The Transfiguration of Jesus and the Shroud of Turin: A Divine Gift for Christians Facing Persecution, Disillusionment, and Doubt

The great Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus on August 6th can often be over-looked at a time when many families are distracted with travel, vacation, and back to school shopping. But during these days of great deception and distraction, it's essential we take some time to contemplate this great feast. 

Highlights

By Kevin Burke, LSW
8/5/2023 (1 year ago)

Published in Living Faith

Keywords: Shroud, Turin, faith, Catholic, living, abortion, Burke

The blinding light of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor served to strengthen the apostles Peter, James and John and prepare them to face the dark days leading up to the brutal torture and crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday. 

Perhaps in a similar way, the amazing scientific revelations associated with the Shroud of Turin, are unfolding in our day to strengthen and encourage believers, and bring new converts to faith in Jesus Christ.

The Shroud of Turin is a burial shroud, a single piece of cloth bearing a front and back image of a crucified man. The Shroud has been venerated since 1355 as the burial cloth of Jesus.

Scientific investigation of the image began 1898 when photographs revealed the image itself was a photographic negative.  But it was not until 1978 that modern science was able to dive deeper to reveal that the blinding light that transfigured Christ on Mount Tabor, also transfigured the burial cloth of Jesus at the time of His resurrection:

From The Magis Center:

... the image was not formed by dyes, chemicals, vapors, or scorching and was not formed by brush strokes...in order to turn linen into a perfectly photographically sensitive material you need light radiation. However, it must be without any accompanying heat radiation.

The formation of the Shroud's image would take several billion watts of light radiation, which exceeds the maximum output of any source of UV radiation known today  If the accompanying heat energy had been present, the cloth would have vaporized in less than 1/40 billionth of a second. 

This scientific analysis helps confirm what we believe in faith; it was the power of God that raised the body of Jesus from the dead.

We can also see the developments which began in 1898 with the photographic negatives of the Shroud, as a charitable infusion of faith at a time when the Church of Christ, and all Judeo-Christians believers, entered a century of great persecution and spiritual confusion. The early and mid-20th century featured a massive attack upon the Jewish people, the Catholic Church and all Christians in the rise of atheistic communism and Nazism. 

In our day, internal scandals have attacked the moral and spiritual authority that Jesus invested in His Church. Many believers are cynical and shaken by so many Bishops covering up, and enabling this horrific abuse that attacked God's precious children, minors and young adults. 

Faithful Catholics are disillusioned today with the failure of our spiritual leaders to take a stronger stand against the human sacrifice of innocent children in abortion centers, and the impact on their parents. 

Enjoy Daily Readings? Pay it Forward

Rather than press forward with humility and confidence in Christ to take down the gates of Satan's kingdom, some Church leaders seems to have made a tenuous peace with this kingdom of darkness.   

Catholic politicians in our nation's highest offices betray their Lord and His Church as they push forward radical abortion rights legislation and the agendas of the new sexual revolution, featuring gender confusion and mutilation of young bodies and souls.

Yet, no matter how dark it gets in your personal life, in the Church, and in our nation and world, we must meditate on the blinding light that lit up the burial cave of Jesus and scorched that mysterious image of his tortured body on the Shroud of Turin.

Be confident in His ultimate victory over all the forces of darkness.  Let the manifestation of God's Glory in Christ be an anchor that sets you firmly in His peace.   

Rooted in the humility and peace of Jesus, we can boldly share the Gospel message with a Nation that desperately needs a renewal of faith and virtue.