Now Reading ....

The Shroud of Turin-a case for authenticity by Fr. Vittorio Guerrera (TAN Books). It is certainly not the first book I have read on the subject (my shelf must have at least a half dozen Holy Shroud books), and I don't expect to learn anything really new, but I haven't read a book on the Holy Shroud in several years-so I thought it was a good time to refresh my memory. I have found that reading about the Holy Shroud does help my meditations on the Passion of Christ.

Of course, I was blessed to have venerated the Holy Shroud during the Jubilee year of 2000. You can read my report of the trip here.

From the book, an excerpt from a letter of St. Francis de Sales to his mother recalling his pilgrimage to Turin:

At about this time, a year ago, I was in Turin, and, while pointing out the Holy Shroud among such a great crowd of people, a few drops of sweat fell from my face on to this Holy Shroud itself. Wereupon, our heart made this wish: May it please You, Saviour of my life, to mingle my unworthy sweat with Yours, and let my blood, my life, my affections merge with the merits of Your sacred sweat!

My very dear Mother, the Prince Cardinal was somewhat annoyed that my sweat dripped onto the Holy Shroud of my Saviour; but it came to my heart to tell him that Our Lord was not so delicate, and that He only shed His sweat and His blood for them to be mignled with ours, in order to give us the price of eternal life.

I wonder how the Prince Cardinal's reacted to his words-St. Francis doesn't tell us.

Oremus pro invicem!