top of page
OVERVIEW:
Throughout history, holy men and women have been chosen by God to spread the wonderful Holy Face devotion. Some of the first to encourage it were St. Augustine, St. Bernard, St. Gertrude the Great, and St. Mechtilde. To St. Gertrude Our Lord promised: “All those who meditate frequently on the vision of My Divine Face, attracted by the desires of love, shall receive within them, through My Humanity, a bright ray of My Divinity, which shall enlighten their inmost souls so that they shall reflect the light of My countenance in a special manner throughout eternity.” St Theresa had so much love for the Holy Face of Jesus that she signed her name Sister Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face.
From 1831-1851 a holy man by the name of the Ven. Leo Dupont in Tours France was in possession of a Holy Face picture of which he placed a lamp to illuminate the sacred image of our Lord. Using oil from the lamp burning by it to bless people, a great number of ill people were miraculously healed.
The Holy Face devotion came to light even more through the Blessed Maria Pierina de Micheli who in 1898 at the age of seven began receiving visions of our Lord. She became a sister as a Daughter of the Immaculate Conception. Our Lord told her: "I firmly wish that My face reflecting the intimate pains of my soul, the suffering and love of my heart, be more honored! Whoever gazes upon me already consoles me." Also Our Lord said to her, Our Lord spoke to Blessed Maria Pierina"Each time my Face is contemplated I will pour my love into hearts and through my Holy Face the salvation of many souls will be obtained." Our Lord spoke to Blessed Maria Pierina any times about the Holy Face devotion.
On 17 April 1958, Venerable Pope Pius XII approved the observance of the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. Our
Our Lord made the following promises to those who honor His Holy Face:
-
All those who honor My Face in a spirit of reparation will by so doing perform the office of the pious Veronica. According to the care they take in making reparation to My Face, disfigured by blasphemers, so will I take care of their souls which have been disfigured by sin. My Face is the seal of the Divinity, which has the virtue of reproducing in souls the image of God.
-
Those who by words, prayers or writing defend My cause in this Work of Reparation I will defend before My Father, and will give them My Kingdom.
-
By offering My Face to My Eternal Father, nothing will be refused, and the conversion of many sinners will be obtained.
-
By My Holy Face, they will work wonders, appease the anger of God, and draw down mercy on sinners.
-
As in a kingdom they can procure all that is desired with a coin stamped with the King’s effigy, so in the Kingdom of Heaven they will obtain all they desire with the precious coin of My Holy Face.
-
Those who on earth contemplate the wounds of My Face shall in Heaven behold it radiant with glory.
-
They will receive in their souls a bright and constant irradiation of My Divinity, that by their likeness to My Face they shall shine with particular splendor in Heaven.
-
I will defend them, I will preserve them and I assure them of Final Perseverance.
So, what is so unique about this devotion?
Most of all, it is about experiencing what it means to be God's child and wanting to see the Face of the One who loves us most. It is about being connected in prayer in a profound way. It is about reaching our Lord through focusing on His Holy Face image and offering heart felt prayers and meditate on Christ's passion and suffering for us. It is truly experiencing that relationship of being God's child, knowing that we can bring to our Lord anything from our heart in prayer that we desire to talk about.
Successful business executives often require face to face meetings regardless of the distance they have to travel.
One of the reasons is that it forces the participants to engage in the conversation. Often during phone conferences participants are doing something else at the same time, like checking text phone messages,
e-mails, or even playing games. It is tough to conduct a serious meeting outside of a face to face conversation.
So you might say that there is quite a difference between talking to a printed image and a face to face conversation. True, however when one prays before a sacred image of our Lord and is focused, God connects.
God always connects with us when we pray although when one is looking attentively at His image, there is an added dimension because this way of prayer engages us, closes out distractions, and places our Lord directly centered in our prayer, becoming like a face to face conversation.
How it enhances prayer and deepens other devotions:
There are many wonderful prayer devotions in the Church. One for example is the holy Rosary.
Praying the holy Rosary focused on a sacred image of our Lord during this contemplative prayer will increase ones focus, concentration, and avail oneself to deeper prayer. The Divine mercy prayers are usually said with the Divine Mercy image in close view. Our Lord promised special graces would be given to those who venerate this image. The Sacred Heart and Precious Blood devotions are both perfect to recite as a Face to face prayer as well your personal prayers and many other devotions.
On the first Tuesday of 1937, Jesus spoke to and assured Sr. Maria Pierina this devotion would not interfere with others honoring Him. "Perhaps some souls fear that the devotion to My holy Face may diminish that to My Sacred Heart. Tell them that,on the contrary, it will complete and increase it. Contemplating My Face, souls will share in My sorrow and will feel the need for love and reparation. Is this not the true devotion to Mt Heart?
(Sr. Maria Pierina, 1890-1845 now Blessed, belonged to the Congregation of the Daughters of the Immaculate Conception)
How this fulfills our Lord's request to be as little children:
Can you think of a more personal form of prayer than placing the image of the Face of our Lord at eye level and kneeling before it, humbling yourself, and as a child, asking your Lord and Father for help, guidance, and thanking Him for all He provides? Imagine a big corporate CEO finishing a long day of closing a multi-million dollar deal, getting back into his hotel room, placing an image of the holy Face of our Lord on the table by the bed, giving thanks and humbly asking protection for his family at home and a safe return for himself tomorrow. That is being a true "Child of God".
It's a deeper more intimate way to pray:
It is not just another devotion. It is a practice one develops that has the ability to lead one into a deeper more intimate union with our Lord. Praying focused on our Lord's sacred image sets the stage to engage in a most intimate form of prayer. When I pray before an image of our Savior, I feel a deep closeness. I know God is always attentive to my prayers but when I focus on an image of His Holy Face, there is so much added depth than just reciting my prayers and trying to maintain a mental image.
You may want to bring a small version of your favorite image of our Lord to the Blessed Sacrament chapel so that you will have before you, our Lord truly present , Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament and also you can gaze upon the image of our Lord while you pray or contemplate. This, very possibly could become a most intimate time spent with our Savior aside from Holy Communion. Furthermore compounding the depths one may reach in prayer. it by contemplative nature could yield many fruits of enlightenment and other grace from the Holy Spirit.
Keep your crucifix:
Please do not remove your crucifix. The Holy Face devotion in no way seeks to reduce the importance of praying before the crucifix. If you already pray before the crucifix , then simply place the Holy Face image near it such that you can focus back and forth as desired during prayers.
By: W.M.Simons
bottom of page