Seeking the Face of Christ during Lent

© Carmelite Monastery of St. Therese Light of Love League

"Hear my voice when I call O Lord and be merciful to me. Answer me when I call My heart says of you 'Seek his face!'

 Your face, Lord, I will seek." Psalm 27:7-8

 "Rejoice, My daughter; because a time approaches when the most beautiful work under the sun will be born." 
      Our Lord To Sister Mary of St. Peter

 

Jesus wanted a special Feast 

the day before Ash Wednesday 
 (Shrove Tuesday) in honor 
of His Holy Face

Lent is a good time to consider taking upon ourselves a spirit of reparation, for our sins and to help repair for the sins of our neighbor.

The Devotion to the Holy Face was approved by the church and Our Lord promised great blessings for those who would take up this devotion. 

”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.

1.   By offering My Face to My Eternal Father, nothing will be refused, and the conversion of many sinners will be obtained.

2.   By My Holy Face, they will work wonders, appease the anger of God and draw down mercy on sinners. All those who honor My Face in a spirit of reparation will by so doing perform the office of the pious Veronica."

        Our Lord To Sr. Mary of St. Peter, Carmelite Nun of Tours, France, in favor of those who honor His Holy Face.

Our Lord us to repair primarily for sins 

against the First three commandments 

sins against  the majesty of God!

 

1. I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me. 

2. You shall not take the name of the Lord God in vain 

3. Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day 

 The devotion to the Holy Face may also  be linked in God's line of 

Providence with the Apparition of Our Lady at LaSalette in France around 

1846.  Our Lady appeared there and gave the same reasons to Meline and for why Our Lord was going to 

punish Europe with Famine and pestilence.  I have included a reference 

on LaSalette towards the end of this post. 

With this in mind and seeing the state of the world today one should 
reflect seriously on the dangers we are in and heed Our Lords Call for 
reparation for sins against the commandments that directly attack the 
majesty of God. And heed the warnings Our Lady gave at LaSallette and 
Fatima with the final call from God by the Angel at Fatima for 
PENANCE!, PENANCE! Penance! Do make this Lent a good Lent.

You may also follow this link

Devotions to the Holy Face and its Special Significance for this 2018 Lenten Season 

The novena prayer our Lord asked for before Shrove Tuesday may be 
said at any time, but especially in the nine days leading up to the Feast of the Holy Face on Shrove Tuesday.  However One may also begin the Novena on  Shrove Tuesday or anytime especially during Lent if you are just reading about this devotion. 

I have been so busy I plan to begin the Novena on Shrove Tuesday. I 
hope others will take up the spirit of Reparation with the novena and 
possibly joining the Arch-confraternity to the Holy Face details also later in the post.  Link for Novena Prayers 

History of the Holy Face Devotion

Sr Mary of St Peter holding Golden arrow

     
   The devotion had its beginnings in Tours, France around 1840, when 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. Also reparation for the blasphemies of atheists and freethinkers and others, plus, for blasphemy and the profanation of Sundays by Christians.  

OUR LORD’S REVELATIONS FOLLOWED 

BY 30 YEARS OF MIRACLES 

that attested to the truth and power of this devotion. It was universally practiced until a few years before World War I And then our Lord sent  this Mother once again to remind men of their obligations to God. This

time to Fatima!

Papal Briefs

On  August 8, 1843 Pope Gregory XVI promulgated a papal brief for the 

erection of a confraternity for the reparation of blasphemy against the 

Holy Name of God. Sister Mary reported that on the same day, while 

commencing  her evening prayer Jesus made her to understand that he 

would give her prayer of reparation, a "golden dagger" for blasphemy 

against his Holy 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 heart the wounds inflicted on it by the malice of sinners.  An Arch-confraternity of the Holy Face was also established in Tours, France, in 1884; and its members make reparation for the blasphemies hurled at Christ.

THE “GOLDEN ARROW” PRAYER

Dictated by Our Lord to Sister Mary of St. Peter

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. 

       Arch-Confraternity   to the Holy Face 

DEFENDERS OF THE HOLY NAME OF GOD

  

In 1885 Pope Leo XIII, by papal brief, established this devotion as an 

Arch-confraternity; and contrary to custom, immediately established it 

FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD.

In the United States the Arch-confraternity of the Holy Face is canonically erected at the Carmelite Monastery of St. Therese of the Child Jesus with the discalced Carmelite Nuns. 

You may write (don't Call) the Cloisterd Carmelite sisters for a brochure on Devotion to the Holy Face.   The Light of Love is kept burning there dayand  night before the likeness of the  Holy Face. Mass is offered each First Friday for members of the Light of Love.  

                  

Write the sisters to be enrolled in the "Light of Love"  

A donation to support their consecrated life will be joyfully accepted by 

the nuns who pray for their benefactors.

Carmelite Monastery of St.Therese

 357050 Moravian Dr.,  

Clinton Twp. MI 48035 

To stem the evils of our age
Reparation is Needed

 …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.

As requested by Our Lord Jesus Christ. These prayers are to be said on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, publicly (if possible), and preferably before the Blessed Sacrament or before the picture of the Holy Face.

Dear Lord, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, I (we) offer Thee these prayers in reparation for the sins which offend God the most in these modern times – the sins of BLASPHEMY and the PROFANATION OF SUNDAY and Thy Holy Days of Obligation: One Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be To The Father

                

 Spread of the Devotion 

to the Holy Face

Almost 50 years later, another French Carmelite nun, Saint Therese of 
Lisieux wrote a number of poems and prayers in the 1890s that also 
helped spread the devotion to the Holy Face.

  This was also the favorite devotion of St. 

Theresa of the Child Jesus and of the Holy 

Face1885-1897:She has said that the 

suffering, wounded Face of her dear Jesus

was the foundation of all her piety. At the 

age of twelve, St. Theresa and her whole 

family registered as members of the 

Arch-confraternity of Reparation to the 
Holy Face in Tours, France. Pope St. Pius X 
called St. Theresa “The greatest Saint of 
modern times”. She was so devoted to this devotion to the Holy Face that she added the title to her name at the time she took the habit. 

This is why you will often see St. Therese 

referred to as St. Therese of the Child 

Jesus "and of the Holy Face" Since St. 

Therese's devotion to the Holy Face has 

become known, this devotion has spread 

worldwide  

   

    
   In the 1930s, an Italian nun, Bl. Maria Pierina De Micheli associated the image of the Holy Face of Jesus from the Shroud of Turin with the devotion and made the first Holy Face Medal. The first Holy Face Medal was offered to Pope Pius XII who accepted it and approved the  devotion in 1958 and declared the Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus as Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday) for all Roman Catholics.

"The executioners crucified me 

on Friday Christians 

Crucify me on Sunday!"

"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!'"

 “Our Lord then made me see that this frightful sin  of Blasphemy 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…How many TV shows blaspheme the Holy Name of God and we think nothing of it?

These are the principal sins which in modern times are provoking the 
anger of God. These were also the sins that Our Lady warned of at  
LaSallett in 1846. In God's providence Our Lady appeared and warned
the and the world church at the same time Our Lord was giving the 
against Blasphemy and the profanation of Sundays to St Mary Peter of 
Tours in 1840s.

Enter Our Lady of  La Salette
and the Holy Face?

In 1846, Sr Mary of St, Peter was still receiving revelations
on the Holy Face from our Lord when Our Lady appeared at LaSalette, France in 1846

Our Lady weeping while sitting on a rock
representing the rock of Peter the church

Not widely known or considered in church circles LaSalette is undoubtedly the most controversial of the Church-approved Marian apparitions. Foretelling future calamities for the Church and World  at that time and into the future coming of the antichrist if men did not amend their lives! 
Here Our Lady  echoed the very same concerns that Our Lord told to Sr. Mary of St. Peter in Tours France. Namely  that she could no longer hold the arm of her son back from chastising humanity because  of  the profanation of Sundays and taking the Lord’s name in vain.  

 “ I gave you six days to work, I kept the seventh for myself, and no one wishes to grant it to me. This is what weighs down the arm of my Son so much. Those who drive carts cannot speak without putting the name of my Son in the middle. These are the two things which weigh down the arm of my Son so much."
                                          
The Punishments predicted at LaSalette are all in consequence for the lapse of Catholic's  and Christians in the practice of the faith!  She foretold also a time after the Fatima Message and the appearance of the antichrist. The secrets given the children of LaSalette are called today "Our Lady's Apocalypse"  

 At the time the church did not accept the messages of  MELANIE CALVAT and MAXIMIN GIRAUD the children who she appeared to. Their message was to hard to speak or even think about. It was to hard to accept the corruption of the clergy and the means of the appearance of the anti-Christ on earth. But today after the scandals and betrayals by the clergy we see the message is for our day.  Melanie suffered very much  as she witnessed to the truth of her experience. She persevered almost alone to the end. The cause for Melanie has been introduced at Rome. I will never forget my impression of reading the secrets. How Our Lady turned and gazed towards Rome for a long while in silence before she disappeared.   

Also See: Our Lady of Knock, LaSalette and Fatima a Hidden Mystery in Providence!
                                         "Our Lady's Apocalypse"
  

   Famine Foretold at LaSalette

The Virgin Mary at LaSallette predicted that the harvest would completely fail. In December 1846, most of the popular crops were disease stricken, and in 1847 a famine hit Europe which resulted in the loss of approximately one million lives, including one hundred thousand in France alone. Cholera became prevalent in various parts of France and claimed the lives of many children. The demise of the Second French Republic with the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) and the communist uprising of the Paris Commune of 1871 were also predicted.

Concerning the Church Hierarchy

Concerning the Church, Our Lady at LaSalatte predicted that Catholic faith in France and the world, within the civilian population as in the Catholic hierarchy of priests and bishops would diminish greatly because of many sinful acts from laity and clergy. Wars and tribulations would occur if mankind did not repent, and the total destruction of the cities of Paris and Marseille would occur near the end. France the eldest daughter of the church! At Fatima Our Lady predicted the annihilation of many nations Humanity was warned, through the secret message delivered to Mélanie, for the coming of the Antichrist and the end of times. To Maximin, she supposedly predicted the conversion of England in the final phase of the apocalypse!   The message has so much bearing for this time I provide a link for it to be read in its entirety!

                                    
Sr. Pierina, 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, to his holy face 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  also 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. 

I have given My heart as a sensible object of 
My great love for man, and I give My  Face as a 
sensible object of My sorrow for the sins of man.

“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."  

“Every time my Face is 

contemplated I will pour 

out my love into the heart of those persons, and by means of my Holy Face the salvation of many will be obtained”.

PROMISES OF OUR LORD JESUS

To Sr. Mary of St. Peter, Carmelite Nun of Tours, France, in favor of those who honor His Holy Face.

1.      By offering My Face to My Eternal Father, nothing will be refused, and the conversion of many sinners will be obtained.

2.      By My Holy Face, they will work wonders, appease the anger of God and draw down mercy on sinners.

3.      All those who honor My Face in a spirit of reparation will by so doing perform the office of the pious Veronica.

4.      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.

5.      Those who by words, prayers or writing defend My cause in the Work of Reparation, especially My priests, I will defend before My Father, and will give them My Kingdom.

6.      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.

7.      Those who on earth contemplate the wounds of My Face shall in Heaven behold it radiant with glory.

8.      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.

9.      I will defend them, I will preserve them and I assure them of Final Perseverance.

 The following link you may obtain more information on this devotion http://holyfacedevotion.com/  and download a pamphlet http://holyfacedevotion.com/pamphlet.htm  that has been printed in an attempt to revive this extremely important devotion to the Holy Face of Christ, which He wants to last until the end of time.

                                               

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