Reveling in the Divine
I have been a student of The Shroud more than half my life.
It was 1978 and I found myself with a strong desire to visit the Shroud of Turin. I had first read about it when I was 26 in the August, 1971 issue of Esquire magazine.
There was an exposition in 1978 that I was unable to attend. I was living in the Chicago area and experiencing a life transition.
When in 1998 I saw a photo of Jesus’ face and read about it in an article in the Sun-Sentinel, I immediately called my travel agent. I booked a trip to Italy in April of that year.
What made you decide to finally realize your lifelong dream?
I believed from the very beginning it was the real burial cloth. Twenty years later I was able to afford the trip to Milan, Italy (Turin) to see it. I couldn’t in 1978.
What were the specific obstacles that you faced?
I wasn’t turned off by what someone thought or said to me. I made my decision years ago and was determined to see the Shroud of Turin.
How did you feel when you finally accomplished your lifelong dream?
To look at the face and crucified body of Jesus was a religious and emotional experience.
I took a photo with my camera with help from above. When I was taking the camera out, it didn’t go up to my eye so that I could focus the image and level it off. As I raised it, before I got it up to my eye, the flash went off.
As God is my witness, I had no intention of taking a picture. Despite my fingers being nowhere near the shutter, the camera had taken a picture of the Shroud of Turin. To this day I am certain there were other forces at work. That photo is now one of a few in the world.
What advice would you give to others contemplating finally living their dream?
If they want to do something bad enough, go for it. The opportunity may not come up again and you will be kicking yourself the rest of your life. If it’s something really important in your life that you want to do, and it’s not going to hurt anybody, go for it.
To read more about Reecy Aresty’s story, visit this site.
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