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THE MOST HOLY FACE OF JESUS The visions of St. Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373) provide us with an extraordinary account of the lives of Our Divine Lord and His Blessed Mother. Among her celebrated visions is an account given by Our Lady to the saint of the appearance of her Son, the "most beautiful among the sons of men." "Such as my Son is in Heaven you cannot behold. But hear what He was in body in the world. He was so beautiful of countenance that no one looked Him in the face without being consoled by His aspect, even if heartbroken with grief. The just were consoled with spiritual consolation; and even the bad were relieved from worldly sadness as long as they gazed upon Him. Hence, those in grief were wont to say: 'Let us go and see Mary's Son; we shall be relieved for that time.' In His twentieth year He was perfect in manly strength and stature. Amid those of modern times He would be large-not overmuch-but of considerable frame and build. His hair, eyebrows, and beard were of a light brown; His beard a hand's width long; His forehead not prominent or retreating, but erect. His nose moderate, neither small nor large; His eyes were so pure that even His enemies delighted to look upon Him. His chin was not prominent or over long, but graceful in beautiful moderation; His cheeks modestly full, His complexion clear white and red. His bearing was erect, and His whole body spotless." (Lib. iv, c.70) Yet the beauty of Our Divine Lord's Holy Face was destined to be marred by the punishment due to our sins. The Four Evangelists and the Prophet Isaias give us a lengthy and detailed account of the sufferings inflicted on the Holy Face, and the Shroud of Turin not only confirms their account, but also reveals the awesome majesty of that Face, from which the Divinity was not separated even in death, in a way that no human artist will ever equal.
What the Evangelists Tell Us: Jesus in the Court of the Jews
"Then did they spit on His Face and buffeted Him, and others struck Him in the Face with the palms of their hands, saying: Prophesy, O Christ, who is he that struck thee." (Matt. 26:67-68.) "And some began to spit on Him and to cover His Face and to buffet Him, and to say to Him: Prophesy." (Mark 14:65) "And the men that held Him mocked Him and struck Him. And they blindfolded Him and smote Him on the Face. And they asked Him, saying: Prophesy who it is that struck thee? And blaspheming, many other things they said against Him." (Luke 22:63) One of the servants standing by gave Jesus a blow, saying: "Answerest Thou the high priest so?" (John 18:22)
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St. Bridget of Sweden leaves us no account of the actual crowning with thorns, but she tells us that when the Crucifixion was completed, the crown of thorns was again placed on Our Lord's head: "This done, they replaced on His head the crown of thorns which they had taken off while affixing Him to the Cross, and fastened it on His most sacred Head. It so wounded His venerable Head that His eyes were filled with the blood that flowed down." (Rev. Bk. 7) The Venerable Maria of Agreda, the famous Spanish mystic, sees the Crowning with Thorns in her vision as follows: "The executioners brought Our Savior to the guardhouse, where they again stripped Him of His clothes in a most cruel and insulting manner. They put upon His shoulders a dirty torn purple mantle in order that thus clad as a mock King He may serve as an object of mockery and derision for them. On His Sacred Head they placed a network woven with thorns to represent a crown. This network was composed of big strong thorns with very sharp points and was pressed down with such force that many of the thorns pierced the skull. The pain from the crowning with thorns was one of the greatest that the Son of God suffered in His Passion." Her account then relates how the whole cohort of Roman soldiers then came and took part in the cruel mockery. The accounts of the German mystics, Venerable Anna Katherine Emmerich and Teresa Neumann, while corresponding with the Gospel account, add many details. Sister Emmerich tells us: "The executioners were about fifty in number, mostly slaves or servants of the jailers and soldiers. A mob that gathered round the building was displaced by a thousand Roman soldiers who were drawn up in order and stationed there. The executioners tore off the garments of Jesus, thereby re-opening all His wounds. They threw over His shoulders an old scarlet mantle. They dragged Him to the seat prepared, having first placed the crown of thorns on His head. The crown of thorns was made of three branches plaited together, the greatest part of the thorns being purposely turned inwards so as to pierce Our Lord's Head. Having first placed these twisted branches on His forehead, they tied them tightly together at the back of His head... They put a reed in His hand. They then seized the reed from His hand and struck His head so violently that His eyes were filled with blood; they knelt before Him; derided Him; spat in His face and buffeted Him, saying at the same time, 'Hail, King of the Jews!'" Teresa Neumann's account of the crowning with thorns is similar to Ven. Anna Katherine Emmerich's: "The crown of thorns which is now ready is placed on Our Lord's head like a helmet; it is not just a crown as we see it depicted in our pictures. One of the soldiers presses the crown of thorns firmly on His Head. The blood flows down His whole Face which shows signs of intense pain during this terrible treatment. Then the executioners put something like a staff in the hands of our dear Savior, on the upper end of which is a natural knob, very much like a corn cob, like those I have seen at Fockenfeld, only smaller. They now amuse themselves with it, making mock genuflections before Him. I was specially indignant about the contempt implied by this mockery of bowing the knee before Our Savior. They spit in His Face and give themselves up to uncontrollable laughter over the defenselessness of the Prisoner." Let us Pray: O Lord Jesus, Who by a singular prodigy didst leave for us upon Thy Holy Shroud the imprint of Thy Most Holy Body, so cruelly tortured and put to death for our salvation, together with the Image of Thy Most Holy Face, disfigured by wounds and blows of wicked men, grant us through the merits of Thy many sufferings that by venerating on earth the Image of Thy Holy Face, upon which the very Angels long to gaze, we may be made worthy to contemplate It forever in Heaven. Amen
Promises of Our Lord Jesus Christ to those Devoted to His Holy Face
1. I will grant them contrition so perfect that their very sins shall be changed in My sight into jewels of precious gold. 2. None of these persons shall ever be separated from Me. 3. In offering My Face to My Father, they will appease His anger, and they will purchase as with celestial coin, pardon for poor sinners. 4. I will open My Mouth to plead with My Father to grant all the petitions that they will present to Me. 5. I will illuminate them with My light; I will consume them with My love. I will render them fruitful of good works.
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6. They will, as the pious Veronica, wipe My adorable Face outraged by sin, and I will imprint My divine Features on their souls. 7. At their death I will renew in them the image of God effaced by sin. 8. By resemblance to My Face they will shine more than many others in eternal life, and the brilliancy of My Face will fill them with joy. These inestimable promises are drawn from the works of St. Gertrude, of St. Mechtilde and from the writings of Sister Maria de Saint-Pierre, a Carmelite, who died at Tours, in the odor of sanctity. Our Blessed Lady to Mother Maria-Pierina: "Listen carefully, this devotion 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 sensuality and hatred against God and His Church. Diabolical nets are thrown to wrench the true Faith from hearts, evils abound, true apostles are few. Among the powerful remedies to these evils is the Holy Face of Jesus. All who are devoted to the Holy Face, and make, if possible, every Tuesday a visit to the Blessed Sacrament in order to repair the outrages which the Face of my Divine Son Jesus received during His Passion, and receives every day in the Holy Eucharist, will be strengthened in faith, prompt to defend it, and to overcome all difficulties, internal and external. Further, they will have a peaceful death under the loving gaze of My Divine Son."
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souls with an abundance of grace which inspires us, aids us, strengthens us, and enables us to persevere. This grace makes the soil of our soul fertile, makes it able to produce virtuous and meritorious works, both necessary and useful for the salvation of our souls."
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