Bishop Slawomir Szkredka discussed on Apr. 1 the significance of Jesus’ burial veil as described in John’s Gospel account of the Resurrection. The article examines why John, known as the Beloved Disciple, believed in Christ’s resurrection after seeing the linen wrappings and a separate face cloth inside the empty tomb.
The topic is important for understanding how biblical symbols and traditions inform Christian beliefs about resurrection and divine mercy. The narrative highlights that when Peter and John arrived at Jesus’ tomb, they found it orderly, with linen wrappings left behind and a face cloth (soudarion) rolled up separately. This detail led John to believe that Christ had risen.
Szkredka notes that commentators see significance in the placement of these funerary vestments, suggesting it points away from grave robbery and toward a deeper spiritual meaning. He writes: “There is no sign of haste and disorder, which would typically indicate a robbery.”
The article connects this scene to Old Testament traditions by explaining that the word soudarion appears as sudara in Aramaic translations describing Moses’ veil after he spoke with God. Szkredka suggests that early readers would have recognized this connection: “Gospel readers familiar with the Aramaic tradition would have made the connection between the experience of John in the tomb and the veil of Moses.” He also references St. Paul’s comparison between Moses’ veiled face hiding fading glory and Christians reflecting God’s glory without a veil.
Szkredka further draws on insights from St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, whose image of Divine Mercy depicts Jesus bringing light into darkness after his resurrection. He writes: “This risen body — healed and transposed into… immortal glory — is a proof of God’s mercy.” In Faustina’s diary, she describes Jesus saying: “My gaze from this image is like My gaze from the cross.”
In conclusion, Szkredka reflects on how John’s encounter at Christ’s tomb represents not only recognition but also belief brought about by witnessing God’s unveiled mercy through resurrection.
