The second episode of Mysteries of the Faith focuses on the testimonies of people in Manoppello, Italy, and the importance of religious relics. The importance of the face of Jesus and the Holy Grail has been highlighted. The different theories associated with the Holy Grail discussed by various historians have been brought out in the mini-docu-series. The grace of God bestowed upon the people through the various relics and how the miracles have affected the lives of many have been explored. Streaming on Netflix, the series will appeal to believers in faith and end with the message of the importance of preserving the old relics that have a direct connection with the Lord himself. Will the real placement of the Holy Grail be revealed to the world through the episode? Let us find out!
Spoilers Ahead
How Did The Holy Face Protect Rocco Rulli’s Family?
Rocco Rulli, who has been a resident of Manoppello, Italy, for more than 67 years, has testified to the miracles of the Holy Face. It could have just been a manifestation of his belief, or certain truths could be associated with the miracles. He stated that his father used to work in Piazza Marcinelle in the 1950s, when many people from Manoppello went to work in mines, including his father. He was a staunch devotee of the Holy Face and had not gone to work one day due to his illness. That day, there was a fire at the coal mine, injuring and killing 260 miners. He thought that his father’s life had been saved through divine intervention. He also said that he himself had also been saved 46 years ago, when he was working in the military. He was in a unit that had sent him out on a mission, and there was an airstrike on their way back, resulting in them leaving the next morning. This had helped him dodge a tragic earthquake, saving his life, while his military friends had been stuck under rubble. He believed that the Holy Face had caused the air strike, compelling him to go back to Manoppello, hence saving his life. He was also grateful to the Holy Face, as he believed that his daughter, who faced a hemorrhage at the age of 23, had been saved through an intervention of the divine spirit.
What Were The Opinions Of The Believers?
As per Dr. Emma Southon, a historian, the relics are miracle workers that have been functional since the very beginning of Christianity. It has the ability to cure and protect people and has a direct connection with God. The narrative of the story sheds light on bits and pieces of biblical stories. The greatest miracle was said to have occurred in 33 AD, when Jesus’s body was gone for 2 days after being laid to rest in the tomb. Father Antonio Gentili said when the holy spirit had arrived, it emanated a bright light, and an image of the Lord was left imprinted on the cloth, causing the formation of the Holy Face. He talks of the legend of the arrival of the Holy Face in Manoppello, and the story goes back to 1506, when a mysterious pilgrim arrived with a parcel. He wanted to talk personally with the town physician, Dr. Leonelli. He handed him the parcel and left, which was the veil of Jesus in which the face was imprinted. Jason Horowitz, the Rome correspondent for The New York Times, said that the veil was a symbol of devotion. For the past 4 centuries, the veil was protected by Manoppello’s order of Capuchin friars. Another believer, Gabriel, said that the non-believers mocked them and their direct belief in God.
What Was The History Of The Holy Grail?
The relics are believed to be miraculous, and the holy chalice or grail is the most important of them all as it supposedly grants eternal youth.This had caused the Holy Grail to become the ultimate object of desire and was hunted for centuries. The story of the Holy Grail began in the upper room of a house in Jerusalem, where Jesus’ disciples gathered for a meal. While eating, Jesus declared that they would be betrayed by someone and that he would be killed. He then filled a cup with blood, said that it was his blood, and divided it among his disciples. There was a high search for the Holy Grail in the Middle Ages. King Arthur had sent his knights in search of the Holy Grail, which was considered to be a mystical cup with miraculous powers. Dr. Nicola Denzey Lewis was of the opinion that the Holy Grail was miraculous enough to grant one eternal life, making one young again. There were, however, three women who all gave three different theories on the existence of the Grail.
What Were The Theories About The Grail?
The theory of Dr. Ana Mafe Garcia spins around the story of Saint Lorenzo and the grail. Father Lorenzo had grown up in Loreto, the monastery, and then he left Huesca in 257 AD and went to Rome. He had gone there to become the custodian of the Holy Grail. During that time, Christianity was outlawed, so priests celebrated mass secretly. By 258 AD, Rome went bankrupt, and the emperor, Valerian, needed money. The emperor savagely persecuted all the Christians and went towards the city to plunder treasures. Lorenzo hid the grail in order to save it and sent it to his family in Huesca, Spain. Lorenzo is later burned to death by the emperor for trying to hide the grail, but it is kept safe. Ana says that the Chalice is made of stone called Sardius, which comes from Judea, which is the house of David. So therefore, we believe that the cup that Jesus had was in the Valencia Cathedral.
The second theory is that of Margarita, who believes that the grail is in the Royal Palace of San Isidoro. They had sent an apprentice to Cairo, Egypt, in Al-Azhar, which is an important Muslim historical institution consisting of chronicles and documents. A parchment was found in Cairo that said there was a famine in Egypt in the mid-11th century, and the Caliph of Egypt had asked for help and received an answer from King Denia in Spain. He had sent food to Egypt to help them, and the Egyptian king, in return, said that he would give his valuable treasures. The King of Denia demanded the most precious gift in order to make peace with the Christian King of Leon, Ferdinand, by offering it to him. The Chalice was given to him as a gift, and Ferdinand then passed it down to his daughter Urraca. Therefore, the Chalice is also known as ‘the Chalice of Urraca’. Margarita believed that the actual holy grail was the one that was owned by Urraca.
The third theory is that of Dr. Catalina Lloris in Jaca, Northern Spain. She stated that the San Juan de La Pena Monastery has been home to a community of benedictine monks for 1000 years. She opposed the views of Margarita because of the document from 1322. This document was a request from King James II of Spain to the Sultan of Cairo. It claimed that the chalice did not arrive in Leon on the dates mentioned by Margarita and was still in Cairo during that time. She claims that the grail was sent to Spain by the Sultan of Cairo about 300 years later. It is stated that in 1416, King Alfonso relocated his court to the Royal Palace of Valencia and, after some years, took a loan from the Valencia Cathedral to finance campaigns carried out in Italy. He left the Holy Chalice as a guarantee in the cathedral. He, however, could never repay the loans, and the grail remained in the cathedral from 1437 to the present.
Final Thoughts
There are many people who have different opinions about religious relics, but it is up to us as to what we are going to believe. The mini-docu series has beautifully presented the different points of view of the historians and leaves it to us to decide which theory we will believe. The sequence of events has been depicted beautifully with the aid of pictorial depictions of biblical stories. The different theories placed by the historians have also been depicted in the form of beautiful storytelling in the series. The series is replete with religious elements, making it a must-watch for believers in religion.
