Meeting Veronica
The Legend That Isn’t Scripture
An Imaginary Friend Who Might Not Be Good for You
Today I want to introduce you to an imaginary friend. But not the kind you had as a child—the invisible companion who joined you for tea parties or sat beside you in the car. No, this imaginary friend is far more dangerous because millions of people believe she’s real. Her name is Veronica, and the question “Who the heck is Veronica?” might just become the most important tool you’ll ever use in your spiritual journey.
Let me start with how this question came to be.
A Hill, A Statue, and A Very Good Question
My wife Kathy and I were celebrating our 29th wedding anniversary with a romantic getaway to Paraparaumu, a beautiful coastal town in New Zealand. We were staying near the beach, and from our accommodation—specifically from our bathroom window—we could see something remarkable on the hilltop: a twelve-metre-tall statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus, illuminated at night with a glowing halo of lights.
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, we decided to climb the hill to visit this impressive monument. The pathway had been carefully prepared as a devotional walk featuring the Stations of the Cross—a Catholic practice that commemorates Jesus’s final journey to Calvary. As we walked hand in hand up the hill (remember, I was being especially well-behaved given the anniversary), we came upon various monuments marking each station.
Then we reached Station Six.
There, on a plaque, was a tribute to someone named Veronica. Kathy turned to me with genuine curiosity and asked, “Who the heck is Veronica?”
Now, for a brief moment, you might think she was checking whether I had a girlfriend on the side. But I can assure you, I’m far too old and far too tired to have a girlfriend. Besides, I much prefer the one I already have! No, this was a different kind of question entirely—one that would spark what you’re reading right now.
The Legend of the Veil
So who is this Veronica person? Let me tell you what I discovered.
According to Catholic tradition, Veronica was a compassionate woman who encountered Jesus as He carried His cross through the streets of Jerusalem toward Golgotha. Moved by His suffering, she stepped forward from the crowd and offered Him her veil to wipe the blood, sweat, and dirt from His face. When Jesus handed the cloth back to her, His image had been miraculously imprinted upon it—a perfect impression of His holy face, captured in that moment of agonising sacrifice.
It’s a beautiful, moving story. The kind that inspires devotion and compassion. The act itself—reaching out to comfort someone in their darkest moment—reflects the heart of Christ’s own teaching about mercy and love.
The presence of this relic can be traced back to at least the 14th century, with references to a chapel dedicated to Saint Veronica existing as early as the eighth century. The story became enshrined as the sixth Station of the Cross, wherein Saint Veronica encounters Jesus along the Via Dolorosa and wipes His face with her veil. For centuries, pilgrims have venerated this cloth, which reportedly resides among the treasures of the Church in Rome.
The name “Veronica” itself is fascinating—it’s a Latin alteration of the name Berenice, but its spelling was influenced by the ecclesiastical Latin phrase “vera icon,” meaning “true image”. Some scholars suggest that the cloth bearing Jesus’s image was originally known as the “vera icon” (true image), and this name for the relic was later misinterpreted as the name of a saint. Whether the woman created the name or the name created the woman is a question that brings us to the heart of our problem.
The Problem: She’s Not in the Bible
Here’s what you need to know, and why I’m giving you this story as a tool: In all my years of reading the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—in all my study of the accounts of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, in all the eyewitness testimonies recorded in Scripture about His journey to the cross, I have never, ever encountered anyone named Veronica.
Not once.
Not even a hint of her.
The Gospels tell us about Simon of Cyrene, who was compelled to carry Jesus’s cross. They describe the weeping women of Jerusalem whom Jesus addressed. They record the soldiers, the crowds, the mockers, and the mourners. But nowhere—absolutely nowhere—does Scripture mention a woman who wiped Jesus’s face with a veil and received His image upon it.
This doesn’t mean the story isn’t inspiring. It doesn’t mean we should mock or dismiss those who find spiritual meaning in it. What it means is that we must acknowledge a crucial distinction: this is tradition, not Scripture. It’s a story that developed centuries after the events it claims to describe, passed down through legend and eventually formalised into religious practice.
And that distinction matters more than you might think.
A Tool for Your Journey
Let me be clear about why I’m sharing this with you. I’m not interested in tearing down Catholic tradition or anyone’s faith expression. I have deep respect for believers across all denominations who genuinely love Jesus and seek to honour Him. What I am interested in is giving you a tool—a question you can use throughout your life to distinguish between what’s true according to God’s Word and what’s true according to human tradition.
That question is simply this: “Who the heck is Veronica?”
Say it out loud with me now: “Who the heck is Veronica?”
This question becomes your checkpoint, your white flag, your moment to pause and ask yourself: “What am I believing? Is this based on Scripture, or is this based on tradition, culture, or personal experience?”
The Clarkie Test
Let me give you another example of how this kind of gentle questioning works. Years ago, I worked with a wonderful couple—Denis and Coralie Clark. At the end of a week, we would sit together and debrief: celebrating wins, discussing challenges, and dreaming about the future.
Clarkie (as everyone called Denis) was bold and passionate. He would often burst out with grand announcements, decisive declarations, or exciting aspirations. And without missing a beat, his wife Coralie would look at him and ask, “Clarkie, is that what we think?”
It was brilliant. She wasn’t attacking him or putting him down. She was waving a white flag—a safe way to check in, to challenge an idea without challenging the person. She was asking, in essence, “Are you sure about this? Have you thought it through? Is this really true, or is this just how you’re feeling right now?”
That’s exactly what “Who the heck is Veronica?” does for us. It’s a gentle but essential question that helps us examine our beliefs without defensiveness or shame.
Little T Truth vs. Capital T Truth
Here’s the framework that will help you understand why this matters so much.
Many of us carry what I call “little t” truths—beliefs that are true for us, that feel true based on our experience, upbringing, or cultural context. These might include things like:
- “God only blesses me when I’m successful.”
- “I have to work harder to earn God’s love.”
- “Bad things happen to me because I’ve sinned.”
- “Real Christians never struggle with doubt.”
- “If my prayers aren’t answered the way I want, God doesn’t care.”
These “little t” truths shape our behaviour, inform our decisions, and influence how we relate to God and others. The problem? They’re often wrong.
In contrast, there’s “capital T” Truth—the unchanging, unshakeable, eternally reliable Truth of God’s Word. This is what Scripture reveals about who God is, who we are, and how we’re meant to live. It’s infallible. It withstands every test. It remains the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The tragedy is that too many believers—good, sincere, faithful people—build their lives on “little t” truths instead of “capital T” Truth. They end up on the wrong path, carrying burdens God never intended them to bear, missing the freedom that Jesus died to give them.
Veronica is a perfect example. She represents something that feels spiritual, looks religious, and has been practiced for centuries. But she’s not in the Bible. She’s a “little t” truth—true in the sense that the tradition exists, but not true according to the only source that can be fully trusted: Scripture.
Why This Matters for You
You might be thinking, “Okay, so Veronica isn’t in the Bible. So what? I’m not Catholic. This doesn’t apply to me.”
But here’s what I’ve learned in decades of pastoral ministry: we all have Veronicas in our lives. We all carry beliefs, practices, and assumptions that seem true but aren’t actually based on God’s Word. These might be things we learned in childhood, absorbed from our church culture, or picked up from well-meaning Christians who themselves were operating on “little t” truths.
And if we don’t confront these false beliefs, several things will happen:
- We’ll end up on the wrong path. Instead of walking in the freedom Christ offers, we’ll trudge along under burdens He never intended us to carry.
- We’ll miss the best God has for us. Like climbing a hill to worship Mary when we could be encountering Jesus, our spiritual energy gets directed toward things that can’t actually satisfy or save.
- We’ll pass these false beliefs to the next generation. Our children and grandchildren will inherit our “little t” truths, and they’ll struggle under the same bondage we experienced.
This is why asking “Who the heck is Veronica?” is so vital. It’s not about being critical or cynical. It’s about being discerning. It’s about valuing truth enough to examine what we believe and making sure it aligns with Scripture.
Modern Veronicas
Let me bring this closer to home with some contemporary examples.
The Social Media Veronica:
How many times have you seen something shared online that claims to be Christian truth, only to discover later that it’s misquoted, taken out of context, or completely fabricated? “God said it, I believe it, that settles it”—except God didn’t actually say what’s being attributed to Him.
The Prosperity Gospel Veronica:
The teaching that God rewards faithful Christians with health, wealth, and success—a “little t” truth that sounds appealing but crumbles under biblical examination. Tell that to the apostle Paul, who experienced shipwrecks, beatings, and imprisonment.
The Performance Veronica:
The belief that you have to do certain things, act a certain way, or achieve certain standards to earn God’s approval. This is perhaps the most common Veronica in modern Christianity, despite Scripture’s clear teaching about grace.
The Comparison Veronica:
The idea that your faith journey should look like someone else’s—that you should have the same experiences, feel the same emotions, or express your devotion in the same ways.
Each of these represents a “little t” truth that many sincere believers hold. Each one can lead us away from the pure, liberating Truth of the Gospel.
An Invitation to Freedom
As we begin this journey together through this book, I want you to know that my goal isn’t to destroy your faith or make you suspicious of everything. Rather, I want to invite you into greater freedom—the kind of freedom that comes from building your life on solid rock rather than shifting sand.
Jesus Himself dealt with this issue constantly. The Pharisees were full of “little t” truths—traditions and interpretations that had been passed down for generations, treated as equal to (or sometimes more important than) Scripture itself. Jesus challenged them repeatedly, pointing them back to God’s actual Word rather than human additions to it.
In the chapters ahead, we’re going to look at biblical examples of people who held false beliefs and see what happened when they did—or didn’t—let go of them. We’ll explore practical ways to identify the “Veronicas” in your own life. We’ll discover how humility becomes the key to freedom, and we’ll learn a simple but powerful process for replacing “little t” truths with “capital T” Truth.
But it all starts here, with a simple question: “Who the heck is Veronica?”
Your First Exercise
Before you move on to the next chapter, I want you to take some time for reflection. This isn’t busy work—it’s the beginning of your journey toward freedom.
Journal Prompt:
Write down three beliefs about God, yourself, or the Christian life that you’ve held for as long as you can remember. Don’t filter or judge them yet—just write them down.
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Prayer Prompt:
“Father God, I’m willing to examine what I believe. I’m willing to let go of anything that isn’t true according to Your Word. Would You show me if there’s a ‘Veronica’ in my life—something I’ve been treating as Truth that isn’t actually in Your Word? Give me courage to see it and humility to release it. I want to build my life on Your Truth alone.”
Looking Ahead
In the second chapter, we’re going to develop this framework of “little t” versus “capital T” truth more fully. We’ll look at how false beliefs gain power in our lives and why they’re so hard to let go of. We’ll also begin to explore the biblical principle that changes everything: what we agree with, we give power to.
But for now, let the question settle into your heart: “Who the heck is Veronica?”
It’s a question that might just set you free.
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“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” — John 8:32
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A Final Word
I want to be clear: my heart toward anyone who venerates Veronica or participates in the Stations of the Cross is one of respect and love. These practices have brought comfort and inspired compassion in millions of believers over centuries. The devotion is real, the hearts are sincere, and God works in mysterious ways.
But sincerity doesn’t equal accuracy. And when we’re talking about building a foundation for our faith—something we’ll stake our lives on, something we’ll pass on to our children—we need to make sure we’re building on the Word of God, not the traditions of men.
That’s not judgment. That’s just wisdom.
And it’s wisdom that applies to all of us, regardless of our denominational background. We all have our “Veronicas”—the beliefs and practices we’ve inherited that need to be examined in the light of Scripture.
So let’s examine them together.
Let’s ask the hard questions.
Let’s be willing to let go of what isn’t true so we can grab hold of what is.
Let’s find out who the heck Veronica really is—and what we should do about her.
Are you ready?
Then let’s begin.
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