One Photo: One Story; I see Jesus. Everywhere.

There is a woman in France who claims she saw an image of Jesus in the flames of the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral this month in Paris.

The image of Jesus has been seen in various foods as well. A taco, Cheetos, potato chip, fish stick, pancake, banana peel, orange, pierogi and the very famous grilled cheese Jesus have all been spotted all over the globe.

Is this my Jesus in a taco vision?

I saw this photo on my computer screen from across the room. To my eye, my photo of Bushkill Falls looked like the Shroud Of Turin. The legendary burial clothe of Jesus Christ.Imposed on the cloth is a negative photographic image of a crucified man.

Is it the burial cloth of Christ, the image seared into the fabric at the moment of resurrection?

Is it a medieval creation or a masterpiece formed by the hand of Michelangelo?

Scientists are still debating.

In matters of science vs. religion for this writing, I am viewing this through the lens of Faith.

This weekend we celebrate the Easter Triduum: Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.

In the home I was raised, we were Irish Catholics. We are Irish Catholics. On Good Friday I still take the time to contemplate the passion of Christ especially between the hours of Noon and Three pm. The terrible hours our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for our sins naked and suffering shame.

My Irish grandmother Lily threw in the naked part. My mother and she had a way of making us contemplate the dirty sinners we were and that it was our fault Jesus chose to die on the Cross. The nuns at St. Peter’s drilled that in as well.

Between the hours of Noon and Three pm on Good Friday we had to sit still on the couch and pray that Jesus would forgive us.

There were five of us under the age of nine at the time. We were rambunctious, rowdy, hyper and never good at sitting still.

I hear Lily’s voice still in her Tipperary brogue:

“In the name of the Lord Jesus, who at this very hour is dying on his cross for the terrible sins of the world and that includes the likes of the bunch of you. SIT DOWN and say your prayers that he’ll have mercy on your souls and his mother Mary, who right now has to watch him die, without a stitch of clothing on him…Lord Forgive Us…SIT DOWN”.

We really would try. We Prayed. Yet we are sinners. May the Lord forgive us.

Maybe the photo of Bushkill Falls is just a photo. The Shroud is a masterpiece. Grilled Cheese Jesus is just a sandwich. If these things remind us of God’s love, it’s beautiful. I believe God does show himself and it’s our faith that allows to choose what we see.

It doesn’t matter to me. I’ll still pray that I am forgiven for the sins I’ve committed. I’ll keep trying to be a better person.

Happy Easter. He is Risen.