Father Kelly unpacks its history

Paul: The imprint of the man, had he been through crucifixion and does everything of the man fit the gospel message?

Father Kelly: We have on the shroud what Pope John Paul II called a mirror image of the gospel. Obviously this is immediately physically verifiable just in the wounds pattern that we have, which matches the gospel accounts. We have a head that is crowned with thorns, although there is an interesting crown that is completely helmet shape and in the middle ages and Europe they didn't know that ancient kings were crowned here with a complete head cover, so if the shroud is from the middle ages then you have to answer the question, 'How come they got the crown historically correct in its shape?' He is also covered with wounds of scourging and we have here replicas of the roman scourges. We have a replica of the crown, which has these incredible thorns and then we have the replica of the nails, so we have nail wounds in the wrists and in the feet of the man of the shroud. He also has a broken nose cartilage and a side wound. In fact scientists claim that they have found with spectroscopic analysis, post-mortem blood on the side wound. This would also match the gospel account of the opening of the side wound after the death. Then there is also edema fluid reported at the mouth and the side wound and edema fluid proceeds from asphyxiated lungs and that was also part of the ordeal of death by crucifixion.

You have a very strong muscular man whose image is on the shroud. This would seem to match somebody who is a worker in manual work, somebody who had a lot of physical resistance and strength. This would match all the accounts of all the walking that Jesus would have done over the Holy Land up and down from Galilee to Jerusalem and so forth. Then there is the contemplation of the face that maybe is a little bit subjective, but all of the groups I have had at the shroud say the face is so peaceful. It's a peaceful face on a crucified man. Now we also know from mortuary work that people who die in great pain with a twisted face after the death, the soul has left the body there is no longer that tension so then the muscles can resume their original more peaceful natural position and yet in this subjective moment one can consider this face that really is so peaceful, how this matches the interior heart attitude that underlies the seven words spoken on the cross, particularly, 'Father forgive them, they do not know what they are doing'. How can you forgive someone if you are angry and tensed up? The person who is able to forgive must be at peace internally.

Then we have the words, 'Today you will be with me in Paradise' and those are words of victory and of great accomplishment. Also they are connected with peace and it's hard to put that together with the martyred body you are looking at here; all these wounds and the rejection of his soul, 'Crucify him, crucify him'. Yet I think of the rugby players coming in off the field with a broken elbow or broken teeth and they are not angry; they went out for a trophy and here we see then this person has His trophy, 'You will be with me in Paradise' and millions more after you. Then He goes on to say, 'Mother your son, son your mother'. Isn't it hard to think of other people's needs when you have a bad toothache and here we see more than a bad toothache, it's a crucified man; tortured, scourged, wounded, humiliated and He is thinking of others. There is extraordinary peace there. Then He says, 'Everything is fulfilled'. There are two fountains of peace found in that expression, number one is I knew everything was coming; there is foreknowledge in the Psalms, Zechariah, and Isaiah with the suffering servant and there is acceptance. He accepted this lot and now as the worst ordeal ever assigned to any human being in human history is completely fulfilled to the last iota, everything is fulfilled, what peace! Finally He says, 'Into your hands I commend my spirit'. Try and fine comb those words for any trace of rebellion; anger or frustration and you can't find it. There is such transcending of pain, suffering and rejection. It's such a self gift, 'Into your hands I commend my spirit'. No greater gift and no greater peace.

Paul: As people look at the evidence, what is your prayer for them as they come here?

Father Kelly: In Jerusalem we are obviously here in the Holy Land. Jerusalem is such a very special city and the whole experience is powerful; to see the Sea of Galilee; people visit our new site in Magdala. We are discovering the first century town where Jesus surely walked through, associated with Mary Magdalene and we are finding things from the first century. They come to Jerusalem and see the Mount of Olives and nobody could change that in 2000 years. They see Calvary and go to Bethlehem. They see a cave and the Bedouins still use those kinds of caves today for their herds, so you have this sense that very little has changed in many ways. Very little has changed for many features that we have from scripture, so everybody is completely impacted by the Holy Land and yet when they go to Gethsemane or the Galilee they don't find Jesus in the sense that He's not walking around needing a haircut; He's not walking around needing a sandwich, because we are living by faith and the proclamation of the gospel. When they come to the shroud museum, there is this extraordinary sculpture in bronze of the man of the shroud and it becomes a very powerful experience; a moment of internal connection with the mystery of Christ. That is very significant. In fact as many as a third of pilgrims would categorise it as their most important experience and so what's my prayer for them? Well I just pray that whatever means can help, that it will help to allow them to have a deeper encounter with the risen Christ and to have a deeper connection with Him that their faith can grow.

Paul: What is your website address for those who would like to know more?

Father Kelly: www.notredamecenter.org