Oh adorable Face, which shall appear at the last day in the air with great power and great majesty, have mercy on us.

There is nothing so terrible, nothing so consoling as the adorable Face of the Savior appearing at the end of time, with great power and great majesty. What different kinds of expressions does it not wear! what happiness for the just to behold him kind and loving! what despair for the wicked to see him terrible and angry!

1st POINT. — THE HOLY FACE TERRIBLE TO THE WICKED.

After the resurrection of the body and the separation of the good from the wicked, there will he seen, appearing in the air, the standard o the Sovereign Judge, the sign of the Son of man, the Cross(1). Following the Cross, Jesus Christ will appeal in his turn, borne upon the Cherubim, surrounded by a thousand million of angels who form his court. With a single glance, he reads the book of consciences. How will the wicked be able to bear the eve of their Judge? They will see the wounds in his feet and in his hands, the scars on his cheeks, the traces of the crown of thorns which will be as so many accusing voices— Videbunt in quem transfixerunt(2). They will see the wounds of him whom they have transpierced by their sins.

Behold your work, the Eternal Father will say; after my prophets, I sent you my own Son, and you treated him like the last of your slaves; you crucified him and put him to death. They will invoke his mercy, but for them the hour of justice has struck. Jesus Christ, once so patient and so gentle, will now launch forth upon them one of those terrible glances of which David said— “He looketh upon the earth and maketh it tremble; he toucheth the mountains, and they smoke(3),” and his glance will dry them up with fear. They will desire to turn away their eyes, and to bury themselves in the deepest abysses of the earth; but a voice, more terrible still than the eyes of the Sovereign Judge, will make itself heard, and from the mouth of the Judge will issue these fearful words— “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels(4).”

Oh my God, what will be my fate? Where is my faith, where is my reason, if I do not tremble at the thought of this terrible drama and if I do not endeavor to reform my life, in order not to be found amongst the number of the cursed.

2nd POINT.— THE HOLY FACE GENTLE AND BENEVOLENT TO THE JUST.

Already the sentence of the good has been pronounced. Jesus has inclined himself towards them. He has recognized them as the sheep which have been separated and placed on his right hand. Oh beautiful day of triumph in which the just Judge who has received in deposit all their good works, has come to make compensation and to give back to each that which belongs to him. They do not tremble in presence of his Face. It is so gentle, so benevolent, so merciful, so kind! They sustain his glance, they are glad to contemplate him in his glory; him on whose sufferings they were wont to meditate. His wounds are as so many suns which inundate their souls with joy and happiness. His adorable Face, resplendent with glory, is the most beautiful of these brilliant suns.

The divine mouth of the Savior suddenly opens, and from it issues the beautiful words which charm the ears of saints and make their hearts palpitate with joy. — “Come ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world(5). For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; naked, and you covered me; sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me.” And Jesus taking his flight towards the sojourn of eternal glory, with his Holy Face invites the just to follow him into a happy eternity.

Oh what joy and what ecstasy will then inundate the souls of the saints! To see God! henceforth to possess him without any fear of ever losing him; to sing his praises, to sit down at the table of the Lamb and share in the feast he has prepared for his elect, oh how well suited these thoughts are to excite in our hearts love for Jesus poor, humiliated, crucified, and to induce us often to contemplate his Face disfigured upon earth, in order to see him hereafter in heaven in the splendor of his glory and his majesty.

SPIRITUAL BOUQUET

We shall see, we shall love, we shall praise.

We shall see God, we shall love him, we shall sing his praises for ever. (St Augustine.)

THE CAUSE OF M. DUPONT AT ROME.

After the close of the preliminary enquiries set on foot by the Ordinary respecting the reputation of sanctity, the life, the virtues and the miracles attributed to M. Dupont, two members of the ecclesiastical tribunal instituted at Tours were delegated to Rome, that they might present to the Holy Father the documents having relation to the cause. These documents were composed of the two enormous quarto volumes, which had been laid first upon the tomb of the servant of God and then before the Holy Face.

It was on the 29th of June, the feast of St Peter, that the favor of an audience was granted to the two priests. The Pope received them with kindness, made himself acquainted with the object of their journey, and listening to them as they spoke of the canonization of M. Dupont, he lifted his eyes to heaven, and with an accent full of joy which thrilled the hearts of all present— “M. Dupont, he said, oh! M. Dupont will soon be Venerable. I bless his work, I bless the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face, its director and all its associates.”

During this time, the faithful at Tours, who had met together in the Oratory, in the former drawing-room of the servant of God, were celebrating the feast of St Peter, the Patron of the Archconfraternity. What was not their happiness on hearing the words spoken by the Vicar of Christ and on receiving by telegraph his paternal benediction!

The process of the cause of M. Dupont was then taken to the chancellerie and handed over to Mgr. Ponzy, the substitute of the congregation of Rites, to await the moment when it will please God to command by the mouth of his Vicar that the process shall be opened and the work continued. Apostolic commissioners will then be named to examine whether all formalities have been complied with and to interrogate afresh the witnesses. Then only will M. Dupont be pronounced Venerable. A lapse of ten years is required, according to the ordinary rules before the taking up of the cause afresh; but, in order to shorten this period of time, nothing more is necessary than that the Holy Father should give a dispensation. We hope that this dispensation will be granted when the prayers of the friends of the Holy Face and of M. Dupont shall have ascended to heaven with sufficient fervor to obtain this favor for us.

Meanwhile, let us love to console ourselves and to reanimate our hopes by recalling to mind the words of the Holy Father— M. Dupont will soon be Venerable.”

PRAYER OF PIUS IX.

Oh my Jesus! cast upon us a glance of mercy; turn thy Face towards each one of us. even as thou didst towards St Veronica, not that we may see thee with the eyes of our body, for we do not merit it; but turn it towards our hearts, so that always remembering thee, we may draw from this fountain of strength the vigor which is necessary to us in order that we may wage the combats we have to sustain(6).

(1) Tunc parebit signum Filii hominis. (Matth. xxiv, 30.)

(2) Joan, ix, 37.

(3) Ps. ciii, 32.

(4) Matth. xxv.

(5) Matthew, xxv, 34.

(6) Audience given to three parishes of Rome, 10th of March 1872,— This prayer is indulgenced by several French Bishops.

2 Joan, ix, 37.