Scientists Determine The Shroud of Turin is Not a Fake

Article first published as Scientists Determine The Shroud of Turin is Not a Fake on Blogcritics.

Recently I read a story about The Shroud of Turin that got my attention. After a five year study, Italian scientists have confirmed that the Shroud is not some product of trickery, created during the Middle Ages by someone who wanted to fool the public. After five years of testing and experiments, they have said that the Shroud is an authentic artifact. But they have gone even further, claiming that "The implications are… that the image was formed by a burst of UV energy so intense it could only have been supernatural."
This is a stunning announcement given that it is coming from people of science. They went on to note that with our modern technology (using present day linen and lasers) the image was impossible to recreate because the "degree of power cannot be reproduced by any normal UV source built to date."

Little of what we think about in life is based on belief; we tend to want most things to be based on fact. Sports fans tend to gravitate toward statistics, assuming that numbers do not lie; however, sometimes great teams on paper never function on the field. The late great Tug McGraw of the New York Mets coined the term "Ya gotta believe," and that worked well for fans of the struggling team over the years, even when they impossibly challenged some of the best teams on paper for an inconceivable shot at the championship. The Mets should not have been in the 1973 World Series, but they were.

In John's Gospel we read about Doubting Thomas, the Apostle who had to see the risen Jesus for himself before he could believe. The story goes that when Jesus appeared to Thomas that he made the doubtful man put his fingers in the wounds on his body suffered during his crucifixion in order for Thomas to feel the truth. Thomas then professes his faith, but Christ tells him that the most blessed are the ones who have not seen for themselves but still believe.

Many of us were aware of the Shroud and probably have been skeptical about it. As a Catholic, I have always been fascinated by it but have remained uncertain because of conflicting reports of the authenticity of the artifact. I am sure that even with this report there will still be some people who view it as questionable, but I feel more convinced by this finding and think about it as a court case where new evidence has been submitted and changes everything.

Think about how many people have been cleared in recent years by DNA evidence. This is something that did not exist years ago, and many innocent people ended up in jail for years because of it. Of course, skeptics may have questioned the legitimacy of the DNA results at first, but now they offer the most highly respected way to determine paternity, criminal guilt, and identity. No one in the first century could have ever imagined such technology, just as they could not have possibly known or understood the UV energy necessary to create the image on the Shroud.

For those who may still be skeptical, a different piece of "evidence" may shake things up a bit. The image on the Shroud actually has precedence in the story of Jesus' crucifixion. As Jesus struggles to drag the heavy cross to Golgotha where he will be crucified, a woman named Veronica stops to wipe his face with a towel, and she discovers that Christ has left an imprint of his face on the cloth. This amazing little anecdote from the Passion of Christ should no longer be viewed as an anomaly, but rather as a foreshadowing of the larger image to be left on the Shroud.

For some this will be seen as part of a concocted story and perhaps all the evidence in the world will not be enough, and I respect these people and their opinions. Still, as I view this new report and think about my faith, the realization of things unseen but believed and then those hard forensic findings coalesce and strengthen my belief. If the image is supernatural as the scientists noted, it is because it comes from an evanescent nature of things that has not been able to be explained before this moment.

The case for the authenticity of the Shroud seems stronger than ever now, but I know some will be like Doubting Thomas. Even if they see the evidence, they still may never believe. This is understandable and perhaps is even an integral part of the mystery the Shroud itself, making even scientific findings doubted, yet for some people the story corroborates what they already know. For them this story takes the tenuous belief and elucidates a new reality that is unshakable. Ya gotta believe indeed!

Photo: National Geographic.com

Labor Day: Celebrating Work and Life

Article first published as Labor Day: Celebrating Work and Life on Blogcritics.

I have written two articles about Labor Day in recent years, so I was wondering if I should write another, and then the truth about "work" hit me: this day needs to be recognized, and all those who "labor" certainly earn an annual tip of the cap. Work should be appreciated as an integral part of the way we live and respected by those who serve and are served.

In one of those previous articles I posed the question "Do you live to work or work to live?" In and of itself, that query holds so much fuel for introspection and examination. Does what we do matter? How so? Or do we go through the machinations in order to just attain that paycheck, not caring if we make a difference because in the end our payment is all that matters?

The great Greek philosopher Aristotle said, "All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind." If we think about that, then most everyone out there is being paid to degenerate mentally and - if not descending to the point of extinction - get so low as to not care anymore. Have you seen workers that seem lost like that? Sometimes I have, and I walk out of that store or place of business and wish they could find something else to do not just to make money but to be happy.

The problem is most of us have to make money. It is not a choice but a requirement. That brings back the old "work to live" idea. We go from paycheck to paycheck. Shoulder against the wheel. Turn, turn, turn! Ad infinitum.

The great poet Edwin Arlington Robinson wrote of such malaise in labor in the brilliant "Richard Cory" :

So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.

In this poem the poor people of the local town look up to a wealthy man named Cory, who seems like a king but is gracious and kind. They know nothing else about him, except that they wish that they were in his place. One night he goes home and ends all the speculation about how great it is to be him: he commits suicide. The message is loud and clear: be careful what you wish for and then some.

Whether we are wealthy or not, we all long for something meaningful in life. Work is an extremely important part of that. If we have found something to do that brings joy to our lives, we are doubly blessed. If, like Richard Cory, we have everything monetarily but nothing that counts, then we descend to a dark place where wealth is nothing but a burden, and some face annihilation rather than realize the truth that there is more to life than money. Much more.

Over the course of my working life as an educator, some of the most meaningful and important work I have witnessed being done is by people who don't get paid a penny: volunteers. I have seen volunteers who work so tirelessly and dedicatedly, you'd want to pay them if you could, but that is the beauty of it: they are there because of something that transcends a weekly paycheck: they reap the benefits of doing work that they love, and their reward is far more glorious than anything with a dollar sign next to it.

There are many people out there who are working to live and some who are living to work. Some must support their families; others a lifestyle. There are those lucky ones who would never call what they do labor: it is done for love and reward beyond anything tangible. There are also those volunteers, the selfless ones who go out of their way to do something for the sake of others without recompense. We celebrate all of these people on Labor Day because what they do matters, no matter how small or big their role is in life.

I learned a good deal from observing my father - a man who ran his own successful business for many years - and this is especially true in relation to ordinary people that he saw working. No matter where we were, he never ceased to thank someone who served him and compliment those who did an outstanding job. He would go out of his way to thank the cashier and the waitress in a diner. If we went into a building where a janitor was mopping the lobby, he would try to walk around the wet area and excuse himself saying something like, "Sorry to step on your floor. You're doing such a wonderful job there." He would stop and watch a gardener pruning some hedges, and then tell him, "You've done such a great job." It only took a few seconds, but I imagine those people never forgot what Dad had said to them.

I grew up and followed my father's example over the years. I have thanked those who do the jobs that many of us would not want to do. I've thanked anyone who provides a service for me, and give compliments when I believe they are warranted. I did this with the guy who pumps my gas everyday, thanking him for being so quick when I pulled into the station. Guess what? After a time, he started cleaning my windows without my asking him to do it, and he even refused a tip from me (which I would eventually insist that he take). The point is that all work is meaningful to someone, even if it's not the person doing it.

In Mark 10:42 Jesus said, "But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all." We can remember that as we go about our days. We can, by showing appreciation, let working people know that we see what they're doing, admire how it is being done, and thank them with a smile or a handshake. It's the least we can do on Labor Day, and any other day of the year for that matter.

Palm Sunday: The Day That Changed the World

Christians around the world celebrate Palm Sunday as the start of Holy Week, the most important time on the calendar for them. Despite all the popular excitement about Christmas, this is the week that truly defines what it means to be a believer in Christ. Church goers will witness reenactments of Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem as he enters humbly on a donkey, but is given the special greeting of waved palms and shouts of “hosanna” fit for king.

Palm Sunday begins a solemn week that marks the Passion of Jesus Christ: his Last Supper, his excruciating time in the Garden of Gethsemane, his capture and trial before the Sanhedrin (supreme council and court for the Jews), his transference to Roman Procurator Pontius Pilate, and his eventual crucifixion outside the gates of Jerusalem.

Simply put, if there is no first Palm Sunday there is no Holy Week to celebrate. If Jesus does not make a triumphant entry into Jerusalem, nothing else that follows will happen. There will be no “last” supper, no trial, and no crucifixion. Thus, in essence, there would be no Christianity of which to speak. This is the magnificent importance of Palm Sunday in the bigger picture for Christians: it is the day that changed the world.

Let us examine what happens on the first Palm Sunday. Why is Jesus going to Jerusalem on that day? The simple answer is that he was preparing to celebrate Passover. Some people forget that Jesus was Jewish, but his goal was to join many of his brethren in the holy city for the holiday, which would start with a special Seder with his friends.

This was just the usual ritual for the Jewish people of that time, but what makes this extremely important and unusual was that Jesus understood the significance of his entering Jerusalem in a humble manner. The people were excited by his return to their city. Many of them had heard Jesus before, preaching in the temple or speaking in the streets.

They were expecting the arrival of a king, but he purposely entered as any of them might on a donkey. The significance was not lost on them, and they madly waved their palms in support of his humility.

Before this moment his wave of popularity hit a kind of rock star status, with word of his many miracles and his inspirational talks around Judea reaching people in and beyond the city. Of particular significance was his raising his good friend Lazarus from the dead. Of all his miracles, this was one of the most public and dramatic displays of his powers. His reputation spread and his name reached many Jews and non-Jews alike, including the influential members of the Sanhedrin, King Herod, and the Roman procurator’s palace.

As Jesus entered the city and was overwhelming saluted by citizens waving palms and shouting "Hosanna," those people best described as his enemies were trembling in their sandals. The Sanhedrin saw him as a real threat to their religious hierarchy. Someone hailed as “King of Jews” would be a person who could not only rock the boat but capsize it.

Of course, Herod saw himself as the rightful Jewish monarch and worried about this cousin of John the Baptist, a prophet whom the king had beheaded because he also seemed to be a threat. Pontius Pilate would wonder who was this upstart; could he become the head of the zealots who would lead the Jews in rebellion against Rome?

All of these things set in motion a series of events that lead to the crucifixion. Some priests from the temple first approached the Roman procurator about their fears. They wanted to execute Jesus for heresy, but under Roman occupation they had no authority to exact such punishment. The Romans told them Jesus was a Jew; therefore, he was their concern. Of course, that doesn’t mean the Romans were not watching Jesus and ready to do something if necessary since the holiday was fast approaching.

By the time Jesus sat down for Seder with his Apostles, for what would be his “last” supper, one of his own had struck a deal with the Sanhedrin. Of course, Jesus already knew this, and he told Judas to go do what he must do. Judas was amazed that Jesus encouraged him and quickly left the group. It was then that Jesus revealed to the eleven, who would be the first priests of his church, what became the ceremony of the Mass, the changing of bread and wine into his body and blood.

Later that evening in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus would beg his father to let the cup pass from his lips, but he came to understand what must happen and allowed himself to be arrested, taken for trial before the Sanhedrin, and eventually brought to Pontius Pilate, who would have him crucified. He was placed in a tomb and the story should just end there, but Christians believe that three days later the stone before the tomb was rolled aside, and Jesus was resurrected and the story was only just beginning.

All of these events happened because of what occurred on the first Palm Sunday. A simple man who owned just the cloak on his back rode a borrowed donkey into a big city, the only big city he ever visited in his lifetime, and he was hailed as a king and a savior by the citizens. It was a brief moment in time and happened more than two thousand years ago, but its significance can still be felt today.