“St
Veronica”
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This
sermon was preached Reading: Mark
15:16-39 |
St Veronica
This evening we look at the last of our “Personalities of the Passion”
–
and I want to reflect briefly on the figure of St Veronica.
But first something by way of an
update on the sermon two weeks ago on Judas.
Judas has suddenly become hot news this week, with
the publication of a recently translated “Gospel of Judas” which tells a very
different view of Judas – as the close confidant of Jesus who did Christ’s
bidding in handing him over to the authorities.
The media, bless them, in
the wake of the Da Vinci code, have sought to portray
this work as a bombshell threatening to undermine the Church and Scripture.
It does sound like a valuable document, but not an
earth-shattering one.
A few brief comments on the new Gospel –
(1)
It
does seem to be genuine – the actual scroll is dated to the 4th
Century and the original can be safely dated in the 2nd Century.
(2)
It
is actually one of 20 or more apocryphal Gospels written around this time –
including the Gospel of St Thomas and the Gospel of St Peter.
(3)
Some
of these Gospels contain fascinating and helpful insights – but when the Canon
of Scripture (the books included in the Bible) came to be agreed, all were
excluded. This was partly because they
were written later than the 4 Canonical Gospels, partly because many were
written within sects outside the mainstream of the Christian Church.
(4)
The
Gospel of Judas appears to be one of a number of Gnostic Gospels – Gnostics
tended to believe that the material world was evil and that you needed to
escape into the spiritual world of wisdom and spiritual knowledge, gnosis. This was counter to the orthodox
Church’s teaching based on the Canonical Gospels. Gnositic Gospels teneded to see one Disciple – in this case Judas – as the
one who was entrusted with true wisdom.
This of course was apart from anything else a way of explaining why the
rest of the Church rejected Gnostic teaching – they others doid
not have the wisdom given only to the enlightened.
So overall, we may not need to get too excited
about the Gospel of Judas – though we should always be open to the way in which
we may find truth and understanding outside as well as inside the NT Gospels.
Which brings us back to St Veronica.
If you go
to a Roman Catholic Church this week to a service of the Stations of the Cross,
you will be told of 14 events on Christ’s journey to the cross.
One of
these events is “St Veronica wipes the face of Jesus with her handkerchief”
There is no
reference to Veronica in the four NT Gospels – so what are we to make of this
tradition?
Well in a
word, the vast majority of scholars are agreed that Veronica did not
exist.
Which you
might feel should be the end of a short sermon.
But of course – whilst preaching is rightly grounded in Scripture (and
this week in the story of the journey to the cross), we do seek in many ways to
draw on tradition, the insights of those who have reflected on scripture.
Those
insights may take the form of theological reflection or topical sermons which
seek to draw out the meaning of scripture for today.
They may
also take the form of imaginative retelling or embellishing of the Bible Story.
And if
you have ever sung “Away in a Manger” or “In the Bleak Midwinter” you will
understand about the way artists can embellish the Biblical story, which of
course contains neither lowing cattle or freezing
snow…
The
question is – Do we go too far if we make the non-existent St Veronica the
basis of our reflection?
Jesus himself
of course told stories about (as far as we are aware) fictional characters –
Good Samaritans and prodigal Sons – as the basis of theological reflection.
So maybe
we may do the same?
As long
as we recognize what we are doing – and see the traditional embellishments as
tools to help bring alive the Gospel story – then I guess we are OK.
So what
is the story behind this elusive lady?
Well, in
the world of the early Church there were circulating a number of likenesses or
portraits of Christ, which were treated with veneration in different Churches.
But one
image in particular was believed to have come from the Holy Land and to have
particular authenticity. To
distinguish it from the others it became known as the Vera Icon (The True
Image).
In time Vera
Icon became corrupted to Veronica.
From then
it was just a matter of time before the sacred image of Christ connected with
the name Veronica developed a legend about it – of a lady called Veronica who
had mopped the brow of Christ on the way to the cross and received a miraculous
imprint of his face on the cloth she used – the cloth which she then took to
Rome to be venerated by the Church - the Vera Icon, the Veronica, the true
image of our Lord.
This is not
a part of the historical Scriptural record – but maybe food for reflection this
Passiontide.
Christ
walked the way of the cross and stumbled and fell and wept and perspired –
he was alongside us in our need and suffering.
And if you are struggling or suffering, here is the good news –
Christ has come to share your trials and tribulations and to see you safe home.
And here
is the challenge.
Our Lord
took a bowl and towel and washed the feet of his followers.
We are called to follow in his footsteps
Whether
or not St Veronica existed,
you and I exist
and we are called to wipe the brow of our sisters and brothers who stumble on
life’s path.
We are
called to go out and search for those in need, to lift the fallen,
to care for them and to wipe their brow, -
for there is something of God in each of them –
in serving them we serve Christ.
As Christ
said, “Insomuch as you do it unto one of these my brothers, you do it unto me”
So in
Holy Week of all weeks we affirm that the age of miracles is not over.
And –
When we
wipe the brow of the needy, we see the face of Christ