The FEAST OF THE HOLY FACE OF JESUS Is on Mardi Gras?!
Pope Pius XII declared that Mardi Gras/ Shrove Tuesday, or the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday is the Feast of The Holy Face of Jesus. This was done, most probably, to make up to God for the crimes committed against Him during the 2 weeks of the Carnival or on Mardi Gras and to ask Him to help us to start off Lent well on Ash Wednesday. Therefore, we can make a Novena, beginning 9 days before this Tuesday, in honor of our Lord’s Holy Face.
“PRAYERS OF REPARATION
TO THE HOLY FACE OF JESUS,
As requested by Our Lord Jesus Christ. These prayers are to be said on Sundays and the Holy Days of Obligation, publicly (if possible), and preferably before The Blessed Sacrament or before a 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”.
THE “GOLDEN ARROW” PRAYER
by Our Lord to Sister Marie of St. Pierre:
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 Marie of St. Pierre 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.
PRAYER TO OFFER THE HOLY FACE OF JESUS TO GOD THE FATHER TO APPEASE HIS JUSTICE AND DRAW DOWN MERCY UPON US:
Almighty and Eternal Father, since it has pleased Our Divine Savior to reveal to mankind in modern times the power residing in His Holy Face, we now avail ourselves of This Treasure in our great need. Since our Savior Himself promised that by offering to Thee His Holy Face, disfigured in The Passion, we can procure the settlement of all the affairs of our household, and that nothing whatsoever will be refused to us, we now come before Thy Throne.
Eternal Father, turn away Thine 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 His Holy Face, covered with Blood, Sweat, dust, spittle and shame, in reparation for the worst crimes of our age, which are atheism, blasphemy, and the desecration of Thy Holy Days. We thus hope to appease Thine Anger, justly provoked against us. The All-Merciful Advocate opens His Mouth to plead our cause; listen to His Cries, behold His Tears, O God, and, through The Merits of His Holy Face, harken to Him when He intercedes for us poor, miserable sinners. Amen.
(taken from: http://www.holyfacedevotion.com/devotion.htm)
“ ‘By offering My Face to My Eternal Father, nothing will be refused, and the conversion of many sinners will be obtained.’— Our Lord to Sr. Marie de Saint-Pierre (November, 1846).
Origin of the Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus
On November 24, 1843, Our Lord spoke the following words to the French Carmelite, Sr. Marie de Saint-Pierre:
‘The earth is covered with crimes. The violation of the first three Commandments of God has irritated My Father. The Holy Name of God blasphemed and the Holy Day of the Lord profaned, fills up the measure in iniquities. These sins have risen unto the Throne of God and provoked His Wrath which will soon burst forth if His Justice be not appeased. At no time have these crimes reached such a pitch.’
Our Lord appeared several times to Sister Marie to ask for reparation to be done to His Holy Face. These revelations have the full approval of The Catholic Church.
The Holy Face Medal
Bl. Maria Pierina de Micheli (d. 1945, beatified May 30, 2010) was urged in many visions by The Blessed Mother and Jesus Himself to spread the devotion to The Holy Face. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her holding a scapular, which on one piece bore The Image from [Veronica’s Veil] with the words:
“Illumina Domine Vultum Tuum super nos.”
(“May The Light of Thy Face, O Lord, shine upon us.”)
and on the other a [Sacred] Host surrounded by rays and the words:
“Mane Nobiscum Domine.”
(“Stay with us, O Lord.”)
Our Lady promised: “All, who shall wear a scapular like this and make, if possible, a visit to The Blessed Sacrament, every Tuesday, in reparation for the outrages, that The Holy Face of my Son, Jesus, received during His Passion and is still receiving in The Holy Eucharist, every day, will be strengthened in The Faith and be made ready to defend it, will overcome all difficulties, internal and external, and will have a peaceful death under The Loving Gaze of my Divine Son.”
[Bl.] Sister Maria Pierina felt inspired and obtained permission to have a medal cast, of which Our Lady approved, and granted the same favors and promises, as those of the scapular.
The first medal of The Holy Face was offered to Pope Pius XII, who approved the devotion and the medal. (https://www.holyface.com/medals.htm, https://blessedbehisholyface.com/about‑2/)
On April 17, 1958, he declared the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday) as the Feast of The Holy Face of Jesus, as Our Lord had requested.
Our Lord told [Bl.] Sr. Marie of St. Pierre on 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 for blasphemy.”
“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 souls.
O Jesus, through the merits of Thy Holy Face, have pity on us and on the whole world. (pray 3 times)
Promises of Our Lord to Sr. Marie of St. Peter
By My Holy Face you shall work wonders.
All those, who honor My Holy Face in a spirit of reparation, will by so doing perform the office of the pious Veronica.
According to the care you take in making Reparation to My Face, disfigured by blasphemies, so will I take care of yours, which has been disfigured by sin. I will reprint My image and render it as beautiful as it was on leaving the Baptismal font.
Our Lord has promised for all of those, who defend His Cause in this work of reparation, by words, by prayers, or in writing, that He will defend them before His Father; at their death He will purify their souls by effacing all of the blots of sin and will restore to them their primitive beauty.
Our Lord has promised, that He will imprint His Divine Likeness on the souls of those, who honor His Holy Face.
(taken from: http://churchmilitant.com/devotions/holy-face-devotion/)
CHAPLET OF THE HOLY FACE
“The words of the Holy Face Chaplet derive from Psalm 67(68) – St. Athanasius relates that the devils, on being asked what verse in the whole Scripture they feared most, replied: “That Psalm which begins: ‘Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered: And let them that hate Him flee from before His [Holy] Face.’ “Then they are compelled to take flight.”
The Chaplet has for its object the honoring of The Five Senses of our Lord Jesus Christ and of entreating God for The Triumph of His Church. The chaplet comes to us from Sr. Marie St. Pierre and is composed of a cross, 39 beads, six of which are large, and 33 of which are small.
The 33 small beads represent The 33 Years of The Mortal Life of our Lord.
The first 30 recall to mind The 30 Years of His Private Life, and are divided into five decades [6 beads each decade] with the intention of honoring The Five Senses: Touch, Hearing, Sight, Smell, and Taste of Jesus, which have their seat principally in His Holy Face, rendering homage to all of The Sufferings our Lord endured in His Face through each one of these Senses.
A large bead to honor each of The Senses precedes each of these five decades.
The three small beads recall The Public Life of The Savior and honor The Wounds of His Adorable Face; the large bead preceding them has the same purpose.
A medal of The Holy Face completes the chaplet.
How to say
The Chaplet of the Holy Face:
All: +In the Name of The Father, and of The Son, and of The Holy Spirit. Amen.
Verse/V. O God, come to my aid:
Response/R. O Lord, make haste to help me,’
(On the first bead)
Leader: My Jesus, Mercy!
R: Glory be to The Father, and to The Son and to The Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
On each small bead recite:
(On the next three small beads)
Verse/V. Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered:
Response/R. And let them, that hate Him, flee from before His Holy Face.
In honor of all that Our Lord suffered in His Holy Face…
1 – V. O Jesus, Who enduredst a kiss of betrayal from Judas as well as the strikes and blows on Thy Holy Face from sinners,
R. Have Mercy on us!
V. My Jesus, Mercy! (“Our Father” bead)
R. Glory be to The Father, and to The Son, and to The Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
(On the next six small beads)
V. Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered:
R. And let them, that hate Him, flee from before His Holy Face.
2 – V. O Jesus, Whose Ears wert assaulted by the curses and blasphemies which issued from the lips of those whom Thou createdst in Thy Love,
R. Have Mercy on us!
V. My Jesus, Mercy! (“Our Father” bead)
R. Glory Be to The Father, and to The Son, and to The Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
(On the next six small beads)
V. Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered:
R. And let them, that hate Him, flee from before His Holy Face.
3 – V. O Jesus, Whose Eyes wert filled with Tears and Blood, then shamefully blindfolded by those who refused to look upon Thee, Who art The Truth,
R. Have Mercy on us!
V. My Jesus, Mercy! (“Our Father” bead)
R. Glory be to The Father, and to The Son, and to The Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
(On the next six small beads)
V. Let GOD arise, and let His enemies be scattered:
R. And let them, that hate Him, flee from before His Holy Face.
4 – V. O Jesus, Who sufferedst in Thy Sense of Smell, when Thy Holy Face wast defiled and disfigured, covered with spittle and filth,
R. Have Mercy on us!
V. My Jesus, Mercy! (“Our Father” bead)
R. Glory be to The Father, and to The Son, and to The Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
(On the next six small beads)
V. Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered:
R. And let them, that hate Him, flee from before His Holy Face.
5 – V. O Jesus, Whose Adorable Mouth wast filled with vinegar and gall,
R. Have Mercy on us!
V. My Jesus, Mercy! (“Our Father” bead)
R. Glory be to The Father, and to The Son, and to The Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
(On the next six small beads)
V. Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered:
R. And let them, that hate Him, flee from before His Holy Face.
All: Glory be to The Father, and to The Son, and to The Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
V. O God, our Protector, look upon us,
R. And cast Thine Eyes upon The Face of Thy Christ.
(taken from: (with modifications): devotions/holy-face-devotion/https://illuminaDomine.com/the-holy-face-medal/)
Additional prayers, that may be said at the end of the Chaplet to place division in the camps of the enemies of The Church:
Arise, O Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered, and let all that hate Thee, flee from before Thy Holy Face!
May The Thrice Holy Name of God overcome all [of] their plans.
May The Holy Name of The Living God split them up by disagreements.
May The Terrible Name of The God of Eternity stamp out all [of] their godlessness.
Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.
(taken from: http://churchmilitant.com/devotions/holy-face-devotion/)
We could also pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy several times; we could go to Holy Mass more than once, etc.
St. Gertrude the Great asked our Lord how she could make up to Him for the “crimes and excesses” committed during the “Carnival” or “Mardi Gras” celebrations.
“Our Lord replied:
‘You can do nothing more acceptable to Me than to say the ‘Pater noster’ [‘Our Father’] three times, or the Psalm [116] ‘Laudate Dominum, omnes gentes’;
And at the first repetition, offer to God all the wearinesses and labors of My Heart for the salvation of men; …in reparation for all the unlawful pleasures in which the human heart indulges at this time.
At the second repetition, offer to God My Father all of The Abstinences and Mortifications of My Lips, whether in eating, speaking, preaching, or praying, in satisfaction for all of the sins of the tongue now committed.
At the third repetition, offer to God, My Father all of The Actions and Movements of My Most Holy Body, and of Each Member thereof, with all of The Bitterness of My Passion and Death, in satisfaction for all of the sins, which men commit now against their own salvation.’
How acceptable good works are to our Lord during the three days of the Carnival; and how such works obtain merit by union with the Passion of Christ…
*Psalm 116
O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
For His Mercy is confirmed upon us: and The Truth of The Lord remaineth for ever.
Alleluia, laudate Dominum, omnes gentes, laudate Eum omnes populi.
Quoniam confirmata est super nos Misericordia Eius, et Veritas Domini manet in saeculum.”…
“[St.] Mechtilde asked our Lord to teach her how she could offer satisfaction to Him for the many members of the Church who at this time (it was Quinquagesima Sunday) showered so many insults on Him. Our Lord replied:
‘Say 350 times the anthem:
‘Tibi laus, tibi gloria, tibi gratiarum actio, O Beata Trinitas!’
‘To thee be praise, to thee be glory, to thee be thanksgiving, O Blessed Trinity,’
in reparation for all of the indignities offered Me by those, who are My members.’ ”
(taken from: http://www.saintsworks.net/Pamphlet%20-%20Reparation%20for%20Carnival%20or%20Mardi%20Gras.htm)
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