Friday, April 19, 2019

The Crown of Thorns

Like nearly everyone I was shocked when half of Notre Dame burned. I was grateful for the fire fighters who saved what they could. What may have not received sufficient notice is that the original crown of thorns worn by Jesus on the cross was saved by a priest, Jean-Marc Fornier. He ran into the fire and carried out the sacred relic.

Why should this matter? For one thing, the crown, perhaps because of its associations, has great monetary value. (It has been sold more than once in the last 1600 years.)  More important, the thorns in the crown pierced the skin of the Lamb, creating bloody scalp wounds. Dried blood on the thorns,  examined by scientists, can provide us with a DNA analysis of Jesus and genetic information about His Parents.

No comments: