Virgo Potens

2 of 2 THE NOVENA to the HOLY FACE Fourth Day ~ The Holy Face in the Garden of Olives Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus ~ Shrove Tuesday You may here observe three things: I. The sorrowful state of the Holy Face. It reflects all the impressions of his soul; it is sorrowful, desolate, quivering; it sheds tears; sorrowful sighs escape from its lips. See also, how, after having prayed on his knees, the Saviour, in order to give to his petitions more of intensity and fervor, prostrates himself with his Face to the ground. Contemplate his Divine Face abased to the dust, cleaving to the earth which, cursed through the sin of Adam and condemned to produce nothing but thorns, was purified by the kiss of peace, by the tears of the Holy Face. Our earth will henceforth behold its inhabitants produce a rich harvest of flowers and fruits of virtue; but Jesus takes the thorns for himself and with them crowns his brow. II. The apparition of the angel. — At that moment, the anguish of the Man-God is redoubled; he experiences mortal anguish; a mysterious sweat, a sweat of blood, bathes his Face, runs down from his brow and falls, drop after drop, upon the ground where he is prostrated. An angel appears in order to strengthen him; reanimated by the heavenly aid, Jesus rises, accepts the chalice offered to him by his Father and lovingly drinks it down to the very dregs. Angel of consolation, you give me an example; I envy you your destiny; I desire to put myself in your place; let it be my portion to raise that suffering and languishing Face, to compensate it by the tenderness of my love, and the generosity of my sacrifices; since it is for me that it suffers and that it is humiliated; it is for me that it resigns itself to drink the chalice presented to it by its Father. III. What you have to do. — It is to offer yourself to it and to imitate it. Adorable Face, Thou didst not refuse the succor offered by another and the consolation of an angel. Permit me, in spite of my unworthiness, to draw nigh to Thee, and to render Thee the like service. Permit me to compassionate Thy sorrow, to raise Thee from the ground and to hold Thee reverently in my arms. It is for me to prostrate myself to the ground, to annihilate myself in a spirit of reparation; I associate myself with Thy humiliations and Thy sufferings; like Thee, I accept the chalice of suffering, and I give myself up to the divine will, saying: “Behold me, Lord, I come to do Thy will. Thy law shall be engraved forever in my heart. Thy will and not my own be done; not what I will, oh Lord, but what Thou willest!” Act of abandonment. — Offer yourself wholly to God in order never to do aught save his adorable will; make the offering in union with Jesus praying in the garden. Virtue to be practiced. — Do penance; excite yourself to contrition for your own sins and for those of others; accept, in a spirit of expiation the trials of life and the bitter sorrows it may please God to send you. Spiritual bouquet. — My food, that is to say, my joy and my delight, are to do the will of my Father who is in heaven. I have called upon thy Face with my whole heart; have pity on me according to Thy promises. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me. Save me in thy mercy; Lord, I shall not be confounded because I have called upon Thee. PRAYER. — God all-powerful and merciful, grant we entreat Thee, that, venerating the Face of Thy Christ, disfigured in his Passion because of our sins, we may deserve to contemplate it eternally in the splendor of the glory of Heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ. Amen.

THE NOVENA to the HOLY FACE Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus ~ Shrove Tuesday FOURTH DAY THE HOLY FACE IN THE GARDEN OF OLIVES At the commencement say: Lord, I desire to seek thy Face; do not Thou repel me far from it on account of my sins; do not remove Thy Holy Spirit from me. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me; teach me in the way of Thy commandments. Follow Jesus going after the last supper to the mount of Olives, in order to prepare himself for his Passion. He kneels down apart in a solitary grotto; he prays for a long time, even during three hours. His soul is a prey to sorrow, to fear, to the anguish of death. From time to time he interrupts his prayer in order to go to his disciples and to seek from them a little support and consolation, and he meets with neither. “I have sought,” he says, “someone who would console me, and I have found none.” (continued)

2 of 2 Month of the Holy Family ~ February 11th A tree does not fall while bending under its own weight, and this must be attributed to the strength of its support; and in the same way if I have not fallen into every kind of iniquity, it must not be attributed to my own inherent virtue but only to Divine grace, which by its goodness has supported me. Therefore how can I esteem myself more than another whilst we are all equal in human weakness? “For what is my strength?” [Job vi, 11] I am a son of Adam like every other man, born in sin, inclined to sin, and ever ready to fall into sin. I have no need of the devil to tempt me to sin; my own concupiscence is only too great a temptation; and if God were to withdraw from me His protecting and helping hand, I know that I should be precipitated headlong from bad to worse. When St. Augustine made his examen of conscience, he did not always find sufficient to excite within him sorrow and contrition, so he dwelt on those sins which he might or would have committed had he not been preserved from them by God’s infinite mercy; and he grieved and accused himself and humbly implored pardon of God for the evil capacity he had to commit all kinds of heinous and impious sins. In this practice is to be found an exercise of true humility. ~ Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (1660-1753), Humility of Heart. Tr. Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (1903).

Humility is first, second and third in Christianity. ~ St. Augustine 1 of 2 Month of the Holy Family ~ February 11th 11. There is no Saint however holy and innocent who may not truly consider himself the greatest sinner in the world. It is enough that he knows himself to be man to recognize that he is liable to commit all the evil of which man is capable. As man, I have in my corrupt nature a proclivity to every evil; and so far as I am concerned I am quite capable of committing all kinds of sin, and if I do not commit them it is through a special grace of God which preserves and restrains me. (continued)

3 of 3 THE NOVENA to the HOLY FACE Second Day ~ The Holy Face in the Midst of the People of Judea Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus ~ Shrove Tuesday III. An order to receive. — This order emanates from the Eternal Father, who, from the summit of the mountain, as from an awe-inspiring tribune, desires to render, in the face of heaven and earth, a solemn homage to the Face of his Son. It is in fact the splendor of his glory, the figure of his substance, the most pure splendor of his eternal light, the spotless mirror of his justice and of his infinite perfections. He there enhances its glory, by surrounding it as in a splendid frame, with a luminous cloud, which comes down from heaven, as the symbol of the Holy Spirit, from out the bosom of which issues a voice full of power and majesty: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him.” Such is the command which God gives to every creature. He glorifies the Face of his Word, he makes a solemn exposition of it on the highest mountain of the Holy Land, in order to show in it, to all people and to all centuries, the sign of salvation and the organ of truth. Look at it then, “and act according to the model which is presented to you on The mountain.” Act of hope. — Yes, I know it; my Redeemer is living: I shall see him one day with my eyes, in his glory, myself and not another; this is the hope which is laid up in my bosom. Virtue to be practiced. — Fidelity in obeying the divine commandments. “Speak, Lord, Thy servant harkens.” Spiritual bouquet. — “It is good for us to be here.”. Say these words in presence of the Tabernacle, at the foot of the altar; there is your Tabor, for the immortal and glorious Face of Jesus is through the Eucharist, present to the eyes of your faith; make it the object of your delights and of your joys. I have called upon thy Face with my whole heart; have pity on me according to Thy promises. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me. Save me in thy mercy; Lord, I shall not be confounded because I have called upon Thee. PRAYER. — God all-powerful and merciful, grant we entreat Thee, that, venerating the Face of Thy Christ, disfigured in his Passion because of our sins, we may deserve to contemplate it eternally in the splendor of the glory of Heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ. Amen.

2 of 3 THE NOVENA to the HOLY FACE Third Day ~ The Holy Face on Tabor Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus ~ Shrove Tuesday You will find in this mystery three subjects worthy of your attention: I. A spectacle to contemplate; — that of the Face of our Lord beaming with splendor and grace. The light which flows from his divine Face communicates to the raiment of the Saviour and to the whole of his person a virginal whiteness, incomparable in its purity. It is a light which casts its beams into the air, envelopes the whole mountain, and ravishes the three disciples who are present with admiration. They experience an ecstasy of happiness, a foretaste of the happiness of heaven, and Saint Peter exclaims: “It is good for us to be here, let us make three tabernacles!” And yet it was only a passing ray of the eternal splendor, a drop of that ocean of felicity, of that plenitude of life of which the Face of the Lord is the source. What will it be when you drink it in copious drafts and when you will have full possession and assured enjoyment of the very source itself? II. A conversation to which to listen. — Listen to the conversation which Moses and Elias have with Jesus in presence of the Holy Face thus transfigured. — The subject which occupies them is the work of the Redemption of the human race, which the Son of Man has come to accomplish; they speak of his “going out of the world”, that is to say, of his Passion and death. The Face of the Redeemer, at that moment so radiant and so beautiful, will soon be wounded, bleeding, spit upon, outraged in a thousand ways. Lifted up upon an infamous gibbet, it will utter in the face of heaven a cry of pardon when expiring, and it will be the consummation of our salvation, the conquering signal of peace, the warrant of an entire reconciliation between God and man. In this mysterious conversation, the Face of Jesus offers itself to us under two very different aspects; it is at once the glorious and the sorrowful Face. Tabor and Calvary approach each other and are united together; it was meet that it should be so; it is on Calvary, upon the Cross, by the sufferings and ignominy of the Passion concentrated in the Face of our Lord, that Redemption will be accomplished and that we shall merit together with the beatific vision, the delights of Paradise. Do not separate the idea of the sacrifice from that of the recompense; if the joys of Tabor are sometimes granted you, remember that it is to give you strength the better to follow Jesus to Calvary, and to bear the Cross with him. (continued)

THE NOVENA to the HOLY FACE Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus ~ Shrove Tuesday THIRD DAY THE HOLY FACE ON TABOR At the commencement say: Lord, I desire to seek thy Face; do not Thou repel me far from it on account of my sins; do not remove Thy Holy Spirit from me. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me; teach me in the way of Thy commandments. Ascend with our Lord on Tabor. He climbed the mountain with three privileged disciples, Peter, James, and John, and he began to pray. Whilst he prayed, his Face was transfigured before them; his Holy Face became resplendent like the sun; his vestments were white as snow. — Jesus willed to give in this manner a free outlet to the rays of the divinity which was hidden in him; for the first time he caused to appear before mortal eyes his adorable Face with the splendor of the glory and the beauty which belong to it. (continued)

2 of 2 Month of the Holy Family ~ February 10th So the soul, conscious of the numerous sins it has committed, aware that it has indeed deserved Hell, and that from one moment to another it may be condemned to Hell by Divine justice, fears the wrath of God, and this fear causes the soul to remain humble before Him; and if it does not feel this humility, it can only be because the fear of God is wanting: “There is no fear of God before his eyes.” [Ps. xxxv, 1] Oh, cry to God from your heart: “Pierce Thou my flesh with Thy fear.” [Ps. cxviii, 120] And this holy fear which is the beginning of wisdom will also be the beginning of true humility; for, as the inspired Word says, humility and wisdom are inseparable companions: “Where humility is, there also is wisdom.” [Prov. xi, 2] ~ Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (1660-1753), Humility of Heart. Tr. Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (1903).

Not only in body but in heart as well, no ornament becomes like humility, modesty, devotion. ~ St. Francis de Sales 1 of 2 Month of the Holy Family ~ February 10th 10. We must acknowledge that one of the five reasons why we do not live in this necessary humility is because we do not fear the justice of God. Look at a criminal, how humbly he stands before the judge, with lowered eyes, pallid face and bowed head: he knows that he has been convicted of atrocious crimes; he knows that thereby he has merited capital punishment, and may justly be condemned to the gallows, and hence he fears, and his fear keeps him humble, chasing from his brain all thought of ambition and vain-glory. (continued)

3 of 3 THE NOVENA to the HOLY FACE Second Day ~ The Holy Face in the Midst of the People of Judea Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus ~ Shrove Tuesday III. It is compassionate and merciful towards all. — Little children are the object of its embraces and its caresses. It gives to the prodigal son the kiss of peace and reconciliation. Inclined towards the ground in presence of the repentant sinner, it is raised again in order to look at her and to say: “Go in peace, and sin no more.” Attentive to the needs of the multitude in the desert, it raises its eyes towards heaven and calls down the blessing which multiplies the bread necessary for the subsistence of the hungry people. It sheds tears over the tomb of Lazarus and communicates to the four days’ corpse a miraculous resurrection, an image of the possible conversion of the most hardened sinner. Light, grace, pardon, life, flow like rays from the adorable Face; gather them up with avidity according to the needs and the different states of your soul. Act of confidence. — Everywhere that it showed itself upon earth, the Holy Face blessed, pardoned, cured, did good. I will call upon it; wherefore should I not be heard? Virtue to be practiced. — Be docile to the impressions of grace; — a grace is a glance of the Face of Jesus which solicits and urges you. Give yourself up to its heavenly influence. Spiritual Bouquet. — My beloved, show me Thy Face; make Thy voice resound in my ears; Thy voice is as sweet as Thy Face is lovely; I desire at the same time to see and to hear Thee. I have called upon thy Face with my whole heart; have pity on me according to Thy promises. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me. Save me in thy mercy; Lord, I shall not be confounded because I have called upon Thee. PRAYER. — God all-powerful and merciful, grant we entreat Thee, that, venerating the Face of Thy Christ, disfigured in his Passion because of our sins, we may deserve to contemplate it eternally in the splendor of the glory of Heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ. Amen.

2 of 3 THE NOVENA to the HOLY FACE Second Day ~ The Holy Face in the Midst of the People of Judea Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus ~ Shrove Tuesday The people strove with all their might to see the Face of Jesus. Admire the three wonders of grace, which the sight of the adorable Face produced upon all those who drew nigh to it. I. It ravished the multitude. — When Jesus appeared in public, the people surrounded him, eager to see and hear him; focused on his divine lips, they said: “Never man spoke like this man!” And they were plunged into ecstasy and astonishment. The reason is that very different from Moses, the Man-God did not cover his Face with a veil; he revealed himself to every eye; he conversed with all indiscriminately, tempering, through the sweetness and charm of his humanity, the too dazzling rays of the divinity which dwelt corporeally in him. His Face was really the mirror of his soul, the outward expression of his heart, the visible manifestation of his internal feelings. Is it surprising that his aspect ravished all beholders? — Come you also near, contemplate with avidity His Face at once human and divine, listen with reverence to the words of his mouth; delight to listen to it, to question it, to converse with it. II. It attracts the apostles. — On a certain day, the Saviour passed near to a publican seated at his desk: “Follow me,” he said, and the man immediately arose and followed him; he became one of his apostles and his first evangelist. “It was,” says St. Jerome, “because at the same time that Mathew heard the voice of Jesus, he saw on his Face a ray of divine Majesty which enlightened him and stirred the very depths of his soul.”. — On another occasion, Andrew brought him his brother. Jesus, casting a penetrating glance upon him, said: “Thou shalt be called Peter.” He transformed him and made of him the chief of his apostles, the cornerstone of his Church. — Walking beside the Lake, he perceives two fishermen, two brothers, who were mending their nets; he stops, looks at them: “Follow me,” he says. On hearing the imperative command and on beholding the splendor which illuminated the eyes and the face of him who called to them, they abandon their nets, their bark, their father, and immediately follow him. Are there not moments in which the Holy Face enlightens you, urges you, and touches you? Do not make any resistance or delay when you are thus attracted by it; let it work in you the change which it desires to do. (continued)

THE NOVENA to the HOLY FACE Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus Shrove Tuesday SECOND DAY THE HOLY FACE IN THE MIDST OF THE PEOPLE OF JUDEA At the commencement say: Lord, I desire to seek thy Face; do not Thou repel me far from it on account of my sins; do not remove Thy Holy Spirit from me. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me; teach me in the way of Thy commandments. Follow our Lord during his public life, traversing the towns and villages of Judea, announcing the good tidings of the Gospel, curing sicknesses and infirmities, everywhere as he passed doing good. Observe what part the Holy Face took in this mission of teaching and of charity. As the Son of God had really united the whole of our nature to himself, he showed himself to men, with a human face, having its own individual features, and a physiognomy which caused him, at all times and everywhere to be known by the aspect of his countenance; for “man”, says the prophet, “is known by the aspect of his face.” (continued)

2 of 2 Month of the Holy Family ~ February 9th And with this character of infamy which thou bearest within thee, dost thou still dare to demand honor and esteem? Wilt thou still have the courage to say: “I insist upon being honored and respected, I will not be slighted”? However much pride may tempt me to boast and seek esteem, I have ample cause to blush with shame when I hear the voice of conscience reproaching me for my ignominy and my sins, and not ceasing to reprove me for being a perfidious and ungrateful rebel against God, a traitor and an executioner who co-operated in the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ. “All the day long my shame is before me, and the confusion of my face hath covered me at the voice of him that reproacheth me.” [Ps. xliii, 16, 17] ~ Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (1660-1753), Humility of Heart. Tr. Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (1903).

1 of 2 Month of the Holy Family ~ February 9th 9. What should we say if we saw the public executioner walking in the streets and claiming to be esteemed, respected and honored? We should consider his effrontery as insufferable as his calling is infamous. And thou, my soul, each time that thou hast sinned mortally thou hast indeed been as an executioner, nailing to the Cross the Son of God! Thus St. Paul describes sinners as “crucifying again to themselves the Son of God.” [Heb. vi, 6] (continued)

2 of 2 THE NOVENA to the HOLY FACE First Day ~ The Holy Face at Bethlehem Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus ~ Shrove Tuesday See how ravishing and amiable it is; how it already hastens to give you all the most precious things that it possesses. I. It gives you its first prayer: for already in its cradle, it turns towards Heaven; towards the sovereign Father of angels and of men; the author of all things. It adores him in your name, it prays for you. “Behold me,” it says, “oh my Father, I come to fulfill Thy will.” Now, this will is to deliver you from eternal death and to accomplish your salvation. When allowing itself to be seen for the first time, the face of Jesus is humble and suppliant; associate yourself with his prayer; determine to labor efficaciously for the great affair of your salvation which is the object of his coming. II. It gives you its first tears. Behold the innocent and delicate cheeks of the new born infant benumbed with cold, bathed with the tears which are caused less by the sufferings of the body, than by the grief excited in his soul by the sight of the world. The sweet Face of the little child Jesus is already the victim of reparation, of justice, and of expiation; it suffers, it weeps, it satisfies for your sins. Gather up with reverence these holy tears, one alone of which possesses infinite value; offer them to the Eternal Father for the payment of your debts towards him. III. It gives you also one of its first smiles. It has already smiled on Mary, it has smiled on Joseph; now from out the midst of its swaddling clothes, from out its tears, it turns towards you, it becomes sweetly radiant whilst looking at you, it gives you its infantine smile; a smile of peace and love, a smile of heaven, which invites you, which calls you, which seems to say to you: “The face which smiles on you is that of a friend, of a brother, of a Saviour. Draw near, have confidence, I love you.” Act of love. — If the child Jesus loves you, if his Holy Face gives you the proof of it, what is it that holds you back? Render to him love for love. Virtue to be practiced. — Detach yourself, at least in heart, from all earthly things; let Jesus be your treasure! Spiritual bouquet. — Dry that first tear; carry away with you that first kind smile of the Holy Face, lay it in the deepest part of your soul, as a ray of hope, as a spark of love, and say with the prophet: The light of Thy Face has been shed upon us, oh Lord; Thou hast given joy to our heart. I have called upon thy Face with my whole heart; have pity on me according to Thy promises. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me. Save me in thy mercy; Lord, I shall not be confounded because I have called upon Thee. PRAYER. — God all-powerful and merciful, grant we entreat Thee, that, venerating the Face of Thy Christ, disfigured in his Passion because of our sins, we may deserve to contemplate it eternally in the splendor of the glory of Heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ. Amen.

THE NOVENA to the HOLY FACE Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus ~ Shrove Tuesday FIRST DAY THE HOLY FACE AT BETHLEHEM At the commencement say: Lord, I desire to seek thy Face; do not Thou repel me far from it on account of my sins; do not remove Thy Holy Spirit from me. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me; teach me in the way of Thy commandments. Enter into the grotto at Bethlehem, consider the newborn Child, laid in the cradle, wrapped in poor swaddling clothes. Mary and Joseph stand before him and contemplate him. You also gaze upon his sweet and radiant Face. It is the Face of the Emmanuel, of the Son of “God with us”; of the ”most beautiful of the children of men”. During four thousand years the patriarchs and prophets had desired to see it; they earnestly entreated for it as the “salvation” promised to the world. “Lord,” they unceasingly exclaimed, “show us Thy Face, and we shall be saved.” Behold it here! it shows itself at last! (continued)

Month of the Holy Family ~ February 8th 8. It is enough for a virgin to have fallen once for her to lose her virginity; and for a wife to have been but once unfaithful for her to be perpetually dishonored; even though she may afterwards perform many noble works, still her dishonor can never be effaced, and the sting and painful memory of her shame and guilt must remain for ever in her conscience. And thus, even though in the whole course of my life I have only committed one sin, the fact will always remain that I have sinned and committed the worst and most ignominious action. And even if I should live a life of continual penance, and be certain of God’s forgiveness, and though the sin exist no longer in my conscience, still I shall always have cause for shame and humiliation in the fact that I have sinned: “My sin is always before me; I have sinned and done evil in Thy sight.” [Ps. l, 5, 6] ~ Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (1660-1753), Humility of Heart. Tr. Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (1903).

THE NOVENA to the HOLY FACE Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus ~ Shrove Tuesday Begins tomorrow, February 8th, at Virgo Potens https://t.me/Virgo_Potens

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 . . . NOVENA IN HONOR OF THE HOLY FACE OF JESUS OF THE SHROUD OF TURIN “See how I suffer. Nevertheless, I am understood by so few. What ingratitude on the part of those who say they love Me. 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 desire that It be honored by a Special Feast on Tuesday in Quinquagesima [Shrove Tuesday – the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday]. The Feast will be preceded by a Novena in which the faithful make reparation to Me, uniting themselves in participating with Me in My sorrow.” (Our Lord Jesus Christ to Sister Maria Pierina) Begins tomorrow, February 8th, at Defende nos in prœlio ~ https://t.me/Defende_nos

Month of the Holy Family ~ February 8th 8. It is enough for a virgin to have fallen once for her to lose her virginity; and for a wife to have been but once unfaithful for her to be perpetually dishonored; even though she may afterwards perform many noble works, still her dishonor can never be effaced, and the sting and painful memory of her shame and guilt must remain for ever in her conscience. And thus, even though in the whole course of my life I have only committed one sin, the fact will always remain that I have sinned and committed the worst and most ignominious action. And even if I should live a life of continual penance, and be certain of God’s forgiveness, and though the sin exist no longer in my conscience, still I shall always have cause for shame and humiliation in the fact that I have sinned: “My sin is always before me; I have sinned and done evil in Thy sight.” [Ps. l, 5, 6] ~ Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (1660-1753), Humility of Heart. Tr. Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (1903).