VERONICA’S VEIL

The crowd was growing wilder with screams of crucifixion, curses, and hatred flying through the air. She had maintained a safe distance until now, but she had to see him. She had to. Her life had changed because of the teacher from Nazareth, and so she pushed through the crowd. She darted around some men who had paused, and found herself near the street. He was only a few feet away now, and he would soon pass right in front of her. Her heart almost stopped as she saw him. This was no man trudging slowly up the hill to Calvary, this was a massive open wound! From head to toe his flesh was torn, blood and flesh, both dried and flowing, covered his clothing. A cap of thorns adorned his head, put there by someone to mock him. Suddenly, she jumped as the man next to her threw a rock at Jesus. As it struck him, he stumbled and collapsed to the ground under the heavy cross. Man and wood crashing against the cobbled stones! This was her chance, and she lurched forward to the ground in front of him, sliding her veil from her hair as she did. Looking up into his face, she saw tears in those sacred eyes, and she saw the reproach of men, a man of sorrows. She saw her redemption. She raised her veil towards him, and he achingly wiped his face covered with blood, sweat, dust, and spittle.
She was wrenched away from him in an instant by a soldier, and flung back into the raging sea of people. Clutching her veil tightly against her chest, she turned and pushed through the throng until she was alone. Then she sank to the ground trembling from the impact of what she had done, and from what she had felt when he looked into her eyes. Opening her clenched hands, she looked at her veil which she had wiped his face with, and she gasped. Upon the cloth, miraculously, was the image of his face. Tears sprung from her eyes and the world around her disappeared. Then slowly, very slowly, she bent her head and kissed her Savior’s cheek………

I just took quite a bit of liberty in writing my meditation of the scene with this pious woman and Jesus’ walk to Mount Calvary, but the rest of the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection is forever written on the souls of the human race. But who was this woman? This woman who braved the riot incited horde intent on the crucifixion of the man from Galilee. For there is no mention of her or this story in the Bible, it is only through tradition and the apocryphal “Acts of Pilate” that the story of this pious woman, her act of compassion, and the miraculous image of Jesus’ face upon her veil, have reached through the centuries until now. In his writings, Pilate associates this woman as being the same woman mentioned in the New Testament with the flow of blood who was cured by touching the hem of Jesus’ cloak. The name she is given is Veronica, which is a mixture of Greek and Latin for “Vera Icona” or “true image”. So it is not for sure if it was actually her name. She was supposedly around 50 years of age when this happened, and a woman of position. Tradition continues to say, that the veil must have been the object of veneration and was the initiate of some extraordinary effects. It is related that the ailing Emperor Tiberius had heard of it, and had invited Veronica to Rome. Legend has it that he was cured of his sickness after looking upon the face of Jesus.
Veronica is traditionally said to have lived in Rome at the same time as St. Peter and St. Paul, and eventually bequeathed the veil to St. Clement, St. Peter’s third successor as Pope. Veronica’s Veil is to this day kept at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The veil stays in a small chapel that is constructed in one of the four pillars that support the cupola of St. Peter’s. There is a huge statue of St. Veronica in front of the pillar measuring 16 feet tall.
Veronica’s veil is protected by a crystal and gilt frame within the chapel, and carefully guarded against deterioration or vandalism. It is, however, displayed on “Veronica’s pier,” or the balcony above her statue. This happens the four days of Holy Week, and Easter Sunday through the Monday of Pentecost.
The veil is mentioned in medieval texts by the Bollandists, in an old church missal that has a Mass, “DE S. Veronica seu Vultus Domini”. Matthew of Westminster speaks of the imprint of the image of the Savior which is called Veronica, in “Effigies Domenici vultus quae Veronica nuncupatur”. The veil is even mentioned in Dante’s, The Divine Comedy,Paradise, XXXI, 104, and in the Vita Nuova,40,1(Catholic Encyclopedia).
For me, Veronica’s veil has been one of my most favorite devotions in my Catholic faith. The image of our Lord’s countenance wounded for my sins reminds me of his great gift of salvation to me, and gives me hope. When I saw Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion, it shook me to the core. It made me realize even more how much torture and suffering Jesus went through for me, and that it was, indeed, sin that nailed him to the cross! I was really pleased when the movie showed Veronica wiping his face, and then to see his image appear on the veil.

Through out the centuries some have questioned the validity of Veronica’s Veil. However, for me, it is real if for no other reason than the pious contemplation of the face of the one who died for me.


Works Cited

Catholic Encyclopedia. St. Veronica. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15362a.htm>
Jubilee Part II, St. Peter’s. <http://www.adoremus.org/0500-St.Peter's.html>
Veronica’s Veil. <http://www.catholictradition.org/veronica.htm>