Good Friday, A.D. 2026 - The Crucifixion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Reading: The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ
according to St. John (18:1-40 and 19:1-42)

Thy Cross, O Lord, we venerate,
and praise and glorify Thy Holy Resurrection;
for behold, by this wood hath joy come into the whole world.

VIDEO: "The Mystery Man": Is this what the crucified Jesus looked like?

Thanks to Agent 17 for pointing us in the direction of a video report on "The Mystery Man", a hyper-realistic model, based on the images on the Shroud of Turin, showing how Jesus Christ may have looked following the Crucifixion.

The Shroud, first mentioned in 1354, has baffled scholars through the ages. Many Christians (and some agnostic scientists and scholars) believe the mysterious relic is the bloodstained burial cloth of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus, after his crucifixion. Others call it an elaborate medieval fake.

The Roman Catholic Church takes no position on the genuiness of the Shroud, but has declared it an object worthy of veneration. (See "Do Catholics really worship images?" WWW, 17/10/22.)

Now, people will be able to make up their own minds. After years of research, experts have designed and created  a realistic sculpture, made of latex, silicon and real human hair, based on the Shroud. Here's the video. He who has eyes, let him see. 

  

The impressive creation went on display in Salamanca Cathedral, Spain, last Thursday. It can be seen there until December, after which it is set to go on a worldwide tour, with exhibitions scheduled on five continents. 

The sculpture weighs 165.3 pounds and is 5'10" long... or tall... and shows all the wounds Jesus suffered, including the wound inflicted on Jesus' side by the Holy Lance, the numerous scratches to his body sustained after Pontius Pilate ordered him to be scourged, and the cuts on Jesus' head and Holy Face caused by the Crown of Thorns which Roman soldiers pressed on his brow.

There are some graphic close-ups circulating on the Internet, which Ed. judges too gruesome to show here -- like watching The Passion of the Christ.

Said Most Rev. Jose Luis Retana, the Bishop of Ciudad Rodrigo y de Salamanca, "This morning in this cathedral we are going to be the protagonists of what seems to be a worldwide success." He highlighted "the great opportunity that this exhibition represents for the faith."

The prelate said that the body of the man in the Holy Shroud can represent "the concretion of God's love that becomes flesh in Jesus Christ who dies like a malefactor with a terrible sacrifice for our salvation. There is no greater love in the world."

Further reading: "Behind 'The Mystery Man' and the Shroud of Turin", The Pillar, 17/18/22.

Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Walt [and Ed.]

wish all our readers

a

HAPPY AND HOLY EASTER

VIDEO: Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

Walt Whiteman, Poor Len Canayen, [and Ed.! Ed.]

wish all our readers a Happy and Holy Easter.

Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

Good Friday

Stabat mater dolorósa

juxta Crucem lacrimósa,

dum pendébat Fílius.

One of Pontius Pilate's rings discovered near Bethlehem

Every now and then, one of my friends, knowing of my belief in the Biblical account of the birth, death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, asks me how I know it's not just a nice fairy tale. I always answer that there is independent proof, in the form of contemporary records and, yes, physical evidence. Archaeological research keeps coming up with things that jibe with the accounts of the Gospels.

One such came to light just recently, when a 2000-year-old copper alloy, unearthed half a century ago, was given a careful cleaning, revealing the inscription, in Greek, "PILATO[U]", meaning "Of Pilate". This refers almost certainly to Pontius Pilate (Pontius Pilatus, in Latin, Πόντιος Πιλάτος in Greek), the fifth prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under the Emperor Tiberius from A.D. 26 to 36. According to the Gospels, Pilate was the one who tried Jesus and found no fault in him, but all the same handed him over to the Jews for crucifixion.

Until now, the only physical, archaeological evidence confirming the existence of Pilate is the Latin inscription found on the so-called "Pilate Stone", a limestone block relating Pilate's tribute to Tiberius. This was found in 1961 as a reused block within a staircase located in a semicircular structure behind the stage house of the Roman theatre at Caesarea, the city that served as Rome's administrative centre in the province of Judaea. Roman governors were based in Caesarea and only visited Jerusalem on special occasions, or in times of unrest. On the stone is a fragment of the dedicatory inscriptions of a building, likely a temple, constructed in honour of the emperor Tiberius. The dedication states that Pilate was "praefectus Iudaeae" -- prefect of Judea.

According to a report published yesterday in the Times of Israel, the ring was first found among hundreds of other artifacts in 1968–1969 excavations at a section of the Herodium -- the palace and burial tomb of King Herod, about three miles southeast of Bethlehem and eight miles south of Jerusalem.

Although the name "Pontius" was common for Romans, the name Pilate was not. "Pilate" is derived from the Latin pilum, referring to a military javelin, and is a Roman cognomen. There is no other evidence of the name in the province of Judaea before or during Pilate's governorship. Thus the historicity of Pontius Pilate is confirmed for a second time by this new(ish) find, as well as the Pilate Stone and contemporary historical sources.

It is beyond doubt that Pilate was the Roman governor of Judaea from A.D. 26-36 A.D. The traditional date for Christ's crucifixion, A.D. 33, fits within this historical period. Christian readers therefore have no reason for concern that the Bible is not true, even from a historical perspective. Time and time again its contents have been confirmed by such archeological discoveries as the Pilate Stone and, now, the ring of the man who caused a notice nailed to the Holy Cross to be inscribed "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum" -- "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews".

Jesus the Christ is risen! Truly He is risen! Alleluia!

The Holy Women at the Tomb, by William-Alphonse Bougereau

Walt Whiteman, Poor Len Canayen

[and Ed.! Ed.]

wish all our Christian readers

Happy and Holy Easter

VIDEO: Science confirms location of Christ's tomb

This is more than a little out of season, but good news is always good news, no matter how long it takes to travel to our corner of the forest.

An article which appeared in National Geographic confirms that the truths of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition can often be proven to the skeptical by the methodologies of modern science. An example of a recent find corroborating an ancient belief is the confirmation by archaeologists that early Roman Christians were correct in the location that they believed to be the tomb of Jesus Christ. The results of scientific tests appear to show that the limestone cave whose remains are enshrined within the venerable Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem was in fact the burial site of Our Lord and Saviour.

Mortar sampled from between the original limestone surface of the tomb and a marble slab that covers it has been dated to around A.D. 345. According to historical accounts, the tomb was discovered by the Romans and enshrined around 326. Until now, however, the earliest architectural evidence found in and around the tomb complex dated to the Crusader period, making it no more than 1000 years old. But new dating results put the original construction of the tomb securely in the time of Constantine the Great (c. 306-337), Rome's first Christian emperor.

When Constantine's representatives arrived in Jerusalem around 325 to locate the tomb, they were allegedly directed to a Roman temple built some 200 years earlier. The Roman temple was razed and excavations beneath it revealed a tomb hewn from a limestone cave. The top of the cave was sheared off to expose the interior of the tomb, and the Aediculum (little house) was built around it. Inside the Aediculum is a long shelf, or "burial bed", which according to tradition was the place where the body of Jesus was laid out following His Crucifixion.

Here's a link to the National Geographic article (26/10/16), from which this video was taken.



Dear Catholic readers, the things we have always believed, on the foundation of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition -- dogmatically the two fonts of the Catholic Faith -- are every day being confirmed by modern science. We have nothing to fear from science. What we must fear, and pray for protection against, are the false teachings of those who would lead us into skepticism, or, worse, non-belief, or, worse yet, heretical denial of that which the Church has always declared to be true.

VIDEO: President Trump wishes everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The official lighting of America's Christmas tree at the White House didn't get much play in the lamestream media, because to have given the ceremony time and space would be to have admitted that President Trump did a Good Thing. Not only that, but he used the politically incorrect greeting "Merry Christmas", and even went so far as to say that the holiday commemorates the birth of "Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ".



This video was posted on YouTube by our friends at The Remnant, with this comment: During the annual lighting of the White House Christmas tree this year, President Donald Trump made good on his promise to bring "Merry Christmas" back to America. He then doubled down by referring the Jesus Christ as "God" and "Our Lord and Savior". As the economy continues to soar and Hilary continues to sour, it's pretty difficult not to be a little hopeful this Advent. At the very least, we can all agree that our situation as Catholic Americans could be a lot worse this Christmas. Thanks, Mr. President. Merry Christmas indeed!

VIDEO: "How can we keep the Faith?", Michael Matt opens Catholic Identity Conference

Kicking off last weekend's Catholic Identity Conference 2017, MC Michael J. Matt spoke of the present crisis in the Church as one without precedent. He explained why it is worse than the Arian crisis, and how the modern Church has brought this on by reneging on her own claim to be the sole means of salvation. Mr Matt then introduced His Excellency Bishop Athanasius Schneider, this year's CIC honoured guest speaker.



The address by Bishop Schneider and all the talks from the CIC are available on demand at RemnantNewspaper.com. Tell 'em Walt sent you.

Happy Easter to our readers

Christ is risen

Truly He is risen

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Walt [and Ed.]

wish all our readers

a

HAPPY AND HOLY EASTER

Good Friday: The Crucifixion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Reading: The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ
according to St. John (18:1-40 and 19:1-42)

Thy Cross, O Lord, we venerate,
and praise and glorify Thy Holy Resurrection;
for behold, by this wood hath joy come into the whole world.

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

Truly, He is risen! Alleluia!

Happy Easter

to all our Christian readers

from

Walt, Poor Len [and Ed.! Ed.]

We wish you a Happy Easter

Christ is risen!

Indeed, He has risen!

Walt, Poor Len [and Ed. Ed.]

wish all our readers

a Happy Easter

St. James the Greater, "Slayer of the Moors"

July 25th is celebrated in the Universal Church as the Feast Day of Saint James the Greater, Apostle. At least one of Walt's agents was named after St. James, so, for those who don't know, an introduction of the saint follows, along with a few words about why he is known in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries as "Santiago Matamoros" -- Saint James the Moor-slayer.

Walt has had the privilege of visiting the shrine at Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia (northwestern Spain), which honours James the brother of John. The Gospels (Matthew 4:21-22; Mark 1:19-20; Luke 5:10-11) tell us the two were fishermen, the sons of Zebedee, partners with Simon Peter. Jesus called them from mending their nets beside the sea of Galilee at the beginning of His ministry. James, the son of Zebedee, is called "the Greater" to distinguish him from the St. James the Lesser, another of the twelve Apostles, who was apparently shorter. No kidding. Source: the Catholic Encyclopedia.

The Catholic Encyclopedia also tells us that Our Lord nicknamed James and John "the sons of thunder", because they were burning and impetuous in their evangelical zeal and severe in temper. (Mark 3:17) The two brothers showed their fiery temperament against "a certain man casting out devils" in the name of the Christ. John, answering, said: "We [James is probably meant] forbade him, because he followeth not with us" (Luke 9:49). When the Samaritans refused to receive Christ, James and John said, "Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them?" (Luke 9:54; cf. 9:49).

In Matthew 20:21-23 it is recorded that Salome, the brothers' mother, asked Jesus "that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left, in thy kingdom." Our Lord replied "You know not what you ask. Can you drink the chalice that I shall drink?" The brothers, not knowing the deeper meaning of the words, said they could. And Jesus told them that indeed they would do so.

According to Tradition, St. James the Greater preached Christianity in Spain sometime between the Ascension and his return to Judaea and martyrdom in A.D. 44. At that year's Passover, Herod Agrippa I (grandson of Herod the Great) "killed James, the brother of John, with the sword." He was the first of the Apostles to be martyred, "seeing that it pleased the Jews". (Acts 12:1-3)

The saint's followers are believed to have carried his body to the coast and put it into a stone boat, which was carried by Holy Angels and the wind beyond the Pillars of Hercules (the straits of Gibraltar), to land near Padrón, on the Atlantic coast of northern Spain. The local queen, Lupa, provided the team of oxen used to draw the body from Padrón to the site of the marble tomb, a little way inland, which she had also provided. James was believed to have been buried with two of his own disciples, Athanasius and Theodore. The site of his tomb was forgotten for some eight centuries.

Early in the 9th century, a hermit, Pelayo, was led by a vision to the spot. The tomb was rediscovered, and the relics authenticated by the local bishop as those of St. James. To protect the sacred relics from the invading Norman French, they were moved to Compostela -- "field of stars" -- which became one of the three greatest places of pilgrimage in the world, the other two being Rome and Jerusalem.

Now we come to the "Matamoros" part. At the time the tomb of St. James was found and his relics moved, Spain sorely needed a champion to inspire Christians against the invading Moors. "Moors" -- the Arabian Muslims inhabiting the northern coast of Africa, including present-day Morocco. Think Moor-occo! Thus the rediscovery came at a most propitious moment.

Legend has it that St. James -– Santiago -– appeared to Christian troops during the Battle of Clavijo in 844. Inspired by the vision of the saint, the Spanish Christians defeated a much bigger army of Muslims. Conflict between Christians and Muslims raged in the Iberian peninsula for the next six-and-a-half centuries, until 1492, and Santiago was recognized and adopted as the divine leader of the Christian forces. He was given the name Matamoros, "Slayer of Moors" i.e. killer of Muslims.

Santiago subsequently became the patron saint of Spain. "Santiago y cierra, España!" -- "St. James and attack, for Spain!" -- became the battle cry of Spanish armies as they slowly recovered the Iberian peninsula from its Muslim rulers. The cry persisted into modern times and was frequently used as a nationalistic slogan during the Spanish Civil War and in the Franco era that followed.

Today, such sentiments are politically incorrect. Pope Francis tells us the Muslims are our friends, we all worship the same God and whether you're Christian or Jewish or Muslim doesn't really matter. Of course that's heresy, but that's the nub of the false ecumenism which the Vatican keeps preaching at us. Meanwhile, the Muslims have reinvaded not just Iberia, but all of Europe. Walt recommends a prayerful visit to Santiago de Compostela.

Holy Thursday

Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke: and gave to his disciples, and said: Take ye, and eat. This is my body.
And taking the chalice, he gave thanks, and gave to them, saying: Drink ye all of this.
For this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins.

"For many", not "for all". That's what Our Lord said to his disciples. To learn what you must do to be among the "many", ask a traditional Catholic priest, who preaches and teaches the Faith of our fathers. If you don't know where to find a good priest, write to us and we will try to help.

Spy Wednesday

We are now in the middle of Holy Week, the commemoration by Holy Mother Church of the betrayal, Passion and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today is Great and Holy Wednesday, also known as "Spy Wednesday", in remembrance of Judas Iscariot's acceptance of thirty pieces of silver to act as a spy for the Sanhedrin -- the religious court of the Jews.

And Satan entered into Judas, who was surnamed Iscariot, one of the twelve:
and he went and discoursed with the chief priests and the magistrates,
how he might betray Him to them.
And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money: and he promised.
And he sought opportunity to betray Him, in the absence of the multitude.

St. Luke 22:3-6

In return for the tainted money, Judas gave the Jews information that enabled them to arrest Jesus, after He had been identified by Judas' kiss of death. Later, Judas committed suicide.

You will find a good depiction of these events in The Passion of the Christ, the historically and Biblically accurate account of Jesus' betrayal, suffering and Crucifixion, directed by Mel Gibson. Recommended as a penance on Good Friday.

PHOTO GALLERY: The Holy Land in the 19th century

Next week is Holy Week, the prelude to the most important date in the Christian calendar -- Easter Sunday.

When we think of the Holy Land now, we get images in our mind of a crowded, dangerous, strife-torn place, not the kind of place you'd go to contemplate the events and mysteries of the Faith. So it is today, and it has been so in the past, but not always. Thanks to Agent 6 for sending us the link to "Gorgeous Pictures Of The Holy Land From 120 Years Ago"

Presented by the Business Insider website, this is a gallery of hand-coloured picture postcards from Palestine, Lebanon, Samaria and that region, which looked much the same in the late 19th century as they did in the time when Our Lord Jesus Christ walked among us. As you look at the pictures, let your mind dwell on thoughts of peace.

Aggressive secularism trumps Christianity in Ohio

Portraits of Our Lord Jesus Christ similar to this one are to be found in thousands, perhaps millions of homes and churches around the world. And in some schools too. One such used to hang in Jackson (Ohio) Middle School from 1947 until... this Easter.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation devoted to attacking all religions and all displays of religious faith, got a student and two parents to bring a lawsuit against Jackson City Schools, demanding removal of the "offending" painting, which they called "an unconstitutional endorsement of Christianity". The militant secularists were supported by... wait for it... The American Civil Liberties Union.

Jackson City Schools at first resisted the challenge, saying that the portrait of Jesus was private student speech displayed in a "limited public forum" and was not school-endorsed "governmental speech."

But, at a hearing in the US District Court yesterday, the school board threw in the towel, and agreed to remove the painting. Although they said they believe in the school's right to keep the painting up, they simply can't afford to fight the court battle, nor can they pay for insurance against costs which might be awarded against them.

Today's report from the Columbus Dispatch quotes a statement from Superintendent Phil Howard saying that "our insurance company denied coverage, and we cannot risk taxpayer money at this time."

The painting has now been removed from its place of honour, and placed in a storeroom -- out of sight and, sadly, out of mind.

Easter Greeting

Christ is risen

Truly He is risen

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Walt [and Ed.]

wish all our readers

a

HAPPY AND HOLY EASTER