Prayer to the Holy Face of Jesus

[Hildegard of Bingen]

O My Jesus! Cast upon us a look of mercy; turn Thy Face upon each one of, even as Thou didst

upon Veronica; not that we may see It with the eyes of our body, for we do not deserve this;

but turn It toward our hearts, that being sustained by Thee, we may draw from that powerful

source strength for the combats we must ever wage on earth.

Eternal Father, we offer Thee the Adorable Face of Thy Well-Beloved Son for the Honor and glory of Thy

Holy Name and for the salvation of all men.

-  Blessed Pope Pius IX

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PRAYER OF ST. THERESA OF JESUS [LISIEUX]
TO THE HOLY FACE
 
O Jesus, Who in Thy bitter Passion didst become "the most abject of men, a man of sorrows," I venerate Thy Sacred Face whereon there once did shine the beauty and sweetness of the Godhead; but now it has become for me as if it were the face of a leper! Nevertheless, under those disfigured features, I recognize Thy infinite Love and I am consumed with with the desire to love Thee and make Thee loved by all men. The tears which well abundantly in Thy sacred eyes appear to me as so many precious pearls that I love to gather up, in order to purchase the souls of poor sinners by means of their infinite value.

O Jesus, Whose adorable Face ravishes my heart, I implore Thee to fix deep within me Thy Divine Image and to set me on fire with Thy Love, that I may be found worthy to come to the contemplation of Thy glorious Face in Heaven. Amen.


HOLY FACE PRAYER FOR SINNERS
by St. Therese of Lisieux

ETERNAL FATHER, since Thou hast given me for my inheritance the Adorable Face of Thy Divine Son, I offer that face to Thee and I beg Thee, in exchange for this coin of infinite value, to forget the ingratitude of souls dedicated to Thee and to pardon all poor sinners.

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PRAYERS OF REPARATION TO THE HOLY FACE OF JESUS

PRAYER

O Blessed Face of my kind Savior, by the tender love and piercing sorrow of Our Lady as she beheld Thee in Thy cruel Passion, grant us to share in this intense sorrow and love so as to fulfill the Holy Will of God to the utmost of our ability. Amen.

 -----Mother Maria-Pierina


CROWN OF THORNS PRAYER

DEAR LORD, I am grieved when I consider Thy sad condition when Thou wore the Crown of Thorns upon Thy hold Head. I desire to withdraw the thorns by offering to the Eternal Father the merits of Thy Wounds for the salvation of sinners. I wish to unite my actions to the merits of Thy Most Holy Crown, so that they may gain many merits, as Thou hast promised. Amen.

 -----Prayer based on a revelation by Our Lord to Sr. Chambon

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THE GOLDEN ARROW PRAYERS

MAY THE MOST HOLY, MOST SACRED, MOST ADORABLE, MOST INCOMPREHENSIBLE AND UNUTTERABLE NAME OF GOD BE ALWAYS PRAISED, BLESSED, LOVED, ADORED AND GLORIFIED, IN HEAVEN, ON EARTH AND UNDER THE EARTH, BY ALL THE CREATURES OF GOD, AND BY THE SACRED HEART OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, IN THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR. AMEN.

After receiving this prayer, Sister Mary of St. Peter was given a vision in which she saw the Sacred Heart of Jesus delightfully wounded by this "Go/den Arrow" as torrents of graces streamed from It for the conversion of sinners.


REPARATION PRAYER

Eternal Father, turn away Thy angry gaze from our guilty people whose face has become unsightly in Thine eyes. Look instead upon the Face of Thy Beloved Son, for this is the Face of Him in Whom Thou art well pleased. We now offer Thee this Holy Face, covered with shame and disfigured by bloody bruises in reparation for the crimes of our age in order to appease Thine anger, justly provoked against us. Because Thy Divine Son, our Redeemer, has taken upon His Head all the sins of His members, that they might be spared, we now beg of Thee, Eternal Father, to grant us mercy. AMEN.

AN ASPIRATION TO THE ETERNAL FATHER TO BE FREQUENTLY RECITED DURING THE DAY

   ETERNAL FATHER, we offer You the Holy Face of Jesus, covered with blood, sweat, dust and spittle, in reparation for the crimes of communists, blasphemers, and for the profaners of the Holy Name and of the Holy Day. AMEN.

PRAYER TO REPRODUCE THE IMAGE OF GOD IN OUR SOULS 
   Our Lord told Sister Mary ot St. Peter that the Image ot His Holy Face is like a Divine Stamp which, it applied to souls, through prayer, has the power of imprinting anew within them the Image ot God.

   I SALUTE THEE, I ADORE THEE, AND I LOVE THEE,
OH ADORABLE FACE OF MY BELOVED JESUS,
AS THE NOBLE STAMP OF DIVINITY!
COMPLETELY SURRENDERING MY SOUL TO THEE,
I MOST HUMBLY BEG THEE TO STAMP THIS SEAL UPON US ALL,
SO THAT "THE IMAGE OF GOD MAY ONCE MORE BE REPRODUCED BY ITS IMPRINT IN OUR SOULS. AMEN.

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Prayer to the Holy Face by St. Augustine

      I appear before Thy Holy Face, O my Saviour, laden with my sins and the penalties

they have brought upon me.  What I suffer is far less than I deserve, for although

conscious of the justice of my punishment, I cese not on that account to commit

fresh sins every day.  I sink beneath Thy scourges, yet I do not amend my ways;

my heart is full of bitterness, still my obstinacy in evil remains ever the same.  My life

is pent in misery, and I do not correct myself.  When Thou chastisest me, I make

Thee great promises, which, as soon as Thou liftest up Thy hand, I forget.

     I come now to make to Thee, O God, a sincere confession of my sins.  I declare in

Thy presence that if Thou show not Thy mercy to me, I shall surely perish.  Grant me,

my Saviour, what I get of Thee, since of Thy pure goodness Thou hast drawn me out

of nothingness to put me into a state wherein I can pray to Thee.  Amen.

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DEVOTION TO THE HOLY FACE OF JESUS

This ancient and venerable Catholic practice is rooted in the representation of the face of Christ said to have been left on the towel or veil used by a holy woman thought to be named, Veronica. An Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established in Tours, France, 1884; its members make reparation for the blasphemies hurled at Christ. Since St. Therese's devotion to the Holy Face has become known, this devotion has spread worldwide.

In addition, a devout and pious nun, Sr. Pierina, who died in 1945, was given many visions through Our Blessed Lady who appeared to her, as did Our Lord Jesus. They urged her to make reparation for the many insults Jesus suffered in His Passion, such as to be slapped, spit upon and kissed by Judas, as well as now being dishonored in many ways in the Blessed Sacrament by neglect, sacrileges, and profanations.

She was given a medal which on one side bore a replica of the Holy Shroud and the inscription: "Illumina, Domine, vultum tuum super nos." [O Lord, the light of Thy countenance shine upon us.] On the reverse side was a radiant host with the words: "Mane nobiscum, Domine." [Stay with us, O Lord.] After great difficulties, Sr. Pierina obtained permission to have the medal cast. Even the expenses for the casting were miraculously met when she found on her desk an envelope with the exact amount of the bill-----11,200 lire.

The Evil Spirit showed his chagrin and rage at the medals by flinging them down and burning the pictures of the Sacred Face, and beating the nun savagely.

In 1940, when the Second World War had the world in turmoil, Italy saw a wide distribution of the medal: soldiers, sailors and pilots were provided with the replica of the Holy Face since the medal was already famous for its miracles and countless spiritual and temporal favors.

In Our Blessed Mother's own word, the medal is a weapon for defense, a shield for courage, a token of love and mercy and which her Divine Son wished to give the world in these troubled days of lust and hatred for God and His Church. Devilish snares have been set to rob the hearts of men of their faith while evil spreads the world over. Genuine apostles are few. A Divine remedy to all these evils will be the Adorable Face of her Son, Jesus.

Whoever wears this medal and, if possible, pays a visit to the Blessed Sacrament on Tuesday in a spirit of reparation for the outrages received by the Holy Face of Our Blessed Savior during His Passion and those bestowed on Him every day in the Sacrament of His Divine Love, will be granted the gift of a strong Faith and the grace to fly to its defense, conquering if need be, all exterior and interior difficulties. Moreover, they are promised a happy death with special assistance of Christ Himself.

The very first medal of the Holy Face was offered to our glorious Pontiff, Pius XII; then the whole world became acquainted with this special object of holy favors and devotion. No soldier taken as a prisoner of war, and who wore the medal was ever executed. Our Blessed Lord requested that a special feast be instituted to honor His Holy Face on Shrove Tuesday. Pope Pius XII obeyed and had this day set aside to honor the Holy Face in 1958.

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A LITANY OF THE HOLY FACE IN REPARATION FOR BLASPHEMIES AND FOR THE CONVERSION OF BLASPHEMERS
Taken from the Manual of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face (1887), pg 150.

The Litany of the Holy Face on our Holy Face Devotion webpage, and in our pamphlets, is the abridged version, as the full version is quite lengthy. Below is the full version of the Litany of the Holy Face. This Litany was composed by Sister Mary of St. Peter, and approved by Mgr. Morlot, Archbishop of Tours, in 1847. By a Rescript dated 27th of January 1853, His Holiness Pope Pius IX grants to all who recite, with a contrite heart, these prayers in honor of the Holy Face of Jesus Christ an indulgence of 100 days for each time; applicable to the souls in Purgatory.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

Holy Virgin Mary, pray for us.



(After each of the following phrases, say "have mercy on us")



O adorable Face, which was adored with profound respect by Mary and Joseph when they saw Thee for the first time, have mercy on us.

O adorable Face, which in the Stable of Bethlehem didst ravish with joy the angels, the shepherds and the Magi,

O adorable Face, which in the Temple didst transpierce with a dart of love the saintly old man Simeon and the prophetess Anna,

O adorable Face, which was bathed in tears in Thy holy infancy,

O adorable Face, which, when Thou didst appear in the Temple at twelve years of age, didst fill with admiration the Doctors of the law,

O adorable Face, white with purity and ruddy with charity,

O adorable Face, more beautiful than the sun, more lovely than the moon, more brilliant than the stars,

O adorable Face, fresher than the roses of spring,

O adorable Face, more precious than gold, silver, and diamonds

O adorable Face, whose charms are so ravishing, and whose grace is so attractive,

O adorable Face, whose every feature is characterized by nobility,

O adorable Face, contemplated by angels,

O adorable Face, sweet delectation of the Saints,

O adorable Face, masterpiece of the Holy Ghost, in which the Eternal Father is well pleased.

O adorable Face, delight of Mary and Joseph,

O adorable Face, ineffable mirror of the Divine perfections,

O adorable Face, whose beauty is always ancient and always new,

O adorable Face, which appeasest the wrath of God,

O adorable Face, which makest the devils tremble,

O adorable Face, treasure of graces and of blessings,

O adorable Face, exposed in the desert to the inclemencies of the weather,

O adorable Face, scorched with the heat of the sun and bathed with sweat in Thy journeys, O adorable Face, whose expression is all divine,

O adorable Face, whose modesty and sweetness attracted both the just and sinners,

O adorable Face, which gavest a holy kiss to the little children, after having blessed them,

O adorable Face, troubled and weeping at the tomb of Lazarus,

O adorable Face, brilliant as the sun, and radiant with glory on the Mountain of Tabor,

O adorable Face, sorrowful at the sight of Jerusalem, and shedding tears on that ungrateful city,

O adorable Face, bowed down to the earth, in the Garden of Olives, and covered with confusion for our sins,

O adorable Face, bathed in a bloody sweat,

O adorable Face, kissed by the traitor Judas,

O adorable Face, whose sanctity and majesty smote the soldiers with fear and cast them to the ground,

O adorable Face, struck by a vile servant, shamefully blindfolded, and profaned by the sacrilegious hands of Thine enemies,

O adorable Face, defiled with spittle, and bruised by innumerable buffets and blows,

O adorable Face, whose Divine look wounded the heart of Peter, with a dart of sorrow and love,

O adorable Face, humbled for us at the tribunals of Jerusalem,

O adorable Face, which didst preserve Thy serenity when Pilate pronounced the fatal sentence,

O adorable Face, covered with sweat and blood, and falling in the mire under the heavy weight of the Cross,

O adorable Face, worthy of all our respect, veneration and worship,

O adorable Face, wiped with a veil by a pious woman on the road to Calvary,

O adorable Face, raised on the instrument of most shameful punishment,

O adorable Face, whose brow was covered with Thorns,

O adorable Face, whose eyes were filled with tears of blood,

O adorable Face, into whose mouth was poured gall and vinegar,

O adorable Face, whose hair and beard were plucked out by the executioners,

O adorable Face, which was made like to that of a leper,

O adorable Face, whose incomparable beauty was obscured under the dreadful cloud of the sins of the world,

O adorable Face, covered with the sad shades of death,

O adorable Face, washed and anointed by Mary and the holy women and wrapped in a shroud,

O adorable Face, inclosed in the sepulchre,

O adorable Face, all resplendent with glory and beauty on the day of the Resurrection, O adorable Face, all dazzling with light at the moment of Thy Ascension,

O adorable Face, hidden in the Eucharist,

O adorable Face, which will appear at the end of time, in the clouds, with great power and great majesty,

O adorable Face, which wilt cause sinners to tremble,

O adorable Face, which wilt fill the just with joy for all eternity,

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

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MEDITATIONS ON THE IMPRINT OF OUR SAVIOR'S BLOOD-STAINED COUNTENANCE ON THE VEIL OF VERONICA
Taken from Devotion to the Holy Face, TAN BOOKS with Imprimatur, 1934

VENERATION of the dolorous Face of our Savior Jesus Christ, as proved in Rome and practiced throughout the Church, had its beginning during the very Passion of Our Lord. It came to us through that heroic woman whose memory, from the first ages of Christianity, has been inseparably connected with the Sixth Station of the holy Way of the Cross and who is known to us as St. Veronica. [The name Veronica means "true icon." According to Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, St. Veronica's actual name was Seraphia.]

The Son of God was being led forth to execution through the crowded streets of Jerusalem, followed by a shouting rabble which filled the air with loud, insulting cries. Our Divine Lord, exhausted by the tortures of the night, fell beneath the heavy weight of His Cross. A man, Simon of Cyrene, who was passing by, was compelled by the inhuman soldiers to assist Jesus in carrying the Cross. The sad procession had advanced but a short distance farther when suddenly a woman of majestic appearance broke through the infuriated mob and offered our Saviour a veil as a sign of her compassion, upon which He wiped His Adorable Face covered with sweat and blood. In reward for her sympathy, our Blessed Redeemer imprinted indelibly upon her veil the likeness of His Sacred Countenance.


The Treasure of the Vatican

A tradition says that at the advice of St. Peter, Veronica later entrusted the holy Veil to the care of St. Clement, a noble Roman who was a disciple of St. Peter and his third successor in the See of Rome. From the hands of Pope St. Clement this venerated relic passed to his successors, who guarded it most carefully during the long years of persecution. Ever since that time the holy Veil has remained in Rome, where it is preserved with the greatest care as one of the most precious relics of the Vatican Basilica. Every year in Lent the holy Veil is taken from the rich casket in which it is treasured, and from a high balcony erected around one of the pillars of the Vatican Basilica, it is exposed to the veneration of the faithful. An eye witness writes: "One cannot without feelings of tenderest compassion and sorrow look upon the noble brow covered with blood, the Divine eyes, livid and bloody, the whole Face pallid as in death. On the right cheek is seen the mark of the cruel blow inflicted by the brutal soldier, and on the left are traces of the insults of the Jews who spat upon Him. The nose is bruised and blood-stained, the mouth half open, the teeth broken, the beard disheveled and partly torn out, the hair matted with blood. But the whole Sacred Face, though disfigured, presents an appearance of indescribable majesty and compassion, love and sadness." The miraculous preservation of this Veil proves what great complacency Our Lord takes in the veneration of His Sacred Face.


Transfiguration of the Holy Veil

In the memorable days of Pope Pius IX, God deigned, by a touching prodigy, to glorify the Sacred Image venerated at the Vatican. It was during the exile of the Holy Father at Gaeta, in 1849, when the Veil of Veronica was allowed to be exposed for veneration from Christmas to Epiphany. On the third day of the exposition, the Veil, hitherto somewhat faded, became transfigured, as it were; the sacred features of our Saviour appeared lifelike and surrounded by a mild halo. Though covered with a piece of silk, which would normally prevent one from distinguishing them, the sacred features could, nevertheless, be distinctly seen. The Holy Face was of a deathly pallor, the eyes sunken, yet animated with an expression of profound sadness. The canons who were guarding the Veil immediately notified their colleagues and the ecclesiastics of the Basilica. The bells were rung and the faithful flocked to the Vatican. The witnesses of this prodigy were filled with wonder and awe; many were in tears, all were visibly affected.

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Thanks!

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A reminder today is Shrove Tuesday - devoted to the Holy Face of Jesus