There was once this king named Abgar of Edessa who was gravely ill. He heard of a man from far away, in Jerusalem, who was able to heal all sorts of sicknesses, raise the dead, and perform miracles. Abgar acknowledged that this man must be the Son of God. He wrote Jesus a letter inviting Him to Edessa, that He may heal him of his sickness, and–knowing He was going to face persecution–offered Him asylum and protection in his own kingdom.
Jesus sent word back to Abgar declining, though promised that after He had completed His mission, He would send one of His Apostles to Edessa to heal him.
This is, of course, taken from traditional and non-Biblical accounts. Supposedly the man sent to Abgar was St. Jude Thaddeus, one of the Twelve. And supposedly, he brought with him a piece of cloth imprinted with the face of Jesus, which he showed to Abgar–who upon seeing the image, was healed as promised. This piece of cloth is believed to be the Shroud of Turin.
Because of this tradition, St. Jude Thaddeus was named the Patron Saint of Lost Causes, the intercessor called upon for seemingly hopeless situations. Moreover, the miracles granted have a nature of coming at the last possible moment. I imagine this all comes from this story: that even after Jesus had died and hope was lost that Abgar would ever be saved, St. Jude pulls through.
Popular depictions of St. Jude reflect this: he is seen with the Holy Spirit’s tongue of fire above his head, setting the time after Pentecost. He has a staff for traveling. And, the image of Jesus around his neck.
And since we’re on the topic of pieces of cloth bearing an imprint of Christ’s face having miraculous, curative properties, today is the Feast Day of St. Veronica. Like St. Jude’s story, hers is not Biblical but traditional. We all know the scene as commemorated during the Stations of the Cross, of her wiping the face of Jesus on His way to Calvary, leaving His image on the fabric.
It is said that St. Veronica took this veil (known as the Volto Santo) to the Roman Emperor Tiberius, curing him of an illness–among many other miracles attested by people encountering it through many centuries. There is speculation whether the veil displayed today in St. Peter’s Basilica is the original, though many still make pilgrimages to view it.
