More than Writers

  During our Christmas just spent in Israel, my husband Butch and I stumbled upon a permanent exhibition of the Turin Shroud at the Notre Dame Hotel in Jerusalem.  It certainly wasn’t something uppermost in our minds. Had we not taken a look when it was mentioned by the man at the front desk — and spent two hours in what ended up as contemplation and prayer— I would not be writing this piece. The Turin Shroud is a length of fine linen, 4.35m long by 1.1m wide. It bears the full-length front and back images of a crucified man as well as many other images, including a large number of flowers and plants. We have good evidence that Jesus was hurriedly taken down from the cross after he died and wrapped in a shroud. The hurry was due to the fact that a special shabbat was just coming in, not only the weekly Sabbath but the beginning of the Passover:  “ Joseph (of Arimathea) took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,     and placed it in his own new tomb...