Holy Face Chaplet
& Related Prayers
Throughout the centuries, many saints and mystics have told us that “there is no practice more profitable for the entire sanctification of the soul than the frequent meditation of the sufferings of Jesus Christ” (Saint Alphonsus de Liguori). One of the early Fathers of the Church (St. Augustine) stated that “a single tear shed at the remembrance of the Passion of Jesus is worth more than a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, or a year of fasting on bread and water.” One form of meditating on the Passion of Jesus is to meditate on His Holy Face.
Veneration of the Holy Face of Jesus began during the actual Passion of Our Lord, when St. Veronica wiped His face as He carried the cross to Calvary. The sacred image of Our Lord appeared miraculously on that veil, and it has been revered ever since. According to tradition, St. Veronica later entrusted the veil to St. Clement, a disciple of St. Peter who became the third Bishop of Rome (Pope). For the next three centuries, the Holy Veil was kept in the Roman catacombs during the early persecutions of the Church. Eventually, Veronica’s Veil was placed in the Basilica of St. Peter and kept there until the present day. Read More
The Holy Face Chaplet
The Holy Face Chaplet is composed of a cross and 39 beads. The Cross calls to mind the mystery of our Redemption. The 33 small beads represent the 33 years of the mortal life of our Lord. The first 30 beads (divided into 5 sets of 6 beads) recall the 30 years of His hidden life. The single bead before each set of 6 (total of 5) honors the senses of touch, hearing, sight, smell, and taste of Jesus. Since these senses were situated principally in His Holy Face, we render reparative homage for all the sufferings which Our Lord has endured in His Face through each of these senses. The last 3 beads mark the 3 years of the public life of Our Lord, and have for their intention to honor all the wounds of His adorable Face.
The Sign of the Cross:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
On the Crucifix, say:
Eternal Father I offer You the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ and all the other instruments of His Holy Passion, that You may put division in the camp of Your enemies; for as Your Beloved Son has said, “A kingdom divided against itself shall fall.“
On the medal, say the “Golden Arrow” prayer:
May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most mysterious 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.
1. Meditate on Jesus’ sense of TOUCH
How often do we read in the gospels of Jesus reaching out and touching people, especially those whom others backed away from? His touch was healing and comforting, but He was not given the same comfort during His Passion. His entire body recoiled from the awful pain that was reflected in His Face, which was spat upon, disfigured by blows, and pierced with a crown of thorns. Whenever we blaspheme the Holy Name of Jesus or God, we are spitting in His Face, and when we allow evil thoughts to dwell in our minds, we are a thorn piercing the Head of Jesus. Let us instead caress His Face with holy thoughts and words of praise, especially using the words He gave us in this devotion.
On the single large bead, say: My Jesus, mercy. Glory be….
On the 6 small beads, say: Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let all that hate Thee flee from Thy Face.
2. Meditate on Jesus’ sense of HEARING
Several times throughout the gospel accounts, we hear Jesus say, “Let anyone with ears to hear, listen!” When we listen attentively, we can hear God’s voice. During His Passion, Jesus heard many things – the sounds of despair from the weeping women, mockery from the Roman soldiers, insults and jeers from the Pharisees and other bystanders. But He also heard the sound of repentance and hope from the thief on the cross. Jesus said that whatever we do to others, we do to Him (Matthew 25:31-46), so think about what others may hear from our lips. Do we gossip, fling insults, use swear words, or even blaspheme God? Or do we compliment people, offer them comforting words, and praise our Lord and Creator? We should also learn to close our ears and spend time with the Lord in silence, so He can then speak to us!
On the single large bead, say: My Jesus, mercy. Glory be….
On the 6 small beads, say: Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let all that hate Thee flee from Thy Face.
3. Meditate on Jesus’ sense of SIGHT
In Matthew 6:22, Jesus says, “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” Blood and sweat ran down the Holy Face of Jesus, stinging His eyes and causing His vision to blur. Yet through His Passion, Jesus was still able to look into the eyes of His Mother, to see and comfort the weeping women, and to see the spectators at the foot of the cross, some jeering and some weeping. Even today, Jesus sees and comforts those who are doing His Will and possibly suffering because of it, but He also sees and weeps for all those who ignore or even mock Him. We must ask God to open our eyes to those around us, especially if they need our help, and to guard our eyesight, particularly when it comes to impure or demonic images.
On the single large bead, say: My Jesus, mercy. Glory be….
On the 6 small beads, say: Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let all that hate Thee flee from Thy Face.
4. Meditate on Jesus’ sense of SMELL
The sense of smell has always been important to the people of God, because it can often awaken deep emotions or recall a powerful memory. In both the Old and New Testament, incense and fragrant herbs and oil were often used for worship and anointing. Those who have encountered the devil report a smell of sulfur or rotten eggs, while in contrast, many saints have exuded a fragrant, sweet scent, either before or after death. Therefore, it is quite possible that in addition to the natural earthly smells at the time, Jesus also sensed rotten, sulfuric smells as the demons surrounded Him during His Passion. Let us make sure that we offer up to Jesus the sweet smells of our prayers and sacrifices, and not the rotten smell of our sins.
On the single large bead, say: My Jesus, mercy. Glory be….
On the 6 small beads, say: Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let all that hate Thee flee from Thy Face.
5. Meditate on Jesus’ sense of TASTE
Psalm 34:8 encourages us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good…” but how do we do that? As Catholics, we are blessed to have the Holy Eucharist in which we can physically taste and consume Jesus, Our Lord. But during His Passion, Jesus could only taste bitterness. His mouth was parched and swollen, and they gave Him bitter wine to drink, which He rejected. The words which come out of our mouth can also be bitter or sweet – do we blaspheme and insult Our Lord and other people, or do we praise God and uplift others with our words? “Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:2-3).
On the single large bead, say: My Jesus, mercy. Glory be….
On the 6 small beads, say: Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let all that hate Thee flee from Thy Face.
On the final 3 beads, say:
1. May God arise and let His enemies be scattered and let those who hate Him flee before His Face!
2. May the thrice Holy Name of God overthrow all 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 their godlessness!
3. Lord, I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live. “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.“
In Conclusion, say:
Eternal Father, we offer You the Holy Face of Jesus, covered with blood, sweat, dust and spittle, in reparation for the crimes of communists, blasphemers, and for the profaners of the Holy Name and of the Holy Day. Amen.
Litany of the Holy Face
This was composed by Sr. Marie of St. Peter
I salute Thee, I adore Thee and I love Thee, O adorable Face of Jesus, my Beloved, noble Seal of the Divinity! Outraged anew by blasphemers. I offer Thee, through the heart of Thy blessed Mother, the worship of all the Angels and Saints, most humbly beseeching Thee to repair and renew in me and in all men Thine Image disfigured by sin.
O adorable Face which was adored, with profound respect, by Mary and Joseph when they saw Thee for the first time, have mercy on us,
O adorable Face which ravished with joy, in the stable of Bethlehem, the Angels, the shepherds and the magi, have mercy on us,
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The Golden Arrow Prayer
May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most mysterious 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.
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 Holy Days of Obligation, 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 You 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 Your Holy Days of Obligation.
Pray: 1 Our Father… 1 Hail Mary… 1 Glory Be…
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 You 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 come before Your throne.
Eternal Father, turn away Your angry gaze from our guilty people whose face has become unsightly in Your eyes. Look instead upon the Face of Your Beloved Son; for this is the Face of Him in whom You are well pleased. We now offer You 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 Your holy days. We thus hope to appease Your 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 hearken to Him when He intercedes for us poor miserable sinners.
Prayer to the Holy Face
composed by Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face
O adorable face of Jesus, sole beauty which ravishes my heart, vouchsafe to impress on my soul Your divine likeness so that it may not be possible for You to look at Your spouse without beholding Yourself! O my Beloved, for love of You I am content not to see here on earth the sweetness of Your glance, nor to feel the ineffable kiss of Your sacred lips, but I beg of You to inflame me with Your love so that it may consume me quickly and that soon I may behold Your glorious countenance in heaven.
O Jesus, who in Thy bitter Passion didst become “the most abject of men, a man of sorrows,” I venerate Thy Sacred Face whereon there once did shine the beauty and sweetness of the Godhead; but now it has become for me as if it were the face of a leper! Nevertheless, under those disfigured features, I recognize Thy infinite Love and I am consumed with the desire to love Thee and make Thee loved by all men.
The tears which well up abundantly in Thy sacred eyes appear to me as so many precious pearls that I love to gather up, in order to purchase the souls of poor sinners by means of their infinite value. O Jesus, whose adorable face ravishes my heart, I implore Thee to fix deep within me Thy divine image and to set me on fire with Thy Love, that I may be found worthy to come to the contemplation of Thy glorious Face in Heaven. Amen.