-dimensional image of the whole Body to be
imprinted on the Shroud? Only Faith provides the reasonable answer.
All this took place at the moment of the Christ’s resurrection.
The second artifact
Standing on display in a silver reliquary on the main altar of the
Church of Manoppello is a diaphanous veil measuring seventeen by twenty-four
centimeters. It bears the impress of the face of the Rising Christ.
Saint Padre Pio called it the “greatest miracle in our possession.”
After more than twenty years of intense investigation, experts are
still unable to account for the existence of the Divine Face of Manoppello.
They are forced to conclude that, like the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
in Mexico and the imprint of Christ’s dead body on the Shroud of Turin,
no human hand could have painted it. The same state-of-the-art techniques
used to examine the Shroud of Turin have been applied to the Veil;
despite this, no one has been able to determine how the image came
into exist, or whence came those mysterious hues which cause the Holy
Face to come to life with such striking beauty and radiance. Quite
simply, there is nothing like it in the world. An examination of the
linen fibers with a high-definition digital scanner shows that there
is not the slightest trace of paint in the gaps between the fibers.
The outlines of the eyes and mouth are so clean as to preclude the
use of oils or even watercolors.
The most striking feature of the Face of Manoppello is its transparency
and the fact that, like a photographic slide, it can be seen perfectly
well from either side. Another striking feature is the changeability
of the Face. Its aspect changes according to the lighting conditions;
vary the light and the Face changes as though it was alive. If you
view it under a bright light, you cannot see it, since it becomes
transparent. This extraordinary image has the qualities of a painting,
a photograph, and a hologram; and yet it is neither a painting, nor
a photograph, nor a hologram. The shading of the portrait iis so subtle
as to be beyond the capability of even the greatest of masters; indeed,
the image reveals so many inexplicable features that science stands
powerless before a great mystery. The tissue is so sheer you could
fold it up inside a nutshell. Called marine byssus or sea silk, it
was the most expensive fabric in the ancient world. The tissue is
transparent and as fire-resistant as asbestos. Technically, it is
impossible to paint anything on sea silk; paints will not adhere to
the delicate tissue. The experts agree that man could not have painted
the image of the Divine Face of Manoppello. It is what tradition has
always claimed it to be–acheiropoietos–i.e. not painted by the hand
of man.
The many years of research devoted to the Shroud and the Veil have
led to a stunning discovery: namely, that the Dead Face of the Shroud
of Turin and the Holy Face of Manoppello overlap perfectly. When the
one is superimposed over the other, the faces conform in every respect–graphic
proof that the two images represent one and the same Person. Given
this 100% conformity of facial structure and dimensions, we can rightly
speak of mathematical proof. The image of the dead Body on the Shroud
of Turin and the Divine Face on the Veil of Manoppello are without
doubt the greatest enduring miracles in the world. From a scientific
point of view, neither image has a right to exist.
A miraculous record of the Resurrection in progress
No direct contact between body and cloth accounts for the image of
the Face on the Veil of Manoppello and the imprint of the front and
back of the dead body on the Shroud of Turin. Only a miraculous intervention
by God can explain it. The result is a marvelous record of the stages
by which the humanity of Jesus was glorified. The Shroud of Turin
captures a glimpse of His dead body at the very start of the process
of glorification. The body was already beginning to emanate that mysterious
energy which caused it to be projected with such precise detail onto
the cloth in the form of a photographic negative. The Veil of Manoppello,
on the other hand, bears a positive print of Christ’s living face.
The process of glorification is not complete, as the face is still
marked by bruises and swelling.
At first glance, the Face of Manoppello may cause disappointment.
It lacks the beauty we would expect of it. We must remember, however,
that it is the face of Jesus while still in the process of transformation–i.e.
not yet fully glorified. The splendor of the Risen Jesus is infinitely
beyod imagining. Only in heaven will we be able to gaze on it to our
heart’s content.
The Face of Manoppello is the face of the Rising Christ–caught at
the very moment of its transition from death to life. Only subsequently
did the full transformation of the mutilated and crucified Jesus take
place–the same Jesus who freely chose to ‘bear our infirmities’ and
‘endure our sufferings.’ “There was in him no stately bearing to make
us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was
spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity,
one of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held
him in no esteem” (Isaiah
53: 5; 2b-4).
The Veil of Manoppello reveals the face of the resurrecting Christ–still
bearing the marks of His passion. It captures the face an instant
before the “corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and [the]
mortal clothes itself with immortality” (1
Cor 15: 54).
The Divine Face of Manoppello seems to have been limned with light;
its expression changes according to the angle from which it is viewed
and the quality of light. Only in the sunlight does it assume its
full expression and beauty.
The oldest name for the image of Manoppello is acheiropoietos–not
painted by the hand of man. If, then, it is not the work of man, it
must be the handiwork of God Himself. It reveals the true Face of
God, who left us a visible image of the truth of His Incarnation,
Death, and Resurrection. It tells us unequivocally that God became
man; that He took upon Himself all our sufferings and sins; that He
died a real death and then rose again to free us from sin and death,
and lead us to perfect happiness in heaven.
The Divine Face of Manoppello is truly an extraordinary artifact
of the Risen Lord. In giving it to us, God wished to convince us of
the Real Risen Presence in the mystery of the Eucharist. St. Thomas
Aquinas referred to the Eucharistic Host as “bread in the form of
a shroud” in which “God conceals Himself.” The Eucharist is our most
precious treasure, for it is Jesus Himself, who wishes us to partake
of His risen life and be healed of all our spiritual and physical
infirmities.
“I desire,” said Jesus to St. Faustina, “to unite Myself with human
souls; My great delight is to unite Myself with souls. Know, My daughter,
that when I come to a human heart in Holy Communion, My hands are
full of all kinds of graces, which I want to give to the soul. But
souls do not pay attention to Me; they leave Me to Myself and busy
themselves with other things. Oh, how sad I am that souls do not recognize
Love! They treat Me as a dead object” (Diary, 1384).
The Face of Jesus as seen on the Shroud of Turin and the Veil of
Manoppello, and unseen–yet infinitely more present–in the Eucharistic
Host, invites us all to persevere in daily prayer and adoration. Servant
of God John Paul II reminds us that “we cannot attain to a perfect
contemplation of the Lord’s face by our own efforts. We can do so
only by yielding to the promptings of grace. Only silence and prayer
can create that suitable basis on which a more substantial, adequate,
and coherent understanding of the mystery can mature and develop,
and which is most sublimely expressed in the famous words of John
the Evangelist: “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, full
of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only
Son from the Father” (John 1:
14) (Novo millennio ineunte).
In giving us His image on the Shroud of Turin and the Veil of Manoppello,
Christ calls us all to conversion. He calls us to form a personal
relationship with Him in the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist,
in daily persevering prayer, and living in accordance with the Ten
Commandments and the Gospel values. The Risen Christ bseeeches us:
Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if
it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would
be drowned in the immeasurable depths of My mercy (Diary, 1059); It
suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to
reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be
fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from
a human standpoint, there were no hope of restoration and everything
were already lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy
restores that soul in full (Diary, 1448).
Fr. Mieczysław Piotrowski SChr
The article was published with the permission from "Love One Another!"
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