The Immeasurable Love of the Man: Ecce Homo

“Ilumina Domine Vultum Tuum Super Nos. Mane Nobiscum Domine.”[1]

-Blessed Maria Pierina de Micheli

 On the Feast Day of Saint James the greater[2], on the month of July, culminating on the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, my family and I visited an international, breathtaking exhibition called “The Mystery Man” in Miami, FL at Florida International University[3]. This artistic exhibition presents a hyper-realistic image of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Álvaro Blanco, curator and artist of “The Mystery Man”, depicts an incredible, innovative piece gifted to our generation. The exhibition revolves entirely around the controversial, yet astounding piece normally known as “The Shroud of Turin”, a piece of clothing which conclusively affirms (as Mr. Blanco suggests), the mangled and scourged body of Jesus the Nazorean. Prior to the artistic display of “The Mystery Man”, expect to be taken on a solemn and historical walkthrough of how Mr. Blanco’s 15 years exploration and research led him to his definite conclusion on the “Shroud of Turin”. The chronological structure of the stations during exhibition allows the viewer to take a personal, self-paced tour through history about how and when the “Shroud of Turin” was discovered. Through audiovisuals and ultra reality videos, one can be found meticulously educated on the reality of death during a Roman crucifixion. In essence, Mr. Blanco’s display does not impose on the viewer his belief about the shroud but rather allows the viewer to make his own conclusion based on the evidence depicted. Still, Mr. Blanco does provide a powerful introspection regarding his masterpiece:

This mangled piece of flesh reflects our own flesh. It contains more of us, of who we are, what we conceal, and what transpires every day in our world than our own fabricated reality. Concealing this image would be like hiding the truth of what we really are…The Shroud confronts us with a truth that is hard to embrace: God is the only artist. Only He could create things out of nothing.

Fourteen members of my family attended the exhibition as to which six were children ranging from one through eight years old. While most of the stations (if not all) are age appropriate, I recommend discretion on the ultra-reality visuals shown toward the end of the exhibition as they are graphic and require parental discretion[4]. The more the children watched and learned, the more questions they asked. It was incredible to see their interest and their inquiries about the next exhibition station. Perhaps the Jesus they have grown to know is a little different in books especially when faced by the brutality and violence of the Roman-style torture and executions. Words from Holy Scriptures flooded my mind seeing my children, niece, and nephew ask pertinent inquires and observations about Jesus’ life: “Who do you say that I am?”[5], “His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance”[6], “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows”[7]. The hyper-realistic sculpture of Jesus’ body as imprinted on the “Shroud of Turin” affirms a reality of heaven as the Gospel of Matthew reveals: “Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; for you have revealed to the little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.”[8]

As we entered the veiled room, silence pierced our souls. Even the children were astounded. Before us all stood the bartered and assaulted body of our precious Lord. My wife and I were in tears, and my children seemed to have been engulfed by a profound contemplation of the person laid before us. The depiction of Jesus’ scourged body is incredibly detailed as evidence by the “Shroud of Turin”. “The Mystery Man” gave us the evidence and now we had the visual to confirm our experience. Our verdict was in. Jesus died for our sins and his death was as Saint Augustine described: “We become what we love.”

The Holy Face of Jesus reveals Christ’s suffering to the world. His bruises, swollen eyes, and coagulated cranial wounds as inflicted by the crown of thorns are visible for all to see. The left shoulder wound, the pierced right side, the sacral bruising of the back attributed to the lifting and lowering of Christ’s body to draw breath, the visible nail wounds of the wrists (especially the left wrist) causing median nerve injury[9], and the explicit wounds of the feet. These sacred wounds symbolize the sufferings of Jesus no one noticed-the hidden burdens borne in silence out love. All I remember thinking at the moment were the words of Psalm 27: “Your face, Lord, do I seek”[10]yet “I do not recognize your mangled countenance before me. While the world sees my outward struggles, you O Lord know my unseen wounds. So wicked are my sins which brought me here. Lord forgive me, a sinner. O my soul, see what Christ has done for me out of love. Behold the man!”. While the artistic piece “The Mystery Man” is not a venerated image by the faithful (nor are they called to do so), I genuflected and signed myself upon my departure from the image out of reverence.

Consequently, the profound experience of “The Mystery Man” led me to read a few insights about the life of Christ through the writings of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich.[11] In her depictions, she describes with striking details while painting a picture as to how Christ’s body may have been imprinted onto the “Shroud of Turin”. Emmerich thus acclaims vividly:

The Sacred Body of Jesus, with all its wounds, appeared imprinted upon the cloth which covered it, as though He had been pleased to reward their care and their love, and leave them a portrait of Himself through all the veils with which He was enwrapped…Their astonishment increased when, on lifting up the sheet, they saw that all the bands which surrounded the body had remained white as before, and that the upper cloth alone had been marked in this wonderful manner….it was a supernatural portrait, bearing testimony to the Divine creative power ever abiding in the body of Jesus…the name of the town, which is situated in a province near the country of the Three Kings.[12]

The last sentence by Emmerich brought my immediate attention. Upon researching whether Turin had ever had 3 reigning kings[13], I was pleasantly surprised to find that under the custody of Victor Amadeus II (1720-1730), Charles Emmanuel III (1730-1773), and Victor Emmanuel II (1861-1878), “The Shroud Turin” was safely kept. The oddity of such kings are the numbers 2, 3, and 2 which equal 7, a number often seen Biblically as a number of completion. Not to mention the names of the kings: Amadeus (in Latin means “one who loves God”), Emmanuel (in Aramaic means “God with us”), Charles (in Old High German means “a man who is free”), and Victor (in Latin means “one who is victorious”). The names of these kings seem to highlight the theological idea of Christ’s Birth, Death, and Resurrection. Evidently, God is with us and because God loved the world, he gave His one and only Son, who lovingly died on the Cross for the obedient love of the Father and the forgiveness of our sins, who then made us free from Sin by His dolorous death on the Cross, while triumphing victorious over death and resurrecting on the third day. A fellow Emmaus[14] brother conveys this sentiment best by the describing Christ as our source of hope:

Christ pours upon the brokenness of the human heart…the deepest wounds…the ones no eye can see…Christ never ceases to seek [a] lost soul, for where man sees an ending, God sees the beginning of redemption…The Cross was never the end; it was the beginning of salvation…[Through the Cross], hearts would be renewed, wounds would be healed, and countless souls would rediscover the joy that only the living Christ can give. This is the hope that never disappoints, because it is born from the Resurrection…pointing toward the glory of Easter morning.[15]

It is my highest recommendation for the faithful to go and see “The Mystery Man” if able. It will not only increment the belief our Lord Jesus Christ was a real person, but that he suffered a gruesome death on His Crucifixion. Because no one dies for a lie, “The Shroud of Turin” may have been definitive evidence for our Christian ancestors on the truth of Christ’s Resurrection. Many martyrs and saints died believing this truth. Thus, “The Mystery Man” exhibition draws one in mystery, yet leaves one feeling reassured that Jesus did live, died, and resurrected among us. Let us now turn to a beautiful, ancient, and devotional prayer often attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux regarding the reality of one of Jesus’ wounds. Christ is no longer a mystery to us but well-known because of the extreme way He loved us on the Cross. Let us pray:

Most loving Jesus, meek Lamb of God, I, a miserable sinner, salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of Thy Shoulder on which Thou didst bear Thy heavy Cross which so tore Thy flesh and laid bare Thy Bones as to inflict on Thee an anguish greater than any other wound of thy Most Blessed Body. I adore Thee, O Jesus most sorrowful; I praise and glorify Thee, and give Thee thanks for this most sacred and painful Wound, beseeching Thee by that exceeding pain, and by the crushing burden of Thy heavy Cross to be merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me on towards Heaven along the Way of the Cross. Amen. 

[1] This Latin sentence means: “May the Light of Thy Face, O Lord, shine upon us. Stay with us, O Lord”. These words were revealed to the French Carmelite sister, Blessed Maria Pierina de Micheli in 1843 and were imprinted in a medal. The devotion and medal were approved by Pope Pius XII in 1958 for the benefit of the faithful. It depicts the Holy Face of Jesus based on the veil of Veronica which is preserved in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
[2] Saint James the Great: Son of Zebedee and the brother of Saint John the Apostle. He was one of Jesus’ three closest disciples who witnessed the Transfiguration, the raising of Jarius’ daughter, and Christ’s agony in Gethsemane. He was also one of the first Twelve Apostles to be martyred. St. James is considered the patron saint of Spain whose remains are believed to be enshrined at the Cathedral of Santiago of Compostela according to ancient Christian tradition. This shrine has become one of most important pilgrimiage destinations giving rise to the famous Camino de Santiago or the “way of St. James”.
[3] “The Mystery Man” exhibition will run until August 15th and it is located at Florida International University’s Modesto Maidique Campus. Purchase Tickets Here:https://fiutickets.com/themysteryman

[4] PLEASE NOTE: Purchasing tickets for a large group of 10 or more reduces the price of the exhibition drastically. The cost of the exhibition is cheaper during weekdays than on weekends. Exhibition schedule: Mon-Fri 2pm-8 pm (last entry at 7 pm). Sat-Sun 10 am-9 pm (last entry 8 pm).
[5] Matthew 16:15
[6] Isaiah 52:14
[7] Isaiah 53:4
[8] Matthew 11:25
[9] The Shroud of Turin shows what appears to be a wound on the wrist area. As the left hand overlaps the right hand, the thumb from the left hand is not visible on the shroud which suggests an inflicted median nerve injury. If a nail were to pierce the region of the wrist known as the “Destot space”, it can cause intense, burning neuropathic pain, loss of normal finger control, deformity, paralysis, and difficulty extending/flexing certain fingers.
[10] Psalm 27:8
[11] Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) was a German Augustinian religious sister, mystic and stigmatist whose visions of the life and Passion of Christ became widely known through the writings compiled from her experiences, especially “The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”. The writings of this mystic were utilized to create the masterful cinematic film by Mel Gibson called “The Passion of the Christ”.
[12] “The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ” by Blessed Anne Catherine, p. 323
[13] All three kings belong to the Savoy Dynasty and preserved the Shroud of Turin for centuries.
[14] The Catholic Emmaus retreat movement began in 1978 at St. Louis Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Miami. It was developed by lay Catholics as a parish-based retreat experience based on the Gospel story of the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-35).
[15] Excerpt by fellow Emmaus brother Ernesto Velasquez regarding the meaning of “hope”.

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"Thou knowest, O my God, that it is neither from ambition nor the love of glory that I make war on the enemies of Thy name, but in order to strike terror into those that blaspheme it."

-St. Ferdinand III of Castile