Pen Teves Notes

SHROUD OF TURIN & RESURRECTION

John believed when he saw the burial cloths of Jesus inside the tomb. The linen cloth used to wrap Jesus’ body was neatly placed, not tossed aside. The face cloth covering His head was not with the linen cloth but was separated. If somebody stole the body, he won’t have the luxury of time to carefully unwrap the body and neatly fold the cloths. The place was teeming with Roman soldiers! Thus, Jesus must have been resurrected.

Two things are worth noting. First, Jesus said He is the “light.” Recent findings indicate that it would take “34 trillion watts of light bursting in 1/40 billionth of a second” for the image of a man to be imprinted in the burial cloth without being burned. Second, He seems to pass through the cloth because, if the body was unwrapped, one would expect distortion of the imprinted image and smearing of bloodstains. The image looks as if the body passed directly through the cloth which coincides to the Gospel’s narrative that He passed through locked doors.

The importance of His resurrection cannot be overemphasized. If He has not been raised from the dead, our Christian faith would be futile and we would still be in sin (1 Cor 15:17). Thus, we should rejoice, be glad, and strengthen our faith because through His resurrection we can hope for everlasting life.

“Lord Jesus, thank you for freeing us from sin and granting us new life in Your grace through Your Resurrection.” Amen

CONFUSING TIME

Lord, You forewarned us that great confusion will spread across the land in the days to come, blurring the line between what is truth and lie. Now, it’s creeping so subtly we hardly notice its hold on us. We become so weak and distracted by the comforts and pleasures of life. Yet, we know You are with us who ask for Your help to give us the wisdom and graces to know the difference. We ardently pray:

“Have compassion on us, O Lord, because we feel weak. Heal us because our bones are in trouble. We cried to You for help, and You healed us. Bless the Lord our soul, and we do not forget all Your benefits who forgive all our sins, and heal all our illnesses” (Psalms 6:2, 30:2, 103:2-3).

We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen

FAITH & HOPE AMIDST DIFFICULTIES

There are times when we feel deeply burdened, when answers seem so far away, and the road ahead appears uncertain and unclear. In such moments of struggle, our hope can feel fragile. Yet it is precisely in these moments, when our strength runs thin, that our faith is called to rise.

Trust in the grace of God. Do not expect instant relief, but believe that no hardship is wasted when we place our trust in Him. Even when circumstances do not change right away, something deeper is being formed within us: patience, endurance, inner strength, and a faith that cannot be taken away. God’s grace often works in ways we do not immediately understand, but quietly protecting, guiding, and preparing us for what lies ahead, if not in this life, then in the life to come.

There may be nights filled with questions, but let them not steal our peace. Morning will always follow. What feels like a storm may, in time, reveal itself as a passage, a path through which God leads us to something greater than we can imagine.

Hold on to hope as an act of trust, even when it flickers. It reminds us that though we may not understand what we are facing, we are never alone in our struggles. God is always beside us when we call upon His holy name. In every difficulty, His grace is present. In every season of waiting, He is at work, making all things right in His perfect time.

“Lord, in our struggles, grant us strength, patience, and unwavering trust in Your grace, knowing You are beside us, guiding us through every difficulty.” Amen

EYE IN THE SKY

What made Nathanael to believe that Jesus is, indeed, the Messiah when Jesus told him that He saw Nathanael under the fig tree when they first meet?

Jews believe that fig tree symbolizes prayer and meditation. In their tradition, "sitting under a fig tree" means prayer and inner meditation to God. Nathanael may have been alone in deep prayer and meditation under a fig tree. So, when Jesus mentioned his “fig tree” private moment, Nathanael would have been wondering what kind of a person who could possibly do this? This divine knowledge made him to realize the Jesus is, indeed, the Messiah that the Old Testament is waiting for.

The narrative teaches us that Jesus sees us even before we seek Him. He knows our hidden thoughts, struggles, prayers, and petition. That’s why Nathanael believe that the One standing before him was not merely an ordinary teacher, but the Son of God who sees our heart in the humblest way. May we have the faith that Nathanael had.

“O Lord Jesus, like Nathanael, help us move from doubt to trust. Increase our faith so we may recognize Your presence in every moment of our life.” Amen

EARTH & MOON

Look at the contrast between earth and moon! Both happen to be in the “goldilocks” or habitable zone. But while the former is teeming with life, the latter is so barren and lifeless. If we look farther, we’re the only one endowed with such kind of luck.

Earth has so much blessing to support life. It has the perfect combination of water, atmosphere, magnetic field, gravity, among others: right distance from the sun, abundant water for life, protective atmosphere, strong magnetic field to shield against solar wind and harmful radiation, right gravity to hold atmosphere and oceans, and a stable sun to give us a steady source of energy.

Is it a “random chance” or a “grand design” by an Intelligent Being that it would be this way? Perhaps, it’s true that we’re given a paradise to live but squander it so badly that we’re now frantically looking for alternative place to transfer in this vast universe.

“Lord, grant us wisdom and love to cherish, protect, and faithfully care for our planet Earth, our common home.” Amen

Two options one can choose after considering the evidence of the Shroud of Turin based on the study of numerous scientists of different disciplines. The first study was conducted in 1898.

OPTION A: The shroud is a forgery done in the middle ages. The forger:
1. Found a man with type AB Jewish blood.
2. Described the exact Roman crucifixion method in the 1st century AD: wrist nailing, flagellation, wound between the 5th and 6th ribs, etc.
3. Figured out how to make a photographic negative, 3D holographic depth, X-ray like internal imaging, a burst of vacuum ultraviolet radiation of 34 trillion watts lasting less that a billionth of a second to produce the image.
4. Applied two chemically different types of a person’s blood, one living and the other dead, in forensically exact locations.
5. Placed real pollens from 50 spring-blooming Jerusalem plants and embedded a Jerusalem dust in the nose, knees, and feet of the man on the shroud.
6. Made the image of two microns deep in the linen as compared with human hair of 70 microns.
7. Knows how DNA works which was discovered in 1869 and the double-helix shape in 1953.
8. Did all of the spectacular achievements hundreds of years before any of modern science can understand until now, let alone, replicate even a single one of those features.

OPTION B. Jesus Christ truly resurrected.

(www.shroud.com by Barrie Schwortz, a Jewish scientific photographer for the 1978 STURP study in 1978.)

GOD IS GOOD

“God is good,” the first crypted message that the CWO Colonel of downed F-15E fighter jet in Iran sent to his military rescuers, said US War Secretary Pete Hegseth on April 6, 2026 press briefing at the White House.

“God is great all the time.”

RESILIENCE

One cannot help but admire our resilience. Yet one thing is worth noting: instead of rising from hardship and tyranny to build better lives, many simply adapt to broken circumstances without addressing the root causes of the problems. Is it because we too easily surrender to a broken culture rather than strive for what is noble and good? Or is it because, when given the chance, we become like those who oppress others in pursuit of wealth and power?

Holy Week this year, 2026, is now drawing to a close. We have reflected on how our Lord suffered for our redemption. Yes, He endured an ignominious death, but on the third day He rose again to conquer evil once and for all. This is the example we are called to imitate. Our primary duty is to become the “best we can be” in all that we do, to confront and eradicate evil, and to do good for the love of God.

THE WAY OF THE CROSS

“He has borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows, and we have taken him for a l***r, and as one struck by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our iniquities and bruised for our sins. On him fell the punishment that brought us salvation, and by his wounds we have been healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5)

“Now it is all over. The work of our Redemption has been accomplished. We are now children of God, because Jesus has died for us and His death has ransomed us.” (14th Station of the Way of the Cross - St. Josemaria Escriva)

WHITE HOUSE MASS & SERVICES

According to recent report, Pres. Donald Trump invited Fr. Frank Mann, a Catholic priest, to celebrate Holy Mass in the White House during the Holy Week for White House staff. It is on Wednesday evening before Good Friday. A separate Christian worship services were also held at the White House with evangelical leaders such as Frank Graham and Paula White.

VICTOR GLOVER

Never be ashamed to declare your faith in God. Don’t compromise your being His follower just to please or not to offend others. For what is bad by telling the truth? “If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26).

Victor Glover, one of the four astronauts of Artemis II is widely known as a practicing Christian and a Catholic. It has been reported that he pray, bring a Bible, and communion cup to be able to take weekly communion while in space. Even at 250 miles above Earth, surrounded by silence and vastness of the universe, he remained faithful in his faith. “If I ascend to heaven, You are there” (Psalm 139).

“Lord, keep our heart always close to You, so that no distance, nor trial, nor darkness may ever separate us from Your love, especially, at this increasingly troubled generation.” Amen

FORTITUDE

O Lord, my bones are weak, and often choose the easy path when faced with adversity. I humbly pray that You grant me the strength to do what is right despite the difficulties before me and whatever cost it may take. Do not let me flee from fear, pain, or trials, but fill my heart with the courage to persevere and the fortitude to remain faithful to You, now and forevermore. Amen.