Shrouded in Mystery

Hello:

An insidious mixture of returning to the real world, jet lag and laziness has prevented me from posting to this BLOG in the past few days. It's even odder than it sounds, since I wrote several posts worth of material while I was on the road. The last post I made before leaving on my trip was Did I Mention my new House had Bird Flu?, in which I implied that there might be some serious partying with Apollo Ohno and Bode Miller at the Olympics. I might have also implied a certain intent to execute a heist of the Shroud of Turin. Well, now that I'm back (and perhaps on the advice of council) I can only say "No comment". I'm not saying that I did party with Bode and Apollo. I'm also not saying that I didn't. Let's just say that it doesn't take a very careful examination of the official record to see that our boys weren't performing at their peak while I was in town. What can I say? Some people (perhaps from St. Louis) can hold their absinthe better than others. When La Fee Verte (the Green Fairy) enters an event, anyone can find themselves sitting on the ice. As to the Shroud? I think it is best if we all just assume that it is still safely in it's vault at the shrine. When they next display it in 2025, I'll be as surprised as anyone if there is a Liguori Publications sweatshirt in it's place. Note to self - write BLOG post about things that seemed like a good idea at the time that might be regretted later...

In all seriousness - I did make it down to the Shrine of the Shroud. Let me be upfront and say that I have no reason to believe that the Shroud is actually the grave linen of Christ. Whether 'only' a focus of faith to millions or 'merely' an incredibly sophisticated photographic ruse constructed from the most primitive of resources or similarly complex method; it has been many things to many people and regardless of what it is, it is still fascinating.


It was interesting how easy it was to see the Shrine of the Shroud. No lines, no security, no admission. Waltz right in, take as many pictures as you like. No flash photography - gratzi. The church is beautiful in a sort of unremarkable way. By which I mean that there is so much fantastic architecture in Torino, that sometimes something less than grand becomes magnificent.

I'm not happy with the way this post has evolved. I've been writing it throughout the course of the day and the tenor of it has changed several times. I suppose that I should just be happy that I'm getting some of this material posted. I have so many stories that I'm dying
to share. So many photos too. I think I am going to have to sign up with FLICKR or some other service. I have too many that I want to share. Time for me to head off to bed, but I'm going to shift to a more serious tone before I go by suggesting Into Your Hands: Meditations and Prayers on the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ Edited by Norman J. Muckerman, C.Ss.R. As we move closer to the Lenten season and with talk about the Shroud, this title practically suggested itsself.





Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass