The Healing Journey

April 8, 2026

“There is something overwhelming in those closed eyes, in that masterful countenance, which seems to bear the impress of eternity — something that pierces the conscience like the thrust of a sword to the heart, something so awful and annihilating that our only means of escape is to bow in adoration.”
— Paul Claudel

As we commemorate the Passion and Death of Jesus and celebrate his Resurrection, the face of the man on the Shroud of Turin is a moving reminder of the Suffering Servant, the Son of God who died for our sins.

Of the face of the “Man of the Shroud,” Pope Francis has said, “This disfigured face invites us to contemplate Jesus of Nazareth. This image speaks to our heart and moves us to climb the hill of Calvary, to look upon the wood of the Cross and to immerse ourself in the eloquent silence of love.”

The Shroud of Turin, which is believed to have been the burial cloth of Jesus after his crucifixion, compels Catholics to enter more intimately into the Passion and Death of the Savior, by which sins are forgiven and eternal life is given.

The 14-foot linen cloth contains a photonegative image of a man who has suffered wounds resembling those described in the Gospel accounts of Christ’s Passion. For centuries, the faithful have venerated the shroud, which is believed to be the burial cloth in which Joseph of Arimathea wrapped the body of Jesus when it was taken down from the cross and placed in a new tomb. Recent studies assert its authenticity, and date the linen fibers to first century Israel.

What can be deduced from the image on the shroud about the suffering He endured? Catholic writer Jim Graves has said: “What the shroud tells us of Christ’s death is that he endured the worst form of torture of which evil minds could conceive.”

“In that image we see the majesty of the God-man, and in the presence of that majesty we become profoundly conscious of our complete and radical unworthiness,” poet Paul Claudel said upon first seeing it 90 years ago.
©J Pisani

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