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An act of Praise and Reparation dictated by
Our Lord to Sister Mary of Saint Peter.
In Tours, France during the 1840's a young
Carmelite nun named, Sr. Mary of St Peter, received a series of revelations from Our Lord about a
powerful devotion He wished to be established worldwide-----the
devotion to His Holy Face. The express purpose of this devotion was to
make reparation for the blasphemies and outrages of "Revolutionary men"
[the Communists]----- through whom God is allowing the
world to be chastised for its unbelief-----as well as for
the blasphemies of atheists and freethinkers and others, plus, for
blasphemy and the profanation of Sundays by Christians. Specifically, this
devotion is the Divine tool given by God to defeat Communism, but it is
also an instrument given to the individual devotee as a seemingly
unfailing method of appealing to God in prayer-----through
adoration of His Holy Face and Name.
Our Lord gave Sister Mary a short but powerful prayer called' 'The
Golden Arrow," by which a person can "shoot directly into the Heart of
God" to heal the wounds inflicted on it by the malice of sinners. Of the 9
promises connected with this devotion, the first three are 1) "By My Holy
Face you will work miracles;" 2) "By My Face you will obtain the
conversion of many sinners;" and 3) "Nothing you ask in making this
offering will be refused to you." This devotion brought St. Therese to her
great sanctity. Anyone who is searching for a spiritual method for
fighting atheism, socialism, materialism and paganism and its programs
and/or who is searching for a virtually infallible method of prayer will
be delighted with The Golden Arrow devotions.
"Just as in an earthly kingdom money which is stamped with the picture
of the sovereign or ruling executive of the country procures whatever one
desires to purchase, so likewise in the Kingdom of Heaven, you shall
obtain all that you desire by offering the coin of My precious Humanity
which is My adorable Face."
------
Our Lord To Sr. Mary of St. Peter
THE "GOLDEN ARROW" PRAYER
Psalm 67:2 "Let God arise,
and let His enemies be scattered: and let them that hate Him flee from
before His Face."
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 "Golden Arrow" as torrents of graces streamed from It for the
conversion of sinners.
The aim of this little presentation is to revive devotion to the Holy
Face of Jesus as a means of Reparation to God for the crimes committed
against His Divine Majesty. The question may be asked, was not this
Devotion of Reparation universally practiced in the Church some years ago?
The answer is, yes, it was widespread for many years after the Brief of
Pope Leo XIII canonically established the Archconfraternity of the Holy
Face in 1885. Unfortunately, however, it was neglected and forgotten in
the years immediately prior to the First World War in 1914. Was it not
perhaps due to our failure to continue this Reparation, as demanded by Our
Divine Lord in His revelations to the holy Carmelite of Tours, that God
allowed the "malice of wicked men" to precipitate us into two world
conflicts, with all their indescribable horrors?
And now, when we live daily
on the verge of a Third World War, shall we
at last embrace this reparation demanded by Our Lord? The "revolutionary
men," designated by Our Lord Himself as Communists [a state of political
mind and intent apart from a specific organization: "Communism is not
dead" as has been stated by the pundits among us, but is being
revived in the new anti-God one world, one religion (pagan movement)],
have so engulfed the world in turmoil that humanity faces destruction.
This was the consensus of opinion from unimpeachable sources, including
Pope Pius XII.
Addressing Himself mystically to the pious Carmelite nun, Our Lord told
her that especially to His priests He promises He will defend them before
His Father in Heaven and give them His kingdom if they, through words,
prayers or writings, defend His cause in this work of "reparation."
Pastors, therefore, and priests who desire to answer this call should
endeavor, to establish the Confraternity of the
Holy Face in their parishes.
FURTHER REVELATIONS FROM
OUR DIVINE LORD CONCERNING REPARATION TO HIS HOLY FACE, as told to Sister
Mary of St. Peter
I Corinthians
13:12 "We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to Face.
Now I know I part; but then I shall know even as I am known."
...It is the express will of God that this
devotion be established in every diocese; that it be most zealously
propagated; and granted a papal brief so that it will never perish.
...This devotion is to have the TWOFOLD PURPOSE OF REPARATION FOR
BLASPHEMY and REPARATION FOR THE PROFANATION OF SUNDAY and Holy Days of
Obligation, the two principal sins which in modem times are provoking the
anger of God. Sr. Mary said, "He then made me see that this frightful sin
wounds His Divine Heart more grievously than all other sins, showing me
how by BLASPHEMY the sinner curses Him to His Face, attacks Him publicly,
nullifies His Redemption, and pronounces his own judgment and
condemnation...The Savior made me understand that His justice was greatly
irritated against mankind for its sins but particularly for those that
directly outrage the Majesty of God--that is, Communism, Atheism, cursing,
and the desecration of Sundays and the Holy Days. He said, The
executioners crucified Me On Friday, CHRISTIANS CRUCIFY ME ON SUNDAY."
...This association is to be called Defenders of the Holy Name of God.
...Each day, in a spirit of REPARATION, members are to say one Our Father,
Hail Mary, Glory Be To The Father, and the "Golden Arrow" prayer. On
Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation ALL the prayers of reparation are to
be said.
...Members must refrain from work on Sundays themselves, and do what is in
their power to see that others stop all unnecessary servile work on the
holy days of the Lord.
..Members should wear a special cross with the words "Blessed be the Name
of God", on one side, and "Begone Satan!" on the reverse, which gives a
special resourcefulness to conquer the demon of blasphemy.
...Every time one hears a curse he should repeat the two short
inscriptions on each side of the cross, and he will thus overcome the evil
one, and render glory to God.
...The association is to be place under the patronage of Saints: Michael,
Martin of Tours, Louis, Veronica, and Teresa of Avila.
...Our Lord desires that His Holy Face be offered as the exterior object
of adoration to all his children who would be associated with this work of
Reparation. His Holy Face is the very Image of God. "Offer It unceasingly
to My Father for the salvation of your country"
..."The treasure of My Holy Face in itself possesses such tremendous value
that through It ALL the affairs of My household can readily be settled."
..."If you knew how pleasing the sight of My Face is to My Father."
..Our Lord told Sr. Mary, 'Woe to those cities that will not make this
Reparation !"
...He said, "Sinners are snatched from this world and they are swept into
hell like the dust that is carried away by the fury of a tornado. Have
pity on your brothers and pray for them!"
...One can make a NOVENA OF REPARATION TO OBTAIN A FAVOR by saying the
"Golden Arrow " prayer and "The Litany of the Holy Face" on nine
consecutive days, preferably before the Blessed Sacrament or the picture
of the Holy Face, and by going to Confession and Holy Communion.
These revelations and more are to be found in THE GOLDEN ARROW. "This book
is based upon and quoting authentic French manuscripts emanating directly
from the archives of the Monastery of Discalced Carmelites, Tours, France,
where Sr. Mary of St. Peter lived and died in the odor of sanctity."
In the absence of a formal association in a parish, individuals should say
the prayers and follow Our Lord's directives as best they can.
----------
REVELATION OF OCTOBER 30, 1845
In this revelation our Lord imparts a most sublime instruction, showing
the position of the Holy Face in relation to the Adorable Trinity Itself.
REMEMBER, Oh, my soul, the holy instruction which your Divine Spouse
imparted to you today concerning His adorable Face. Remember that this
Divine Head represents the Eternal Father Who is unbegotten, that the
mouth of this Holy Face represents the Divine Word, begotten of the
Father, and that the two eyes of this adorable Face are the symbol of the
reciprocal love of the Father and the Son, for these two eyes possess only
one light, and one identical knowledge between them both, and they produce
the one same love, which represents the Holy Ghost.
Contemplate in His locks of hair the infinite number of the adorable
perfections of the Blessed Trinity. Behold in this majestic Head that
precious portion of the Humanity of the Savior which is the very Image of
the Oneness of God.
Now it is this adorable Savior's Face brimming with ineffable mysteries
which blasphemers cover with disgrace, renewing the bitter sufferings of
His Passion, each time they assail the Divinity, for the Holy Face is the
very Image of God!
In this exquisite communication, our Lord renders all His merits to Sister
Mary of St. Peter, as He tells her to pay with them the debts incurred by
the sins of the nation. He encourages her zeal by disclosing to her that
the Work of Reparation will ultimately be established.
OUR LORD continues to press me urgently to suffer for our country. He said
to me:
"Just as I have taken on myself the sins of the whole world, so I now
desire that you assume those of your nation. I Myself will suffer in you
in order to appease the anger of My Father and I will give you all My
merits by which you can pay the debts incurred by the sins of your
country."
I accepted our Lord's proposal and then it was that I beheld myself as
though covered with all the sins of the nation and I begged God's
forgiveness for these sins with the same shame as though I had committed
these crimes myself. On another day when our Lord had insisted again that
I make reparation for our whole country, I hesitated, hardly daring to
believe that He could wish to make use of so common an instrument as
myself for so great a task. He then said to me by way of comparison:
As in the order of My Providence, in temporal affairs I give a particular
ruler to a particular nation to be its sovereign, cannot I also, in the
order of grace, assign a particular country to the care of a special
individual in order that she should take charge of that country's
spiritual welfare? That is the reason why I now assign this particular
nation to your special care and I urge you to pray and to sacrifice
yourself in its behalf."
After that our Lord declared:
"I again give you My Sacred Head so that you may offer it to My Father to
appease His justice. Oh, if you but knew the power and the virtue that
reside therein! And the reason why My Head possesses this power and virtue
is because I have taken upon My Head all the sins of mankind so that My
Members may be spared. Therefore, offer My Face to My Eternal Father for
this is the means by which to appease Him."
He then added:
"I desire this Work of Reparation. Although the fruits which you bear have
not yet ripened be assured that finally the time will come when the Work
shall be established."
REVELATION OF NOVEMBER 22, 1846
Placing no bounds to the efficacy of the Devotion to the Holy Face, our
Savior informs Sister Mary of St. Peter that the treasure of His Face is
of such tremendous value that through It ALL matters can be settled! Here
is the substance of a new revelation which our Lord gave me relative to
the Holy Face:
"My daughter," He said, "I take you today for my stewardess. I place My
Holy Face in your hands that you may offer it unceasingly to My Father for
the salvation of your country. Turn this Divine gift to good profit, for
the treasure of My Holy Face in itself possesses such tremendous value
that through It all the affairs of My household can readily be settled.
Through this Holy Face you will obtain the conversion of many sinners.
Nothing that you ask in virtue of the Holy Face will be refused you. Oh,
if you only knew how pleasing is the sight of My Face to My Father!"
This prayer was dictated by our Lord Himself to Sister Mary of St.
Peter. Opening His Heart to her, our Savior complained of blasphemy,
saying that this frightful sin wounds His Divine Heart more grievously
than all other sins, for it was like "a poisoned arrow."
After that, our Savior dictated the prayer, which He called "The
Golden Arrow," saying that those who would recite this prayer would
pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him
by the malice of sinners. This prayer published above and on page two of
the Golden Arrow segment of the Holy Face Devotion, is regarded as the
very basis of the Work of Reparation. It is recommended for recitation on
each of the thirty-three beads of the Holy Face Chaplet.
REVELATION OF OCTOBER 30, 1845
In this revelation our Lord imparts a most sublime instruction, showing
the position of the Holy Face in relation to the Adorable Trinity Itself.
REMEMBER, Oh, my soul, the holy instruction which your Divine Spouse
imparted to you today concerning His adorable Face. Remember that this
Divine Head represents the Eternal Father Who is unbegotten, that the
mouth of this Holy Face represents the Divine Word, begotten of the
Father, and that the two eyes of this adorable Face are the symbol of the
reciprocal love of the Father and the Son, for these two eyes possess only
one light, and one identical knowledge between them both, and they produce
the one same love, which represents the Holy Ghost.
Contemplate in His locks of hair the infinite number of the adorable
perfections of the Blessed Trinity. Behold in this majestic Head that
precious portion of the Humanity of the Savior which is the very Image of
the Oneness of God.
Now it is this adorable Savior's Face brimming with ineffable
mysteries which blasphemers cover with disgrace, renewing the bitter
sufferings of His Passion, each time they assail the Divinity, for the
Holy Face is the very Image of God!
In this exquisite communication, our Lord
renders all His merits to
Sister Mary of St. Peter, as He tells her to pay with them the debts
incurred by the sins of the nation. He encourages her zeal by disclosing
to her that the Work of Reparation will ultimately be established.
OUR LORD continues to press me urgently to suffer for our country. He
said to me:
"Just as I have taken on myself the sins of the whole world, so I now
desire that you assume those of your nation. I Myself will suffer in you
in order to appease the anger of My Father and I will give you all My
merits by which you can pay the debts incurred by the sins of your
country."
I accepted our Lord's proposal and then it was that I beheld myself as
though covered with all the sins of the nation and I begged God's
forgiveness for these sins with the same shame as though I had committed
these crimes myself. On another day when our Lord had insisted again that
I make reparation for our whole country, I hesitated, hardly daring to
believe that He could wish to make use of so common an instrument as
myself for so great a task. He then said to me by way of comparison:
As in the order of My Providence, in temporal affairs I give a
particular ruler to a particular nation to be its sovereign, cannot I
also, in the order of grace, assign a particular country to the care of a
special individual in order that she should take charge of that country's
spiritual welfare? That is the reason why I now assign this particular
nation to your special care and I urge you to pray and to sacrifice
yourself in its behalf."
After that our Lord declared:
"I again give you My Sacred Head so that you may offer it to My Father
to appease His justice. Oh, if you but knew the power and the virtue that
reside therein! And the reason why My Head possesses this power and virtue
is because I have taken upon My Head all the sins of mankind so that My
Members may be spared. Therefore, offer My Face to My Eternal Father for
this is the means by which to appease Him."
He then added:
"I desire this Work of Reparation. Although the fruits which you bear
have not yet ripened be assured that finally the time will come when the
Work shall be established."
REVELATION OF NOVEMBER 22, 1846
Placing no bounds to the efficacy of the Devotion to the Holy Face, our
Savior informs Sister Mary of St. Peter that the treasure of His Face is
of such tremendous value that through It ALL matters can be settled! HERE
IS the substance of a new revelation which our Lord gave me relative to
the Holy Face:
"My daughter," He said, "I take you today for my stewardess. I place My
Holy Face in your hands that you may offer it unceasingly to My Father for
the salvation of your country. Turn this Divine gift to good profit, for
the treasure of My Holy Face in itself possesses such tremendous value
that through It all the affairs of My household can readily be settled.
Through this Holy Face you will obtain the conversion of many sinners.
Nothing that you ask in virtue of the Holy Face will be refused you. Oh,
if you only knew how pleasing is the sight of My Face to My Father!"
Although Sister Mary was, until now, apparently in fair health, following
all the religious exercises prescribed by the Holy Rule, and performing
all her duties as Portress Sister, she suddenly developed certain alarming
symptoms, and after being examined by a physician, she was found to be
mortally ill. Besides suffering from severe pulmonary tuberculosis, she
also developed an ulcerated throat which fittingly symbolized her role in
life, as that of a victim repairing especially for blasphemies uttered by
the tongues of guilty men. For two and a half months she was unable to
take any solid food whatever and subsisted only on a small quantity of
liquids. Enduring her pains with resignation, and even joy, she almost
constantly, for the salvation of souls, suffered in this world and awaited
eternal happiness in the next.
Shortly before she died she was asked about the to the Holy Face, to
which she answered:
"I have the greatest hopes. The plans of the wicked will be foiled!
It was to accomplish this that the Work of Reparation to the Holy Face was
revealed. Now that this is done my career is ended for it was for this
Work that God had placed me on earth, as our Lord has made known to me. Oh
how true it is that God has means of satisfying His justice which are
unknown known to men."
Once when she was asked to apply certain of her sufferings for a
special intention, she replied:
"I do not know whether I am free to do so because I am entirely
consecrated as a victim to the cause of the Work of Reparation."
She died in the odor of sanctity on July 8, 1848, in the thirty-third
year of her life, less than four months after the interview she had held
with the Secretary who told her that while she was allowed to apply
herself to the Work of Reparation, she was never again to ask for the
establishment of the Work in the diocese. At the time this seemed, indeed,
a difficult order to fulfill for one who was by Divine Providence selected
as an apostle to work for the propagation of the Cult of the Holy Face as
her particular mission in life . . .
After her death, Reparation through the Devotion to the Holy Face was
chiefly kept up through the fervor of a wealthy retired lawyer of Tours, a
devoted friend of the nun, Leo Dupont. Having procured a picture of the
Holy Face, which was touched to the true relic of the veil of Veronica at
the Vatican, this exemplary Christian hung it on a prominent wall of his
drawing room before which he kept a lamp burning, as a token of
veneration.
So many extraordinary favors were granted to those who prayed before
this picture that the residence of Mons. Dupont became a private place of
pilgrimage. For the next thirty years, to the end of his life [he died in
1876], Leo Dupont kept the flame of Reparation alive in his home for the
benefit of all who wished to intercede to God before it. Three months
after his saintly death, his home was transformed into a public chapel.
Soon afterwards the Work of Reparation was referred to the decision of the
Supreme Pontiff, Leo XIII, who wholeheartedly approved the Devotion,
through the formality of a Papal Brief.
So was erected in perpetuity the Arch-confraternity
of Reparation in the Oratory of Leo Dupont, in 1885, where until the
present day priests still carry out the mission of Sr. Mary of St. Peter,
to whom our Lord revealed a hundred years ago the real weapon that is destined to overthrow
Communism.
This weapon is Devotion to the Holy Face as a means of Reparation for
the outrageous crimes of blasphemy, atheism, the crimes of modern
freethinkers, and the profaners of the Lord's Day, which are the evils
that more than any other cry to heaven for vengeance and that today bring
us face to face with the threat of nuclear war and which consequence would
admittedly be the destruction of all civilization as we know it.
THE GOLDEN ARROW PRAYERS
Eternal Father, turn away Your angry gaze
from our guilty people whose face has become unsightly in Your eyes. Look
instead upon the Face of Your Beloved Son, for this is the Face of Him in
Whom You are well pleased. We now offer You this Holy Face, covered with
shame and disfigured by bloody bruises in reparation for the crimes of our
age in order to appease Your anger, justly provoked against us. Because
Your divine Son, our Redeemer, has taken upon His Head all the sins of His
members, that they might be spared, we now beg of You, 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 of Sunday. AMEN.
PRAYER TO REPRODUCE
THE IMAGE OF GOD IN OUR SOULS
Our Lord told Sister
Mary of St. Peter that the Image of His Holy Face is like a Divine Stamp
which, if applied to souls, through prayer, has the power of imprinting
anew within them the Image of 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.
SOURCE:
THE GOLDEN ARROW,
The Revelations of Sr. Mary of St. Peter,
Ed., Dorothy Scallon with Imprimatur
and Nihil Obstat 1954.
After receiving this prayer, Sister
Mary was
given a vision in which she saw the Sacred Heart of Jesus delightfully
wounded by the "Golden Arrow" as torrents of graces streamed from It for
the conversion of sinners.
SISTER PIERINA AND
DEVOTION TO THE HOLY FACE
The Blessed Maria Pierina
de Micheli, a holy nun who died in 1945, was urged in many visions by the
Blessed Mother and Jesus Himself to spread the devotion to the Holy Face,
in 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”. - Ps.
4:6 “May, 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” Luke 24:29.
After great difficulties,
Sister Pierina obtained permission to the 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 – 11,2000 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 Sister Pierina
savagely.
In 1940, when the Second
World War had the world in turmoil, Italy saw a wide distribution of this
medal. Relatives and friends saw that their soldiers, sailors and aviators
were provided with the replica of the Holy Face of Jesus since the medal
was already famous for its miracles and countless spiritual and temporal
favors.
In the words of Our
Lord to Sister Pierina:
“By My Holy Face you
will obtain the conversion of numberless sinners. Nothing that you ask in
making this offering will be refused you. According to the care you take
in making reparation To My Face, disfigured by blasphemers, I will take
care of yours, which has been disfigured by sin. I will reprint on it My
Image, and render it as beautiful as it was on leaving the Baptismal
Font. I promise personal and spiritual protection to all who venerate this
medal.”
 
Sister Pierina died in
1945, a few years after having written in her diary, "I feel a deep
longing to live always united to Jesus, to love Him intensely because my
death can only be a transport of love with my Spouse, Jesus."
Sister Maria Pierina was inspired through visions of Our Lord and Lady to
take up the work of spreading devotion to the Holy Face. Lord Christ told
her, "I will that My Face, which reflects the intimate pains of my
Spirit, the suffering and the love of My Heart, be more honored. He who
meditates upon Me, consoles Me."
An additional Promise
An image of a scapular bearing the
likeness of the Face on the Holy Shroud was revealed to her by Our Lady,
who told her, "This Scapular is an Armor of defense, a shield of
strength, a token of the love and mercy which Jesus wishes to give the
world in these times of lust and hatred against God and His Church.
Diabolical nets are thrown to wrench the Faith from hearts, evils abound,
true apostles are few, and the remedy is the Holy Face of Jesus." Our
Lady said that all those who piously wear the image, make a visit to the
Blessed Sacrament every Tuesday, if possible, to make reparation for the
assaults against the Holy Face, and receive the Holy Eucharist every day
will have a happy death under the loving gaze of her Son.
Sister Pierina set about to cast the image in the form of a medal, and
after some struggle in gaining permission, found she had no money to have
the medals cast. This last problem was remedied apparently miraculously:
she found an envelope with the exact sum of money needed on her
desk, seemingly from nowhere. After the medals were cast, the Evil One
made known his displeasure. How could he not despise an image of the image
left behind when Jesus walked away from His burial shroud? Enraged, Evil
Spirit flung the medals around the room, and physically assaulted Sister
Pierina. But he was defeated, and the practice of wearing the medals
spread all over the world.
In the words of Our Lord to Mother Maria Pierina:
“By My Holy Face you will obtain the conversion of numberless sinners.
Nothing that you ask in making this offering will be refused you.
According to the care you take in making reparation To My Face, disfigured
by blasphemers, I will take care of yours, which has been disfigured by
sin. I will reprint on it My Image, and render it as beautiful as it was
on leaving the Baptismal Font. I promise personal and spiritual protection
to all who venerate this medal.”
"I will that My Face, which reflects the intimate pains of my Spirit,
the suffering and the love of My Heart, be more honored. He who meditates
upon Me, consoles Me."
PRAYER OF MOTHER MARIA
PIERINA
O Blessed Face of my kind
Savior, by the tender love and piercing sorrow of Our Lady as she beheld
you in your 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
In the words of Our Lord to the Saints Regarding the Holy Face:
In
revelation, Jesus said to Gertrude the Great (1263-1302):
"All those who, attracted by my love and venerating my Countenance, shall
receive by virtue of my humanity, a brilliant and vivid impression of my
Divinity. This splendor shall enlighten the depths of their souls, so that
in eternal glory the court of heaven will marvel at the marked likeness of
their features with my divine Countenance"
"Let the soul who is desirous of advancing in perfection hasten to My
Sacred Heart ~ but he who yearns to make even greater progress and to
mount still higher on the wings of desire, must rise with the swiftness of
an eagle and hover about my Sacred Face, supported like a seraph, on the
wings of overpowering love."
(Our Lord to St. Gertrude the Great)
---------
"Those who embrace this work of reparation with true piety will not be
lost, for I Myself will defend them before My Father and I will give them
the Kingdom of Heaven. I will grant them the grace of final perseverance."
(Promise to St. Mechtilde)
------------
Saint Ethanasius stated that the devils, when being asked what verse in
the Holy Scripture they feared the most, they replied, "That with which
the sixty-seventh Psalm commences." This passage states, "Let God arise,
and let His enemies be scattered. Let them that hate Him flee from before
His Face." They added that this biblical passage always compelled them to
take flight.
-----------
"Offer My Face to My Father ~ it is the only means whereby to appease Him
~ appease divine justice. If you only knew how powerful is its virtue ~
and the reason is that I have taken upon My own Head all the sins of
humanity in order that my members may be spared."
(Our Lord to Sr. Mary Peter)
-----------
During an apparition of Our Lord to Sister Mary Martha Chambon He appeared
in a pitiful state, wearing the Crown of Thorns. Appealing for compassion,
He said, "Behold Him whom you seek, and the condition in which He is!
Look... withdraw the thorns from My head by offering to My father the
merits of My Wounds for sinners... Go, seek for souls!" While Sr. Mary
Martha was contemplating the holy Crown, she saw rays of glory darting
from each thorn.
"My Crown of Thorns caused me more suffering than all My other wounds...
It was My most intense suffering after the Garend of Olives."
--Our Lord to Sr. Mary Martha Chambon
PROMISE: "The Holy Crown is for the faithful soul a source of merit.. [it]
will merit for you a crown of glory... A single soul performing her
actions in union with the merits of My Holy Crown may gain more than many
others."
--Jesus to Sr Mary Martha Chambon
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Mother Marie des Douleurs to the Congregation she founded. “Devotion to
the Holy Face,” she wrote, “is the particular aspect by which the Holy
Ghost makes us learn again all that we need know to become the saints that
Jesus desires. This devotion is of such central importance and so vital
for us that we cannot live without it.”
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Saint Gaetano Catanoso was a lover and apostle of the Holy Face of Jesus.
"The Holy Face", he affirmed, "is my life. He is my strength". With joyful
intuition he joined this devotion to Eucharistic piety.
He would say: "If we wish to adore the real Face of Jesus..., we can find
it in the divine Eucharist, where with the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ,
the Face of Our Lord is hidden under the white veil of the Host".
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Saint Bernard wrote:
"Jesus the very thought of thee
with sweetness fills my breast,
But sweeter far thy Face to see,
and in thy presence rest"
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Prayer of Pope Pius IX
"O my Jesus, cast upon us a look of mercy;
turn your Face towards each of us, as you did to Veronica:
not that we may see it with our bodily eyes, for this we do not deserve;
but turn it towards our hearts, so that remembering thee, we may ever draw
from this fountain of strength the vigour necessary to sustain the combats
of life. Amen" [St. Anthony's Treasury, p.184]
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Christian holiness essentially consists in this: in being a reflection of
the holiness of God which shines on the face of Christ. This is our duty,
as Venerable Cardinal Newman emphasized in one of his meditations: "Stay
with me, and then I shall begin to shine as you shine: so to shine as to
be a light to others. The light, O Jesus, will be all from you. None of it
will be mine. No merit to me. It will be you who shines through me
uponothers.... Make me preach you without preaching - not by words, but by
my example and by the catching force, the sympathetic influence, of what I
do - by my visible resemblance to your saints, and the evident fullness of
the love which my heart bears to you" (Prayers, Verses and Devotion, John
Henry Newman, Ignatius press, San Francisco, p. 389).
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Prayers to the Holy
Face of Jesus
Holy Face of Jesus,
Be my joy.
Holy Face of Jesus,
Be my strength.
Holy Face of Jesus,
Be my health.
Holy Face of Jesus,
Be my courage.
Holy Face of Jesus,
Be my wisdom.
Holy Face of Jesus, Image of the Father,
Provide for me.
Holy Face of Jesus, Mirror of Thy Priestly Heart,
Be my zeal.
Holy Face of Jesus, Gift of the Spirit,
Show me Thy love.
Holy Face of Jesus, saddened by sorrow,
Grant my requests through Thy merits.
Amen.
Composed by Rev. Emery Pethro of Detroit, Michigan
O Sacred Head
O Sacred Head surrounded
By crown of piercing thorn!
O bleeding Head, so wounded,
Reviled and put to scorn!
Death's pallid hue comes o'er Thee,
The glow of life decays,
Yet angel hosts adore Thee
And tremble as they gaze.
I see Thy strength and vigor
All fading in the strife,
And death, with cruel vigor,
Bereaving Thee of life;
O agony and dying!
O love to sinners free!
Jesus, all grace supplying,
O turn Thy face on me!
In this Thy bitter Passion,
Good Shepherd, think. of me,
With Thy most sweet compassion,
Unworthy though I be;
Beneath Thy Cross abiding,
'Forever would I rest,
In Thy dear love confiding,
And wilth Thy presence blest.
------Saint Bernard of Clairvaux [1090-1153]
O Lord Jesus Christ, in presenting ourselves
before Thine adorable Face to ask of Thee the graces of which we
stand most in need, we beseech Thee, above all, to grant us that
interior disposition of never refusing at any time to do what Thou
requires of us by Thy holy commandments and divine inspirations.Amen
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 our country. Amen
Eternal Father, I ask of Thee as many souls as was
the number of the drops of Blood as Thy Divine Son shed in His
Passion. (She was given a vision of Hell and the multitude of souls
falling in, and was invited to pray for poor sinners.) Amen (Dec. 21,
1846).
Eternal Father, I offer Thee Our Savior, Jesus
Christ for the expiation of my sins and for the needs of Holy
Church.Amen
Our Lord told Sister
Mary St. Pierre March 16,
1844, "Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying
even once, 'Admirable is the Name of God,' in the spirit of
reparation of blasphemy." (say often)
Be merciful to us, O my God and reject not our
prayers, when amid our afflictions, we call upon Thy Holy Name and
seek with love and confidence Thine adorable Face.Amen.
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The
Thirty-three Petitions in Honor of the Sacred Humanity
For Private Use Only.
O good Jesus, Word of the Eternal Father,
Convert me.
O good Jesus, Son of Mary,
Make me her child.
O good Jesus, My Master,
Teach me.
O good Jesus, Prince of peace,
Give me peace.
O good Jesus, my Refuge,
Receive me.
O good Jesus, my Pastor,
Feed my soul.
O good Jesus, Model of patience,
Comfort me.
O good Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
Make my heart like unto Thine.
O good Jesus, my Redeemer,
Save me.
O good Jesus, my God and my All,
Possess me.
O good Jesus, the true Way,
Direct me.
O good Jesus, Eternal Truth,
Instruct me.
O good Jesus, Life of the blessed,
Make me live in Thee.
O good Jesus, my Support,
Strengthen me.
O good Jesus, my Justice,
Justify me.
O good Jesus, my Mediator,
Reconcile me to Thy Father.
O good Jesus, Physician of my soul,
Heal me.
O good Jesus, my Judge,
Absolve me.
O good Jesus, my King,
Govern me.
O good Jesus, my Sanctification,
Sanctify me.
O good Jesus, Abyss of goodness,
Pardon me.
O good Jesus, Living Bread from Heaven,
Satiate me.
O good Jesus, the Father of the prodigal,
Receive me.
O good Jesus, Joy of my soul,
Refresh me.
O good Jesus, my Helper,
Assist me.
O good Jesus, Magnet of love,
Attract me.
O good Jesus, my Protector,
Defend me.
O good Jesus, my Hope,
Sustain me.
O good Jesus, Object of my love,
Make me love Thee.
O good Jesus, Fountain of life,
Cleanse me.
O good Jesus, my Propitiation,
Purify me.
O good Jesus, my Last End,
Let me obtain Thee.
O good Jesus, my Glory,
Glorify me. Amen.
V. Jesus, hear my prayer.
R. Jesus, graciously hear me.
Let Us Pray.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who hast said, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and
you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you," mercifully attend
to our supplications, and grant us the gift of Thy Divine Charity, that we
may ever love Thee with our whole hearts, and may never cease from
praising Thee, Who livest and reignest world without end.
R. Amen.
Chaplet or Crown of The Holy Face
The purpose of the Chaplet or Crown of the Holy face is
to honor the Five Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and to ask God the
Triumph of His Holy Church. This chaplet is composed of a cross and
thirty-nine beads; of these, six are large beads and thirty-three are
small. To this chaplet is attached the Medal of the Holy Face.
On the Cross, which reminds us of the Mystery of
Redemption, we begin the chaplet by praying:
Incline unto my aid, O God! O Lord, make haste to help
me!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it
was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Amen.
The thirty-three small beads represent the 33 years of
Our Lord's
life on earth. The first 30 recall to us the 30 years of His hidden life
and are divided into 5 parts of 6 beads each, in honor of the senses of
touch, hearing, sight, smell, and taste, as these senses were primarily in
His Holy Face; we do this to render reparation for all the sufferings
which Our Lord has endured in His Face through each of these senses.
EACH SIX BEADS ARE PRECEDED BY A LARGE BEAD, AFTER WHICH
A GLORY BE IS SAID WHILE RECALLING THE SENSE WE ARE HONORING IN A
PARTICULAR SECTION.
THE OTHER THREE BEADS MARK OUR LORD'S PUBLIC LIFE AND
HAVE FOR THEIR INTENTION TO HONOR ALL THE WOUNDS OF HIS ADORABLE FACE;
THESE ARE ALSO PRECEDED BY A LARGE BEAD, AFTER WHICH A GLORY BE IS ALSO
SAID FOR THE SAME INTENTION.
ON EACH LARGE BEAD PRAY:
My Jesus, mercy!
ON THE SMALL BEADS:
Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let
them
that hate Thee fly before Thy Face!
The Glory Be is recited seven times in all, after the
prayer of the large
bead in each section, in honor of the Seven Last Words of Jesus
on the Cross, and the Seven Sorrows of Mary.
The chaplet is concluded by praying on the Medal:
God, our Protector, look down upon us and cast Thine
eyes upon the Face of Thy Christ!
Rosary in Honor of the Sacred
Face
[Uses Regular Rosary Beads]
Most Sacred Face, we call on You until You hear our
prayers.
You are able to help us wonderfully, Holy God, Mighty God,
Holy Immortal God! Have mercy on us and on the whole world!
Turn Your Face towards us and we shall be saved!
At the large beads we pray:
Heavenly Father, humbly and fervently we offer You
the infinite merits
and sufferings of the Sacred Face, His Precious Blood, all the wounds
and tears of Jesus, to Your greater Glory, for help in our great need!
At the small beads, instead of the Hail Mary, we
pray:
FIRST DECADE
O Sacred Face, covered with wounds,
have mercy on us, who call on You!
SECOND DECADE
O Sacred Face, covered with blood,
have mercy on us who call on You!
THIRD DECADE
O Sacred Face, shedding tears with infinite Love,
have mercy on us who call on You!
FOURTH DECADE
O Sacred Face, despised and insulted,
have mercy on us who call on You!
FIFTH DECADE
O Sacred Face, silently bearing the most bitter
pain,
have mercy on us who call on You!
Conclude:
Let us adore the Sacred Face of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, Our Savior,
Whose merits are infinite and Whose mercy is fathomless. May
He grant us the remission of our sins and true conversion. Let us
console His Sacred Face by the purity of our lives, by fearless
witness to our Faith and by the depth of our love!
Amen.
Prayer of St. Theresa of
the Child Jesus and of 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 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.
PRAYER TO THE HOLY FACE
by St. Therese of Lisieux
O
adorable face of Jesus, sole beauty which ravisheth my heart,
vouchsafe to
impress on my soul Thy Divine Likeness, so it may not be possible for Thee
to look at
Thy Spouse without beholding Thyself. O my Beloved, for love of Thee I am
content not
to see here on earth the sweetness of Thy Glance, not to feel the
ineffable Kiss of Thy
Sacred Lips, but I beg of Thee to inflame me with Thy Love, so that it may
consume me
quickly, and that soon
Teresa of the Holy Face may behold Thy glorious Countenance in
Heaven.
CANTICLE TO THE HOLY FACE
August 12, 1895
Jesus, Your ineffable image
Is the star which guides my steps.
Ah, You know, Your sweet Face
Is for me Heaven on earth.
My love discovers the charms
Of Your Face adorned with tears.
I smile through my own tears
When I contemplate Your sorrows.
Oh! To console You I want
To live unknown on earth!
Your beauty, which You know how to veil,
Discloses for me all its mystery.
I would like to fly away to You!
Your Face is my only homeland.
It's my Kingdom of love.
It's my cheerful meadow.
Each day, my sweet sun.
It's the Lily of the Valley
Whose mysterious perfume
Consoles my exiled soul,
Making it taste the peace of Heaven.
It's my Rest, my Sweetness
And my melodious Lyre
Your Face, O my Sweet Savior,
Is the Divine Bouquet of Myrrh
I want to keep on my heart!
Your Face is my only wealth.
I ask for nothing more.
Hiding myself in it unceasingly,
I will resemble You, Jesus
Leave in me, the Divine Impress
Of Your features filled with sweetness,
And soon I'll become holy.
I shall draw hearts to You.
So that I may gather
A beautiful golden harvest,
Deign to set me aflame with Your Fire.
With Your adorned mouth,
Give me soon the Eternal Kiss!
Litany of the Holy Face
Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.
Holy Virgin Mary,
Pray for us.
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face Mary and Joseph worshiped with
profoundest reverence,
Have mercy on us.*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face is the masterpiece of the Holy Ghost, in
which the Father was well pleased,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face ravished with joy the angels, shepherds and
Magi in the stable of Bethlehem,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face wounded with a dart of love the aged Simeon
and the Prophetess Anna in the temple,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face was bathed in tears in Thy holy infancy,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face at the age of twelve astonished the doctors
in the temple,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face is white with purity and ruddy with
charity,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face is more beautiful than the sun, brighter
than the moon and more brilliant than the stars,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face is lovelier than the roses of spring,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face is more precious than gold, silver and
gems,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face wins all hearts by its charms and grace,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face is most noble in its heavenly features,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face is contemplated by the angels,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face is the sweet delight of the saints,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face was the joy of Thy Virgin Mother and Thy
foster-father,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face is the ineffable mirror of the Divine
perfections,*
O Jesus, the beauty of Whose adorable Face is ever ancient and ever
new,*
O Jesus, the modesty and mildness of Whose adorable Face attracteth both
just and sinners,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face appeaseth the Divine wrath,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face is the terror of the evil spirits,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face is the treasure of grace and blessings,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face was exposed to the inclemency of the
weather in the wilderness,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face was bathed with sweat in Thy journeys and
scorched with the heat of the sun,*
O Jesus, the expression of Whose adorable Face is wholly Divine,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face gave a holy kiss and blessing to the little
children,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face sorrowed and wept at the grave of Lazarus,*
O Jesus, Whose adorable Face was brilliant as the sun and radiant with
glory on Mount Thabor,*
V. The light of Thy Face has been shed upon us, O Lord.
R. Thou hast given joy to our hearts.
O Adorable Face, worthy of all reverence, veneration and worship,*
O Adorable Face, sorrowful at the sight of Jerusalem and shedding tears
over that ungrateful city,*
O Adorable Face, bowed 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 an infamous servant, blindfolded and profaned
by the sacrilegious hands of Thine enemies,*
O Adorable Face, denied with spittle and bruised by so many buffets and
blows,*
O Adorable Face, Whose Divine look wounded the heart of Peter with
repentance, 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 forced into the mire
under the weight ot the Cross,*
O Adorable Face, the brow crowned with deep and piercing thorns,*
O Adorable Face, wiped with a veil by a pious woman on the way to
Calvary,*
O Adorable Face, raised on the instrument of the most shameful
punishment,*
O Adorable Face, Whose eyes shed tears of blood,*
O Adorable Face, Whose mouth was tormented with vinegar and gall,*
O Adorable Face, Whose hair and beard were plucked out by executioners,*
O Adorable Face, disfigured like the face of a leper,*
O Adorable Face, Whose incomparable beauty was obscured under the
fearful 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
covered with a shroud,*
O Adorable Face, enclosed in the sepulchre,*
O Adorable Face, all resplendent with glory and beauty on the day of Thy
Resurrection,*
O Adorable Face, all dazzling with light at the moment of Thine
Ascension,*
O Adorable Face, hidden in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar,*
O Adorable Face, which will appear at the end of time in the clouds,
with great power and majesty,*
O Adorable Face, which will cause sinners to tremble with terror,*
O Adorable Face, which will fill the just with joy for all eternity,*
V. O Lord, show us Thy Face,
R. And we shall be saved.
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 takest away the sins of the world:
Have mercy on us, O Lord!
Let us pray:
I salute Thee, I adore Thee,
I love Thee, O adorable Face of Jesus, my Beloved, noble seal of the
Divinity! With all the powers of my soul, I apply myself to Thee, and
most humbly pray Thee to imprint in us all the features of Thy Divine
Countenance. R. Amen.
We beseech Thee, O Almighty and merciful God,
grant to us and to all who venerate the Countenance of Thy dearly
beloved Son, all disfigured by our sins, the grace to behold It
throughout eternity in the glory of its majesty.
Through the same Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who is,
with Thee and the Holy Spirit, every one God, world without end. R.
Amen.
O my Jesus! cast upon us a look of mercy; turn Thy
Face toward each of us as Thou didst to Veronica; not that we may see It
with our bodily eyes, for this we do not deserve, but turn It toward our
hearts, so that remembering Thee, we may ever draw from this fountain of
strength the vigor necessary to sustain the combats of, life.
Amen.
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