THE OFFICIAL PRAYERS FROM THE MANUAL OF THE ARCHCONFRATERNITY OF THE HOLY FACE
CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY FACE FOR THE USE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE ARCHCONFRATERNITY
(P.159 of the Manual of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face)
I ….. in order to give greater increase to the glory o Jesus, dying for salvation upon the cross; in order to correspond to the merciful love with which his Holy Face is animated towards poor sinners, and in order to repair the outrages which the frightful crimes of the present day inflict upon his august Face, the most pure mirror of the divine Majesty, – I associate myself, fully and freely, to the faithful received into this pious confraternity; I desire to participate in the indulgences with which it is enriched and in the good works practiced therein, as well for the expiation of my sins as for the solace of souls suffering in Purgatory. Amiable Redeemer, most sweet Jesus, hide in the secret of Thy Face all the members of this association; may they there find shelter from the seductions of the world, and the snares of Satan; grant that, faithfully keeping all the precepts of Thy law and fulfilling the special duties of their state, they may be more and more inflamed with zeal for reparation, and with the flames of Thy divine love.
CONSECRATION OF OURSELVES TO THE HOLY FACE
(P.160 of the Manual of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face)
Oh adorable Face of my Jesus, humbly prostrate in Thy divine presence, I desire to consecrate myself wholly to Thee and henceforth to live only for Thee. Why have I not at my disposal, the hearts of all creatures, in order to offer them up as a holocaust to Thee? Alas! oh well beloved Face, I have only my own, unworthy as it is of Thy attention and often rebelling against the movements of Thy grace; nevertheless, I give it to Thee, my poor heart, and I consecrate it to Thee, in order that, from this moment and during all the days of my life, it may be inflamed with the holy ardour of Thy divine love. Purify it, warm it with the blessed rays of Thy eternal light, so that I may henceforth exclaim with the prophet king: <<Lord, the light of Thy Face is engraved upon us; Thou hast caused joy to spring forth in my heart. (Ps. IV, 7.)
I offer Thee then this day, deliberately and with great joy, the sacrifice of all the delights which may be offered me on earth. Accept, oh adorable Face, oh Thou, whom I love more than aught else in the world, accept the homage of myself, which I present to Thee at this moment. I thrill with gladness and with love, whilst thus consecrating to Thee the whole of my being. Yes, I offer and consecrate to Thee my heart, my body, my soul, my spirit, and my life: my heart, to love only Thee, O beauty ever ancient and ever new; my body, to serve as an instrument of reparation and of all that belongs to Thy glory: my soul, to reflect unceasingly the image of Thy different graces; my spirit, to think only upon Thee, and upon all that will tend to spread devotion to Thee; my life, my whole life, in order that I may be penetrated with Thy sweet memory, and filled with actions worthy Thy Name, so that I may one day merit that life eternal, in which, according to the expression of Thy apostle, I may contemplate Thee, no longer as in an enigma and through a mirror, but face to face, and as Thou art.
Whilst waiting until this supreme grace shall be accorded to me, O Holy Face of Jesus, make me walk here below in the light of Thy benign eyes, that when I shall appear before Thee, Thou mayest name me by my name, Thou mayest kiss me with the kiss of Thy mouth, and Thou mayest introduce me into the immortal society of the blessed who are occupied without ceasing in contemplating Thee, praising Thee, adoring Thee, and eternally singing Thy mercies. Amen.
ACT OF LOVE TO THE HOLY FACE
(P.162 of the Manual of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face)
Adorable Face of my Jesus, my only love, my light and my life, grant that I may see no one except Thee, that I may know no one except Thee, that I may love Thee alone, that I may live with Thee, of Thee, by Thee, and for Thee. Amen.
ACT OF REPARATION
(P.162 of the Manual of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face)
O well beloved Face of Jesus! humbly prostate in Thy presence, we adore Thee for those who refuse to adore Thee; we love Thee and we pray to Thee, for those who refuse to love Thee and who blaspheme Thee. Unhappy madmen! if they knew Thee better, with what repentance and confusion would they turn towards Thee, how they would seek to make compensation to Thee for all which Thou hast suffered for them!
The audacity of impiety has increased, a clamour issuing from hell has been raised for the purposes of denying Thy divinity and outraging the Church, a diabolical pact has been formed against God and against his Christ. It is for us, faithful Christians, to close our ranks under the banner of the Holy Face, to multiply our phalanx of reparation, to offer to jesus, as did Veronica, the veil of our love and of our veneration. We need no longer, O merciful Face, envy the happiness of that heroic woman; by a redoublement of faith, of fervour and of zeal, we may, like her, wipe Thy tears away, staunch Thy blood, and solace Thy sufferings.
O sacred Face! permit us to weep over the crimes of our erring brethren. Enable us to repair, by our sighs and our love, the attempts made against Thy divinity. Ah! we attest that divinity which has its habitation in Thee, with our whole heart; and if, in order to maintain it, the sacrifice of our life were necessary, we would joyously make an offering of it to Thee.
O well beloved Face! let Thy eyes of mercy and compassion rest upon us. Pardon this deicidal century, which refuses to bend its proud head to Thy soverign authority. Dissipate, by the light of Thy presence, the darkness which envelops us, and which, if it were not for Thee, would drag us down into the still deeper darkness of death. Convert the blasphemers, bring back to the light of faith the ignorant and incredulous, console the just, strengthen the weak, and grant that all, with one accent of faith and love, may excalim with the Prophet:
<< Now, Lord, we follow Thee with our whole heart, we fear Thee and we seek after Thy adorable Face. >> (Dan, III, 41.)
PRAYER OF SAINT AUGUSTINE
(P.164 of the Manual of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face)
I present myself before Thy Holy Face, O my Saviour, laden with my sins and the penalties which they have brought upon me. My sufferings are far less than what I deserve, for, although I am conscious of the just punishment of my sins, I do not, on that account, cease to commit fresh ones every day.
I am bowed down under Thy scourges, and I do not become better; my heart is full of bitterness, and my obstinacy, in doing evil, remains forever the same.
My life passes away in misery, and I do not correct myself. When Thou has chastisest me, I make the best promises in the world; as soon as Thou liftest up Thy hand, I forget all that I promised Thee.
I make to Thee, O God! a sincere confession of my sins; I protest in Thy presence, that if Thou do not show mercy upon me, I shall be in danger of perishing utterly. Grant me, my Saviour, what I beg of Thee, although I do not deserve it, since Thou hast of Thy goodness drawn me out of nothingness to put me into a state wherein I can pray to Thee. Amen.
ACT OF REPARATION FOR ALL THE OUTRAGES WHICH JESUS CHRIST SUFFERED IN HIS HOLY FACE
(P.165 of the Manual of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face)
I adore Thee, and I praise Thee, O my divine Jesus, Son of the living God, for all the outrages Thou hast endured for me, who am the most miserable of Thy creatures, in all the sacred members of Thy body, but especially in the most noble part of Thyself, that is to say, in Thy Face.
I salute Thee, amiable Face, wounded with blows and scourges, soiled with spittle and disfigured by the evil treatment which the impious Jews caused Thee to suffer.
I salute you, O lovely eyes! all bathed in the tears you have shed for our salvation.
I salute you, sacred ears, tormented by an infinity of blasphemies, injuries and shameful mockings.
I salute you, O holy mouth! filled with grace and sweetness towards sinners, and made to drink of vinegar and gall by the monstrous ingratitude of those whom Thou hadst chosen to be Thy people.
In reparation for all these ignominies, I offer Thee all the homage which has been rendered Thee in the holy place where devotion to which I unite myself with my whole heart. Amen.
ACT OF ADMIRATION WHEN CONTEMPLATING THE HOLY FACE
(P.166 of the Manual of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face)
O Lord! wherefore hast Thou given us an imprint of Thy Holy Face, in the sad and pitiful state of Thy Passion? Why didst not Thou rather portray it with those sweet traits which enrapture all hearts, or with the dazzling splendour with which it was clothed on the day of Thy glorious Transfiguration? It seems to me as though Thy admirable beauty would have caused us to feel more delight in Thee and more love for thee, and all that the majesty of Thy Face would have inspired in us with more reverence! Would not Thy august brow have worn a more gracious aspect, if it had been adorned with a crown of light, or with a diadem, than with only a circlet bristling with thorns? But no, divine Saviour! Thy Face in its dazzling glory is reserved to be for ever the object of the joy of the blessed in Paradise, but Thy ought to be the ordinary subject of our veneration here below, and the model for our imitation. We shall every day experience that nothing is more efficacious for enkindling Thy love in our hearts, for animating us to the practice of all kinds of virtues and for making us avoid sin. Grant, us then the grace, O amiable Saviour, so to compassionate Thy sufferings upon earth, that we may hereafter merit to participate in Thy triumph in heaven. Amen.
PRAYER TO ENTREAT FOR THE TRIUMPH OF THE CHURCH BY MEANS OF THE HOLY FACE TAKEN FROM THE SCRIPTURES (Dan, IX, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19)
(P.167-168 of the Manual of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face)
Lord, we entreated not Thy Face that we might turn from our iniquities, and think on Thy truth. And the Lord hath watched upon the evil, and hath brought it upon us: the Lord our God is just in all his works which he hath done: for we have not hearkened to His voice. Now, therefore, O our God, hear the supplication of Thy servant, and his prayers: and shew Thy Face upon Thy sanctuary which is desolate, for Thy own sake. Incline, O my God, Thy ear, and hear; open Thy eyes, and see our desolation, and the city upon which Thy Name is called: for it is not for our justifications that we present our prayers before Thy Face, but for the multitude of thy tender mercies. O Lord, hear: O Lord, be appeased: hearken and do: delay not for Thy own sake, O my God: because Thy Name is invocated upon Thy city, and upon Thy people. But, there is no one who invokes this powerful Name; there is none who lifts himself up to Thee, and who endeavours by his supplications to restrain the effects of Thy anger. Therefore, Thou hast turned away Thy Face from us, and Thou hast bruised us under the weight of our iniquities. Lord, look upon us in pity, keep no longer silence, and do not leave us prey to such sharp sorrows. Oh! if Thou wouldst open the heavens and come down! The mountains would tremble before Thy Face. Thy Name would be known amongst Thy enemies, the nations would be struck with terror. Cast Thy eyes upon us, and remember that we are Thy people. Amen.
PRAYERS TO THE HOLY FACE EXTRACTED FROM THE WRITINGS OF MR. DUPONT
(P.168-172 of the Manual of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face)
1- Elevation of the heart to Jesus, upon the outrages offered to His Holy Face.
Who can say how greatly our divine Saviour is offended by blasphemy! Placed as he is between his Father and sinners, the outrages which cannot rise as high as Heaven fall in a rain of ignominy upon his divine Face.
O Jesus! Thou must be God, since Thou art patient enough still to remain in our midst! If Thou couldst but find a sufficiency of friends possessed of the courage to interpose between Thee and the miserable people who conduct Thee back to Calvary!…
But, as on the day of Thy Passion, Thou art alone amongst Thy enemies. Alas! do we not run the risk of losing all, if illuminated by the light of faith which enables us to see what Thou art, O Jesus! we do not at least imitate the witness of Thy death in their lively contrition? If it be not be given to all of us to weep like Saint Peter, grant that we may strike our breasts like populace which returned to Jerusalem distracted with grief at recognising the proof of a deicide. O Holy Spirit! Thou who didst enlighten the Apostles and didst reanimate their courage so energetically, inflame us with Thy divine fire, put into our mouths burning words after having enkindled in our hearts the fire of Thy love, that becoming new men, we may feel ourselves possessed of sufficient courage to throw ourselves into the midst of the ranks of the enemy. Give us grace to vanquish them and to oblige them to love Thee.
2 – Prayer of Reparation to the Holy Face.
Lord Jesus! after having contemplated Thy features, disfigured by grief; after having meditated upon Thy passion with compunction and love, how can our hearts help being inflamed with a holy hatred of sin, which even now, still outrages Thy adorable Face? But, not allowing ourselves to be content with mere compassion, give us grace to follow Thee so closely on this new Calvary, that the opprobrium destined for Thee may rebound upon us, O Jesus, and that we may at least have some small share in the expiation of sin. Amen.
3 – Offering of the Holy Face to the Eternal Father.
Almighty God, Eternal Father, contemplate the Face of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We present it to Thee with confidence for the glory of Thy Holy Name, for the salvation of the world. Most Merciful Advocate, he opens his mouth to plead our cause; listen to his cries, behold his tears, O my God, and Thou wilt be touched with compassion towards the poor sinners who ask of Thee grace and mercy. Amen.
4 – Prayer to the holy Face for the feast of the Dedication.
O God! who on the day of the deication of the Temple, in an effusion of merciful goodness, didst promise to listen, from the height of heaven, to those who should invoke Thy Name, and who should seek Thy Face: grant to the associates of the Work of Reparation of blasphemy, prostate before Thy adorable Face, the graces of which they have need in order efficaciously to work out their own salvation and to convert the blasphemers themselves, for whom Thy holy Name is invoked with confidence. Thou, who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.
5 – Aspiration towards the glorious Face of our Lord.
Lord! at the thought of the blessings which the vision of Thy Face could not but shed upon the earth, the Prophet exclaims in a holy transport:
<<Happy the people who joyfully declare Thy glory…>>
O Lord! permit us to aspire to this divine science, grant us to walk in the light of Thy Face, and to rejoice in the praises which we will offer by day and night to Thy holy Name. (Ps. LXXXVIII, 15, 16, 17)
CATHOLIC ARROWS 