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Good morning. I recently visited the Ghost Words exhibition in Cambridge University Library. There you can see a range of manuscripts which hold a hidden secret: under the clearly visible words lie the witness of earlier texts which have been scraped or rubbed away so the parchment could be reused. They come from Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities from the 5th to the 18th century, demonstrating how widespread this recycling practice was. Using new technology, these original, ghostly words have been revealed for the first time in hundreds of years.聽

The most significant text in the exhibition is probably a manuscript from the 8th century which was reused in the 12th century by a monk on the island of Rhodes. Under his Greek Gospel lectionary lies the Gospel of Luke surrounded by words of commentary from the early church. Many of these commentaries had been unknown or lost before this discovery was made. It鈥檚 thought to be the oldest manuscript of this type of text in existence, and it鈥檚 been revealed by the ultra-high tech method of multispectral imaging. A ghostly witness of thoughtful faith from the past revealed many centuries later.聽

At this time in 1933 the Turin Shroud was put on very rare public display at the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Turin. Since the 14th century the shroud has captivated believers and sceptics with its ghostly representation of a crucified man, and it鈥檚 been the object both of veneration and intense scientific scrutiny. Although it seems unlikely to be an image of Christ himself, it still speaks to us today from the distant past, a physical reminder of faith which longs to see and touch the numinous.聽

God of yesterday, today and tomorrow, may we hear your message for today in the whispers of history. Amen.