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When Seeing is Believing

This past Saturday afternoon, I finally took a trip to Mercy Hospital to see what all the hoopla was about. I was reluctant to visit the site of the likeness of the Virgin Mary, as others had arrived there before me and snapped their own photos. And a picture is, after all, a picture, right?

The likeness, which appears on a second floor window over at building 300, has been reported on local news, Boston news, and the national media. I had seen photos of the window myself a couple of times, but to be honest, I was largely unimpressed with what I saw. The “image” appeared to me to be some manner of natural environmental contamination as a result of a seal break in the double-paned window, which somehow created the stained, streaked artifact that we see today.

Above is a close-up view of the window, showing water steaks. I’m not sure what specifically happened to create the image artifact itself, but I feel certain it was from natural causes. This Republican story tells of one possible explanation.

What I do not believe is that the artifact is a sign from God or an apparition of the Virgin Mary herself. First of all, if it was a message from Above, it would have been more convincing if it had materialized on a larger surface and in a more pristine environment. It’s telling that the image materialized in the window of a vacant office currently being renovated, which may not be heated or maintained at the same level as inhabited offices. And then there is, of course, the seal break in the windowpane.

The artifact is also rather vague in appearance (see above). One thing I noticed from the photos I took: The closer (more zoomed in) the photographs, the more difficult it was to make out a likeness of the Virgin Mary. This is similar to what happened with the Face on Mars, when higher resolution images of the alleged face revealed a far less exciting eroded plateau.

But whether it is a religious vision, intelligent alien life, or some other heart-felt conviction, true believers are unlikely to be swayed by any explanation offered that discards their own conclusions. Only those determinations that confirm their own beliefs will be accepted. So it is unlikely that the mystery of the apparition at Mercy Hospital will, in the end, be resolved to anyone’s satisfaction. Even if engineers conclude the streaks are merely due to natural, environmental conditions, there will still be those who insist that this conclusion still does not explain the formation of the shape itself. Faith and conviction rarely lose out to science on such matters.

But perhaps in some instances, common sense should win out over wishful thinking. Sister Margaret McCleary is quoted in this Republican article: “I am a photographer, and I know about the illusions which light and shadows can cause [...]”

Others should look to such phenomena with an equally critical eye.

It would be nice to discover a true sign that would show us the way to peace and redemption. We need such confirmations of our faith. But in our longing for such signs, we should be mindful of the fact that nature can be deceptive. We should be aware not only of false Gods, but also of false images.

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(click on image to enlarge)

(click on image to enlarge)

A One-Minute Video Taken at the Scene

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Posted by Bill Dusty on Oct 6th, 2008 and filed under Feature Stories, Opinion, Society, Videos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.